Comprehensive model of anisotropic composite aircraft wings suitable for aeroelastic analyses

Abstract

A comprehensive plate-beam structural model suitable for aeroelastic analyses of aircraft wings made of anisotropic composite materials is developed. The equations governing the static and dynamic aeroelastic equilibrium of cantilevered swept-wing structures and the associated boundary conditions are derived by means of the Hamilton variational principle. These equations incorporate a number of effects: 1) anisotropy of the materials of constituent layers, 2) warping inhibition, 3) transverse shear flexibility, and 4) rotatory inertias. A uniform swept-wing model composed of a transversely isotropic material is considered to illustrate the coupled and separate effects of transverse shear deformation and warping restraint upon its divergence and static aeroelastic load distribution. An exact method based upon the Laplace integral transform technique is used to solve the above mentioned problems. The results displayed in this article reveal the importance of transverse shear and warping restraint effects in predicting more accurately the static aeroelastic response of swept-forward wings. However, for swept-back wings, these effects represent higher-order corrections to the classical theory.