Flight-dynamics aeroelastic coupling in flexible and very flexible wings

The paper presents a study of the coupled flight-dynamics and aeroelasticity of flexible vehicles, with focus on the impact of hard maneuvers on the aircraft’s stability. The paper presents an original derivation of the nonlinear coupled equations of motion, their subsequent linearization, and a modal representation of the linearized equations of motion. The inertial coupling terms are examined to elucidate their magnitude and influence on the system’s stability. A stability analysis of the coupled flight-dynamics-aeroelastic system for a flying wing UAV configuration is presented, highlighting the impact of maneuvering on the system’s flutter onset speed and characteristics.