DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF AN INTEGRATED MULTIDISCIPLINARY ANALYSIS CAPABILITY

The paper presents details of a numerical formulation and associated general-purpose Þnite element (FE) software developed for the integrated aeroelastic and aeroservoelastic (ASE) analysis of complex engineering systems, encompassing such disciplines as structures, unsteady aerodynamics, and feedback controls. A linear analysis, involving panel methods for derivation of unsteady aerodynamic forces, is achieved by transforming the equations of motion from the frequency to the Laplace domain and formulating a statespace matrix relationship, the related matrices being further augmented by the analog elements such as actuators and Þlters as well as digital or analog controllers. For non-linear problems, FE-based structural and computational ßuid dynamics (CFD) solutions are adopted for the relevant analyses. Numerical results pertaining to a number of practical problems, obtained by utilizing the associated computer program, are compared to those derived from relevant ßight and wind tunnel tests as well as other analyses, and they are presented here in some detail. Such results, involving damping and frequency responses, relate to the stability characteristics of the aerospace vehicles and testify to the e¦cacy of the present solution procedure.