Aircraft Wing Spanwise Air-Load Distribution using MATLAB

Abstract

Aircraft design is a complex task that involves the interaction between aerodynamics, propulsion, flight mechanics and structures. In particular, the structural design tasks involve the consideration of a significant number of load conditions that affect the performance of the aircraft from the moment it takes off to the execution of its mission and eventual landing. A critical aspect in the design of aircraft structures is the determination of the aerodynamic loads. These loads are especially important for the design of air lifting components such as wings and tails. The required level of detail and accuracy for these loads depend on the stage in the design process. For example, during the concept and preliminary design stages, the aerodynamic loads could be estimated using simplified analytical approaches such as the Schrenck method, Diederich method, and Fourier series, among others. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development of a Matlab© tool to determine the air loads for the preliminary design of wing structures using the Shrenck method. The tool requires the user to provide basic geometric information about the wing and airfoil aerodynamic data. The output provides the wing lift, drag, shear, moment, and torsional loads distributions. This information can be used then by the structural designer to perform the structural evaluation of the wing structure. As shown in the article, the results compare very well to published results. Key Terms - Loads to Airplane, Lift to Spanwise, Matlab Airplane, Air-load Distribution.