Development of a linear method for CFD based computations of level-flight loads

The aim of this elaborate is to illustrate backgrounds, objectives, methods and results of the candidate's Master Thesis work, finalized to the obtainment of a Master Degree in Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Pisa. The study was developed in the context of an eight months long internship served at the Hamburg site of Airbus, in the Gust Loads and Aeroelastics sub-domain of the Flight Physics Engineering center of competence. The aim of the performed study was to investigate about the possibility of using a linearized computational fluid dynamics based method in order to make affordable the usage of computational fluid dynamics capabilities in the computation of the level flight loads on an aircraft, as needed in a gust load analysis. The study involved the ideation, implementation and testing of a new method able to compute 1g trim states and the corresponding level flight loads, called Linear Method