22nd Congress of International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, Harrogate, UK, 28 August - 1st September, 2000
Paper ICAS 2000-2.7.5

PREDICTION OF AEROELASTIC EFFECTS OF AIRCRAFT CONFIGURATIONS INCLUDING HIGH LIFT SYSTEMS

K. C. Chang, H. H. Chen, T. Tzong, T. Cebeci
The Boeing Company, Long Beach, CA, USA

Keywords: aeroelasticity, cfd, structure, finite-element model, high-lift system

An interface method for coupling aerodynamics and structures has been developed. The method transforms loads computed by any aerodynamic code to structural finite element (FE) model based on virtual work and converts displacements from the FE model to aerodynamic grid points on the aircraft surface through the reciprocal theorem in structural engineering. The method was used to evaluate the aeroelastic effects for an advanced transport wing at cruise, under-cruise and stall conditions. Results, in good agreement with wind tunnel data, show a pronounced influence of aeroelasticity on the aerodynamic performance of the wing. The method was also applied to more complicated configurations including an MD90 wing/ fuselage configuration, a simple three-element high lift system, and a rather complicated high lift system of an advanced high-wing transport aircraft. Results show that the interface method also works well for all these complex configurations.

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