Gust Encounter Simulations of a Generic Transport Aircraft and Analysis of Load Alleviation Potentials by Control Surface Deflections Using a RANS-CFD-based Multidisciplinary Simulation Environment

Abstract

The structural dimensioning of an aircraft is decisively influenced by gust, maneuver and ground loads. Adaptive load alleviation promises the potential of reducing maximum loads and hence structural weight. For appropriate analysis of the effectiveness of load alleviation technologies, a multidisciplinary approach is imperative. Against this backdrop, a multidisciplinary process chain for gust encounter simulation in the time domain is applied using high fidelity methods for the main disciplines involved: aerodynamics, structural dynamics and flight mechanics. In the sense of a sensitivity study, the influences of gust amplitude, gust wavelength and direction on integral loads and component loads of a generic transport aircraft in cruise flight are investigated. Encounters with single gusts and series of gusts are considered. The potentials of load reductions by aileron deflections are studied.