Flight Dynamics and Maneuver Loads on a Commercial Aircraft with Discrete Source Damage

Abstract

To improve the recoverability and survivability of aircraft after damage, a better understanding of the flight dynamics and the structural loads is needed. However, damage can introduce asymmetries that complicate the modeling. An extended vortex lattice code is used to model the quasi-steady aerodynamic forces. The vortex lattice method provides the force distribution which is not available elsewhere. Snapshots from the vortex lattice model are used to generate a reduced order model (ROM). This ROM contains non-linear terms to account for non-linearities that the damage can introduce. The ROM is coupled with equations of motion which are able to account for instantaneous shifts in the center of gravity caused by the damage. This methodology is applied to the generic transport model (GTM) with the loss of a portion of the port wing tip. This model is used to examine the effects of the damage on the aircraft's trim and the stability of that trim. This model is also used to calculate the aerodynamic, inertial, and propulsive loads on the wing as the aircraft is maneuvering.