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Structural and Aerodynamic Models in Nonlinear Flight Dynamics of Very Flexible Aircraft

This paper evaluates different modelling alternatives for very flexible aerial vehicles. Aerodynamic and structural methods are compared according to accuracy and computational efficiency. The study demonstrates that the traditional wing-tip correction applied in 2D aerodynamics is not suitable for wings undergoing large motions, and identifies the intrinsic formulation as the most efficient for the structural equations. The benchmarking conducted in this work has found application in the EPSRC funded “FlexFlight” research program that includes as partners Imperial College London, the University of Liverpool, ETH Zurich, BAE Systems, Airbus, QinetiQ and Dstl. (Reference: Prof Ken Badcock, University of Liverpool, K.J.Badcock@liverpool.ac.uk).