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Preliminary investigation of use of flexible folding wing tips for static and dynamic load alleviation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2016

A. Castrichini ,
V. Hodigere Siddaramaiah ,
D.E. Calderon ,
J.E. Cooper ,
T. Wilson  and
Y. Lemmens
A. Castrichini*
Affiliation:
Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
V. Hodigere Siddaramaiah
Affiliation:
Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
D.E. Calderon
Affiliation:
Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
J.E. Cooper
Affiliation:
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Airbus Royal Academy of Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
T. Wilson
Affiliation:
Aircraft Loads Flight Physics, Airbus Operations Ltd., Filton, UK
Y. Lemmens
Affiliation:
Aerospace Competence Center, Siemens, Leuven, Interleuvenlaan, Belgium
*
andrea.castrichini@bristol.ac.uk
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Abstract

A recent consideration in aircraft design is the use of folding wing-tips with the aim of enabling higher aspect ratio aircraft with less induced drag while also meeting airport gate limitations. This study investigates the effect of exploiting folding wing-tips in flight as a device to reduce both static and dynamic loads. A representative civil jet aircraft aeroelastic model was used to explore the effect of introducing a wing-tip device, connected to the wings with an elastic hinge, on the load behaviour. For the dynamic cases, vertical discrete gusts and continuous turbulence were considered. The effects of hinge orientation, stiffness, damping and wing-tip weight on the static and dynamic response were investigated. It was found that significant reductions in both the static and dynamic loads were possible. For the case considered, a 25% increase in span using folding wing-tips resulted in almost no increase in loads.

Keywords

aeroelasticityaircraft designgustload alleviationfolding wing-tip
Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 121 , Issue 1235 , January 2017 , pp. 73 - 94
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2016 

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References

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