Wing-tail interaction flutter has not received a great deal of attention in the open literature since the late sixties. This paper highlights some features of this flutter mechanism that were not described by those early pioneering investigations. It was found that a trailing edge flap can have a profound effect on wing-tail interaction flutter speed especially if the horizontal tail is in the same plane as the wing. In this case the flap provides the downwash necessary for the aerodynamic coupling between the wing and the horizontal tail. In the earlier studies this mechanism was provided by the wing tip which explains why for swing wing fighters, the maximum reduction in flutter speed for wing-tail interaction flutter occurs with the wing in the aft most position. Maximum reduction in flutter speed occurs when the stabilator is in the region of maximum trailing edge flap downwash. For the double lattice aerodynamics used here, this occurs when the stabilator is in the plane of the wing. However, due to the lift generated by the wing, this downwash will not be in the plane of the wing and its location will vary depending on speed and load factor of the aircraft. The effect of the trailing edge flap downwash on stabilator flutter was also investigated. For subsonic flight conditions, for the range of parameters investigated here, no significant effect could be found. However, for supersonic flight conditions this was not true. The trailing edge flap downwash can have significant effects for both static and dynamic aeroelastic phenomena. Trailing edge flap reversal speed can be significantly altered by the position of the stabilator relative to the region of maximum flap downwash. The stabilator flutter speed can be similarly altered.
Wing-tail interaction flutter revisited
Flatterschwingungen infolge der gegenseitigen Beeinflussung von Tragwerk und Leitwerk
1996
7 Seiten, 8 Bilder, 9 Quellen
Conference paper
English
Wing-Tail Interaction Flutter Revisited
British Library Conference Proceedings | 1996
|Wing-tail interaction flutter revisited
AIAA | 1996
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