AIRCRAFT STABILITY

SUDIP DAS

LECTURER

DEPARTMENT OF SPACE ENGINEERING & ROCKETRY

BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: MESRA

AIRCRAFT

CAPABLE OF PERFORMING ANY MOTION IN THE AIR IN FLIGHT

RAILWAY TRAIN PEDESTRIAN

ONE DEGREE OF FREEDOM STANDING UPRIGHT + FACING THE SAME WAY CAN MOVE FORWARD OR SIDEWAYS OR BOTH

TWO DEGREE OF FREEDOM TRANSLATIONAL OR LINEAR DEGREE OF FREEDOM

JUMPS UP AND DOWN

THIRD LINEAR DEGREE OF FREEDOM (NORMAL TO THE SURFACE)

STANDING STILL HE CAN 1) SWAY HIS BODY SIDEWAYS [ROLLING] 2) TURN RIGHT OR LEFT, ROTATE ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS [YAWING] 3) TOPPLE FORWARD OR BACKWARD [PITCHING] THESE ARE THREE DEGREES OF FREEDOM OF ROTATIONAL MOTION

THREE DEGREES OF FREEDOM OF TRANSLATIONAL MOTION (LINEAR) + ROTATIONAL MOTION PRODUCE THE COMPLETE SET OF FREEDOMS ANY MOTION OF ANY COMPLETE BODY CAN BE RESOLVED INTO THESE

6 DEGREES OF FREEDOM

THE ANALYSIS OF ANY MOTION INTO VARIOUS DEGEES OF FREEDOM MUST ASSUME THAT THE BODY IS RIGID, OR THE BODY IN THE MAIN DOES NOT DISTORT OR FLEX FROM STANDARD SHAPE

AN AEROPLANE, MISSILE IS A HARD RIGID STRUCTURE, INCAPABLE OF SERIOUS DISTORTION UNDER LOADINGS CONSIDERED NORMAL TO ITS PERFORMANCE

TO CONTROL AND STEER THE AIRCRAFT HINGED FLAPS ARE EFFECTIVELY USED TO CAUSE MOMENTS ABOUT PRINCIPAL AXES AND HENCE PERSUADE THE AIRCRAFT INTO THE REQUIRED FLIGHT PATH

THESE PRIMARY CONTROLS ARE CAPABLE OF MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE AIRCRAFT AS AWHOLE

SO THE CONCEPT OF RIGIDITY IS LOST

THIS IS NOT SERIOUS IN THE PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF AIRCRAFT STABILITY

SO THE 1ST ASSUMPTION IS THAT THE AIRCRAFT CAN BE TREATED AS A RIGID BODY SUBJECT TO SIX DEGREES OF FREEDOM

M X L CG

N
BODY AXES

SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE CONVENIENT SYSTEMS FOR MOST PROBLEMS

AXIS OX OY OZ LONGITUDINAL TRANSVERSE NORMAL

FORCE X Y Z

MOMENT ROLLING L PITCHING M YAWING N

STABILITY

ABILITY TO RETURN TO SOME PARTICULAR CONDITION OF FLIGHT AFTER HAVING BEEN SLIGHTLY DISTURBED FROM THAT CONDITION WITHOUT ANY EFFORTS ON THE PART OF THE PILOT

INHERENT STABILITY

STABILITY WHICH IS DUE TO FEATURES INCORPORATED IN THE DESIGN OF THE AIRCRAFT

AEROPLANE WHICH, WHEN DISTURBED

TENDS TO RETURN TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION IS SAID TO BE STABLE TENDS TO MOVE FARTHER AWAY FROM THE ORIGINAL POSITION IS SAID TO BE UNSTABLE TENDS TO DO NEITHER OF THESE. PREFER TO REMAIN IN ITS NEW POSITION, NEUTRAL STABILITY

