Abstract:
The mathematical modeling of maneuvering flexible aircraft is in “constant evolution”. Previously the limitations of hardware and numerical techniques
in terms of computing time needed for large scale problem solving forced the
engineers to make several far reaching approximations in the mathematical
modeling of aircraft dynamics. However, the ongoing reduction in computational
cost resulting from the decreasing cost of hardware and the increasing
efficiency of numerical techniques allows todays engineers to simulate efficiently
not only simple models based on rigid-body flight mechanics but also complex
models incorporating many of the details associated with the trinity of
flight dynamics, controls and aero-elasticity. Current aircraft development like
the emergence of high-altitude and long-endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
(UAVs) with very high aspect ratio flexible wings, subject to large wing de-
flections and rigid-body perturbations in flight, has opened a new paradigm in
the modeling and simulation of highly flexible aircraft, requiring inclusion of
the structural nonlinearities, both geometry and material related, in the mathematical
model [1,2,3]. However, it is not the objective of the current research
to focus on large geometric perturbations characterizing the flight of these specialized
aircraft. The aim is to develop a linear model, considering only the
small perturbations around the steady state condition, that allows the analysis
of elastically tailored composite aircraft, both business jets [4] and large civil
transport airplanes [5]. Although such a linear model is only valid close to the
steady state condition, it can be used in many cases to support compliance
finding to loads related aviation requirements found in FAR/CS part 23 and
part 25, applicable to light and large aeroplanes respectively
