Impact at aircraft level of elastic efficiency of a forward-swept tailplane

Abstract

This paper evaluates the impact at aircraft level of the elastic efficiency of an advanced rear-end concept for a large passenger aircraft, exploiting a low-fidelity yet reliable aeroelastic approach. The innovative concept leverages a forward-swept horizontal tailplane to unlock a tail-fuselage connection such that a structural opening in the aircraft's rear-end is avoided. This installation allows for weight reduction in the structure, resulting in a positive impact on aircraft fuel burn. Moreover, a forward-swept tail has a different aerostructural behaviour that can be exploited to reduce its size with further weight and aerodynamic drag savings. In this respect, elastic efficiency is a crucial parameter for measuring the impact of this configuration at the aircraft design level. It takes into account both aerodynamic and structural characteristics, making it a comprehensive measure of effectiveness. Two different tail arrangements are being considered for an A320 neo-like aircraft: an innovative forward-swept design and a conventional layout that is equivalent. The results indicate that the forward-swept horizontal stabilizer has a higher elastic efficiency compared to the conventional tail arrangement. This could potentially lead to a reduction of the tailplane surface by approximately 2%, while still maintaining the same stability and control characteristics. This reduction in tail size unlocks the potential for fuel savings of approximately 0.5% on a mission profile of 3,400 nautical miles. Elastic efficiency is just one of the advantageous features of this innovative concept. By incorporating all the innovations proposed by the advanced rear-end concept, a weight reduction of up to 20% at the component level is expected. This could potentially result in fuel savings of approximately 2% for an aircraft similar to the A320neo, which has a mission range of 3,400 nautical miles.