Computational Aeroelasticity

This book comprehensively covers the topic of computational aeroelasticity, which is one of the main aerospace engineering disciplines. The book highlights advanced numerical techniques for practical aircraft models rather than fundamental 2D wings. It starts with gathering numerical and mathematical background required for the subject, followed by the static and dynamic finite element analyses for aircraft structural modelling using the equations of motion for rigid-body and flexible aircraft. The book subsequently outlines subsonic aerodynamic techniques which includes a steady vortex lattice/ring method, an unsteady vortex ring method, and a doublet lattice method, with the ideas for further improvement of the methods. The following chapters deal with numerical tools for fluid-structure interaction, e.g., displacement estimation using several numerical techniques, normal-wash calculation of rigid-body and flexible aircraft, and estimation of generalized aerodynamic forces matrices. The next two chapters are concerned with static and dynamic aeroelastic analyses of fixed cantilever wings and restrained and unrestrained aircraft. Static aeroelasticity includes lift and control effectiveness (trim conditions for a fixed cantilever wing), divergence, and trim conditions for rigid-body and flexible aircraft. Dynamic aeroelasticity includes flutter modelling and solution techniques, discrete and continuous gust response, and dynamic modelling of an unrestrained flexible aircraft for aeroelastic response simulation. The final chapter demonstrates design optimization related to aeroelasticity including deterministic design with single- and multi-objective optimization and design with uncertainty. This book is suitable for senior undergraduate and graduate mechanical and aerospace engineering students as well as aerospace researchers and engineers.