SOMETIMES VERY DESIRABLE

PITCHING MOMENT DEAD BEAT STABILITY VERY RARELY ACHIVED IN PRACTICE

Original path of flight

DEGREE OF STABILITY

USUAL TYPE OF STABILITY OSCILLATION WHICH IS GRADUALLY DAMPED OUT

NEUTRAL STABILITY STEADY OSCILLATION

INSTABILITY OSCILLATION WHICH STEADILY GROWS WORSE

DEGREE OF STABILITY MAY DIFFER ACCORDING TO

STICK FIXED STICK FREE CONDITIONS IN PITCHING

ELEVATORS ARE HELD IN THEIR NEUTRAL POSITION RELATIVE TO THE TAIL PLANE

PILOT RELEASES THE CONTROL COLUMN AND ALLOWS THE ELEVATORS TO TAKE UP THEIR OWN POSITIONS

CONTROL

POWER OF THE PILOT TO MANOEUVRE THE AEROPLANE INTO ANY DESIRED POSITION

STABILITY & CONTROL, THE TWO CHARACTERISTICS DIRECTLY OPPOSE EACH OTHER CONTROL AND STABILITY CAN WORK HAND IN HAND WHEN THE PILOT AND THE AEROPLANE AGREE AS TO WHAT ALTERATIONS SHOULD BE MADE IN THEIR METHOD OF FLIGHT SATBILITY & CONTROL PITCHING ABOUT LATERAL AXIS LONGITUDINAL STABILITY

STABILITY & CONTROL

STABILITY & CONTROL

ROLLING ABOUT LONGITUDINAL AXIS

YAWING ABOUT NORMAL AXIS

LATERAL STABILITY
DIRECTIONAL STABILITY WEATHERCOCK STABILITY

LONGITUDINAL STABILITY STABILITY IN PITCHING WHEN ANGLE OF ATTACK IS TEMPORARILY INCREASED FORCES WILL ACT IN SUCH A WAY AS TO DEPRESS THE NOSE AND THUS DECREASE THE ANGLE OF ATTACK ONCE AGAIN

AN ORDINARY UNSWEPT WING WITH A CAMBERED AEROFOIL CAN NOT BE BALANCED TO GIVE +VE LIFT AND AT THE SAME TIME BE STABLE WINGS CAN BE IMPROVED BY SWEEPBACK, BY WASHOUT (DECREASING TOWARDS THE TIP) BY A CHANGE IN WING SECTION TOWARDS THE TIP BY REFLEX CURVATURE TOWARDS THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE WING SECTION

LONGITUDINAL STABILITY OF THE AIRCRAFT IS DEPENDENT ON: THE POSITION OF CENTRE OF GRAVITY, WHICH MUST NOT BE TOO FAR BACK THE PITCHING MOMENT ON THE WING, MENTIONED EARLIER THE PITCHING MOMENT ON THE FUSELAGE OR BODY OF THE AEROPLANE THE TAIL PLANE, ITS AREA, ANGLE AT WHICH IT IS SET, ITS ASPECT RATIO, DISTANCE FROM CG

TAIL PLANE IS USUALLY SET AT AN ANGLE LESS THAN THAT OF THE MAIN PLANES

LONGITUDINAL DIHEDRAL[LD]

ANGLE BETWEEN THE CHORD OF THE TAIL PLANE AND CHORD OF THE MAIN PLANE

WITH THE MAIN PLANES DOWNWASH

ACTUAL ANGLE OF ATTACK IS LESS THAN THE ANGLE AT WHICH TAIL PLANE IS SET

IF THE TAIL PLANE IS SET AT THE SAME ANGLE AS THE MAIN PLANE, THERE WILL BE IN EFFECT BE A LONGITUDINAL DIHEDRAL ANGLE WHICH HELPS THE AEROPLANE TO BE LONGITUDINALLY STABLE IF RESTORING MOMENT OF THE TAIL PLANE IS GREATER THAN THE UPSETTING MOMENT CAUSED BY THE MAIN PLANE, THE AIRCRAFT WILL BE STABLE.

THE FORWARD POSITION OF THE CENTRE OF GRAVITY & THE AREA AND LEVERAGE OF THE TAIL PLANE WILL HAVE THE GREATEST INFLUENCE

IN THE TAIL LESS TYPE AEROPLANE, THE WING MUST BE HEAVILY SWEPT BACK AND THERE IS A WASH OUT AT THE TIPS SO THAT

THESE WING TIPS DO IN EFFECT ACT IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY AS THE ORDINARY TAIL PLANE

LATERAL STABILITY STABILITY IN ROLLING WHEN A SLIGHT ROLL TAKES PLACE FORCES ACTING ON THE AEROPLANE TEND TO RESTORE IT

FOR SMALL ANGLE OF ATTACK :

