Modelling and prediction of flutter and gust loads, and hence their suppression and alleviation, in high-aspect ratio wing (HARW) aircraft requires the study of highly-flexible wings that can undergo extremely large deflections. For modelling purposes and mathematical analysis, this thesis treats these highly-flexible wings as a flexible cantilever beam with a set bending and torsional rigidity. The use of simple linear methods can no longer be considered for the modelling of large deflections of cantilever beams, due to inaccuracies in curvature and geometric shortening effects of the deflected beams. A new method for the improvement of modelling large bending deflections of cantilever beams is proposed. The presented method accurately determines the ‘actual bent’ length of a cantilever beam undergoing a large deflection, possibly due to flutter excitation, turbulence or gust load. This calculated length is in concurrence with literature and unpublished literary findings and will hopefully aid in further, more complex flight flutter calculations, flutter prediction and gust load prediction models.
Non-Linear Beam Bending of High Aspect Ratio Wing Aircraft
Stankiewicz, J. (Author). 19 Mar 2019
Student thesis: Master's Thesis › Master of Science by Research (MScR)