06.1 - Flight Dynamics and Control (Control & Modelling)
AIRCRAFT BUFFET QUANTIFICATION
J. Luo, The Boeing Company, United States
Aircraft buffeting is a vibration of the airframe caused and sustained by unsteady turbulent flow resulting from flow separation during high angle of attack maneuvers, such as stalls and windup turns, as well as overspeed, control surface deflection, flap and slat deployment, and landing gear extensions, among other factors. Detecting and quantifying aircraft buffet is critically important for determining operating envelopes to ensure safety. As a dynamic aeroelastic response to a random broadband forcing function, it has been challenging to establish general procedures and formulations to quantify buffet intensity. Instead, qualitative evaluations by human pilots, combined with engineering judgment, have been used in the development and certification of aircraft in the aerospace industry. Acknowledging the complexities and wide variety of human whole-body responses to vibrations such as buffet, this paper proposes an initial buffet boundary and two deterrent buffet boundaries using a more scientific procedure for quantifying buffet intensity. These boundaries have been developed and refined over the last two decades based on extensive flight test data and pilot feedback. This work aims to provide general guidance for practicing engineers and pilots involved in aircraft development and certification in the industry.
DOI: 10.71945/icas2026_0206