RESISTANCE TO ROLL

, AND LIFT WILL INCREASE ON DOWN GOING WING , AND LIFT WILL DECREASE ON UP GOING WING
FOR ANGLE OF ATTACK NEAR STALLING ANGLES: INCREASED ON THE FALLING WING CAUSE A DECREASE IN LIFT

AND THE DECREASE ON THE RAISING WING CAUSE INCREASE IN LIFT

THESE NEW FORCES WILL TEND TO ROLL THE AEROPLANE STILL FURTHER

COMMON METHOD TO OBTAIN LATERAL STABILITY IS

THE DIHEDRAL ANGLE

DIHEDRAL ANGLE : ANGLE BETWEEN EACH PLANE AND THE HORIZONTAL (+VE ANGLE)

WING DROPS , THE HORIZONTAL EQUIVALENT INCREASES , LIFT IS INCREASED

Dihedral angle Horizontal equivalent Horizontal equivalent

HORIZONTAL EQUIVALENT AND THE LIFT DECREASES FOR THE RISING WING

Vertical equivalent

Horizontal equivalent

Horizontal equivalent

THEREFORE FORCES WILL TEND TO RIGHT THE AEROPLANE BUT THIS IS CANCELLED BY THE UPSETTING EFFECT OF VERTICAL EQUIVALENT ON UPPER WING

SO DIHEDRAL WILL NOT RESTORE IT TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION

871,07

Lift

ion of t c e r i D ip Sidesl

Weight

n of o i t c e Dir cting Corre Wind

WINGS EQUALLY INCLINED : RESULTANT LIFT VERTICALLY UPWARDS : EXACTLY BALANCES WEIGHT IF ONE WING BECOMES LOWER THAN THE OTHER : RESULTANT LIFT : SLIGHTLY INCLINED TO THE LOWER WING : WEIGHT REMAINS VERTICAL THEREFORE TWO FORCES WILL NOT BALANCE EACH OTHER AND THERE WILL BE A SMALL RESULTANT FORCE ACTING IN THE SIDEWAYS AND DOWNWARD DIRECTION IT WILL SIDESLIP AND CAUSE A FLOW OF AIR IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO THE SLIP LOWER PLANE RECEIVES MORE LIFT : AEROPLANE ROLLS BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION

POSITION OF SIDE SURFACES

FUSELAGE, FIN AND RUDDER, AND WHEELS

CONSIDERABLE INFLUENCE ON LATERAL STABILITY

ALL THESE WILL PRESENT AREAS AT RIGHT ANGLES TO ANY SIDESLIP

SO THERE WILL BE PRESSURE UPON THEM, WHICH IF THEY ARE HIGH ABOVE THE CENTRE OF GRAVITY WILL TEND TO RESTORE THE AEROPLANE

IF THE SIDE SURFACE ARE LOW THE PRESSURE ON THEM WILL TEND TO ROLL THE AIRCRAFT OVER STILL MORE AND SO CAUSE LATERAL INSTABILITY

DIRECTIONAL/WEATHERCOCK STABILITY STABILITY IN YAWING WHEN A SLIGHT YAW TAKES PLACE FORCES ACTING ON THE AEROPLANE TEND TO RESTORE IT

A SIDESLIP ESSENTIAL FOR LATERAL STABILITY WILL CAUSE AN AIR PRESSURE ON THE SIDE SURFACES EFFECT OF THIS PRESSURE WILL BE TO TURN THE NOSE INTO THE RELATIVE WIND TOWARDS THE DIRECTION OF THE SIDESLIP TURNING OF AN AEROPLANE WE WANT TO TURN TO LEFT : INSTEAD OF APPLYING RUDDER WE SIMPLY BANK THE AEROPLANE TO THE LEFT : IT WILL SLIP INWARDS AND TURN LEFT JUST A SLIGHT ROLL RESULTS IN A SIDESLIP AND THEN A YAWING MOTION ALSO IF AN AIRCRAFT MOVES IN A YAWED POSITION , LATERAL STABILITY WILL COME TO PLAY AND CAUSE THE AIRCRAFT TO ROLL AWAY FROM THE LEADING WING

THUS A ROLL CAUSES YAW, AND A YAW CAUSES A ROLL