Aeroservoelastic tailoring for lateral control enhancement

The fundamental study of aeroservoelastic tailoring for roll control is presented. The effects of combining the structural tailoring of the lifting surface (ply orientation and thickness), together with the wing geometry (sweep angle and taper ratio), and the control surface geometry (spanwise position and chordwise size of the control surface) upon the lateral control effectiveness are discussed. Several optimization examples for the minimization of control surface hinge moment, subject to constant roll effectiveness, are performed. To understand the effects of aeroservoelastic tailoring, two different levels of approach are used. First, a simple beam model is used to represent a high aspect ratio flexible wing. Second, a plate model is used for the more accurate structural analysis. The ELAPS code, the general equivalent plate analysis program, developed by Giles is used for the structural analysis. The best spanwise location of the control surface for flutter suppression is found, by using Nissim\u27s aerodynamic energy concept. The results are compared with those of the best spanwise position of the control surface for roll control. The formulation for optimization studies when the wing weight is included as a part of the objective function is presented. Optimization examples for the simultaneous minimization of wing and control surface hinge moment are considered. Results show that the control surface hinge moment can be minimized by reorienting the ply angle and redesigning the wing, control surface geometry. Even the hinge moment and wing weight can be minimized simultaneously