A SIMPLE ELEMENT FOR AEROELASTIC ANALYSIS OF UNDAMAGED AND DAMAGED WINGS

A one-dimensional finite element has been developed to study the aeroelastic behavior of wings of arbitrary geometry and material properties distribution ranging from beam plates to builtup box structures reinforced by stringers. The formulation takes into account the effect of transverse shear and the bending-stretching coupling inherent to unsymmetric composite structures and allows for unsymmetric cross sections. A modified aerodynamic strip theory along with the V-g method is used to solve the flutter equations. The formulation has been evaluated by solving a large number of problems available in the literature. An introductory study of the bending-stretching coupling introduced by unsymmetry and damage has been conducted. It was found that the unsymmetry can have a positive or a negative influence on the aeroelastic behavior of the structure and that this influence vanishes rapidly with a decrease in coupling. It is concluded that the unsymmetry of aeroelastic structures should be considered both during the tailoring process as an added degree of design freedom and during damage tolerance assessment. © 1990 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., All rights reserved.