AAE 556

Aeroelasticity
Lecture 7-Control effectiveness

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Reading
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Sections 2.15-2.18
These sections are painfully worked
example problems read through them to
understand principles discussed in class
Section 2.18.2 has a virtual work example
wait to read this until next week

i
i

Skip 2.19 for now (will do next week)

Read 2.20, 2.20.1 and 2.20.2
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Our next goal

learn about control effectiveness
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Demonstrate the
aeroelastic effect of
deflecting aileron surfaces
to increase lift or rolling
moment
Examine the ability of an
aileron or elevator to
produce a change in lift,
pitching moment or rolling
moment
Reading Sections 2.202.20.2

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Ailerons are required for lateral stability

They become increasingly ineffective at high speeds
i

Many of the
uncertified minimum
ultralights, and
perhaps some of the
certificated aircraft,
have low torsional
wing rigidity. This will
not only make the
ailerons increasingly
ineffective with speed
(and prone to flutter),
but will also place
very low limits on g
loads.
http://www.auf.asn.au
/groundschool/flutter
.html#flutter
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The ability of an aileron or elevator to produce a change in

lift, pitching moment or rolling moment is changed by
aeroelastic interaction

L qSCL o qSCL
no o
M AC qScCMAC
Lift
0

aileron
MAC torsion spring KT
shear center deflection
0

e
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6-5

Herman Glauerts estimators for CLd

and CMACd
The flap-to-chord ratio is

C L

C L

cos

CMAC

1 2 E 2

CL

cf
c
E 1 E

1 E 1 E E

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1 DOF idealized model no camber

Sum moments about the shear center

Linear problem (what does that

mean?)

sc

0 Le M AC KT
Remember o 0
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Solve for the twist angle

due only to aileron deflection d

qSe C L CMAC
e

KT qSeC L
Lift

L qSC L o qSC L

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The aeroelastic lift due to

deflection

c CMAC

e C L
q
1
qD

1 q

qD

L qSC L o

Compare answer to the

lift computed ignoring
aeroelastic interaction

Lrigid qSC L o

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The aileron deflection required to generate a

fixed increases as q increases

1 q

qR

1 q

Lo qSC L o

The required
control input is

qD

Aileron deflection
increases as q
approaches reversal

1 q

Lo
qD
o

qSC L 1 q

qR

Is aileron reversal an instability?

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7-10

The most common definition for

the reversal condition

L flex 0
Is it possible that I deflect and aileron and get no lift?

We usually use an aileron to produce a rolling

moment, not just lift. What is the dynamic
pressure to make the lift or rolling moment zero
even if we move the aileron?

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11

How do I make the numerator term in

the lift expression equal to zero?

C
q
c
MAC
L=0, reversal

1

q
e
C

D
L

L qSCL o
0
q
1
qD
L=infinity, divergence
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12

Solve for the q at the reversal

condition

qR
1
qD

c CMAC
0 numerator=0

e CL

q q reversal q R
KT
e C L
qR qD
or qR ScC
c CMAC
L

C L

CMAC

Why the minus sign?

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13

Understanding what the aileron does

Two different ways to compute pressure
distribution resultants due to aileron deflection

aerodynamic
center

aileron lift = qSC L o

aileron lift = qSCL o

MAC = qScC MAC o

(a) aerodynamic center

representation

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(b) aileron center of

pressure

14

Force equivalence
the same moment at the AC with 2 different models

L d qScCMAC o

Solve for the distance d to find

the CP distance from the AC
A lift force at d
produces the same
result at the AC as
a lift force and
moment at the AC

CM
d

c
CL
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=d
e

15

L
0

mid-chord

AC

Distance
distance in chord
lengths
aft
of 1/4 chord

Aileron center of pressure

depends on the aileron chord
midchord position

Distance from aileron center of pressure

to airfoil aerodynamic center
(Glauert prediction)

0.20
example
shear
center
location

All-movable surface

0.10

quarter chord location

0.00
0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

flap to chord ratio

Aileron
flap to chord ratio, E

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16

Summary
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Control surfaces generate less lift because

the control deflection creates a nose-down
pitching moment as it generates lift.
At a special dynamic pressure (a combination
of airspeed and altitude) the deflection of an
aileron creates more downward lift due to
nose-down deflection than upward lift

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