Flight Dynamics :

Introduction
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 Flight Dynamics-Introduction

 Issues adressed in the flight dynamics field are flying and handling
qualities.
 The flying and handling qualities are determined by the stability
and the control of the air vehicule.
 Points to be adressed:
➢ The relation between the stability and control characteristics of
an aircraft, using the equations of motion and solving them.
➢ The solutions of these equations are then investigated and
interpreted, to get the general interpretation of dynamic
behavior.
➢ Then an analysis of the acceptable flying qualities according to
the defined requirements, and the limited flight characteristics.
http://www.stengel.mycpanel.princeton.edu/MAE3
➢ How can we improve the dynamic characteristics of an aircraft? 31.html
 Flying and handling qualities
 The flying and handling qualities of an aircraft are those properties describing the ease and effectiveness with which it responds
to pilot commands in the execution of a flight task, or mission task element (MTE).

 Flying and handling qualities are subjective qualities, they are mostly formulated in terms of the pilot opinion and thus
described qualitatively. The pilot tends to comprise a qualitative description of how well the aircraft carries out the commanded
task. Flying qualities are the task related .

The pilot’s perception of handling perception is done qualitatively, of the adequacy of the short-term
dynamic response to controls in the execution of the flight task. Handling qualities are the response related.
 Flying and handling qualities: Fly-by-Wire
Fly-by-Wire (FBW) primary flight
controls, is a system where the
flight control system becomes an
integral part of the primary signal
flow path and the influence of its
dynamic characteristics on flying
and handling qualities is primarly.
The flying and handling qualities
are a function of stability, control
and dynamic charcteristics of the
airfarme, flight control system
dynamics, and the response to the
atmospheric disturbances.
 General considerations

Basic control-response relationships

Modeling diagram
Mathematical models
Stability and Control
Aircraft equations of motion
Aerodynamics

https://www.calspan.com/services/aircraft-
operation/advanced-flight-training/flying-qualities/
 Basic control-response relationships

 Define and provide a description of the basic input-

output relationships on which the flying and
handling qualities of unaugmented aircraft depend.
 The input-output relationships are described by the
aerodynamic transfer functions which provide the
simplest and most fundamental description of
airfarme dynamics. While they describe the control-
response relationship as a function of flight
condition and may include the influence of
atmospheric disturbances when appropriate.
 This framework is a mathematical model of the
aircraft, which is represented by the equations of
motion.
Modeling diagram
• Describe and Simplify the real
problem

• Find the mathematical model

(determine the mathematical
relationships among variables • Implementation and use
of the model) associated with
the physical problem

• Testing and Validation: Check

• Find the solution to the
the feasibility of the found
mathematical problem
solutions
 Mathematical models

The mathematical model mainly describes the aircraft dynamics, the

aicraft control systems, atmospheric disturbances and all the related
factors.
The main drawback of the models is their lack of functional visibility.
For investigation purposes, it is more adequate using simple
approximate models, that have the advantage of maximizing functional
visibility thereby drawing attention to the dominant characteresitics.
 For a given problem, it is necessary to develop a model which
balances the desire for response fidelity against the requirement to
maintain functional visibility.
 Stability and Control
 Lying and handling qualities are substantially dependent
on, and described as a function of the stability and control
characteristics of an aircraft. Thus the importance of
quantifying stability and control parameters.
 There exist two types of analysis: Static Stability Analysis 1
and Dynamics Stability Analysis.
 Static stability analysis enables the control displacement
and the control force characteristics to be determined for
both steady and manoeuvring flight conditions. 2
 Dynamic stability analysis enables the temporal response to
controls and to atmospheric disturbances to be determined
for various flight conditions.

12 3
 Aircraft equations of motion
 The equations of motion of an aeroplane are the foundation on which the entire
framework of flight dynamics is built and provide the essential key to a proper
understanding of flying and handling qualities.
 At their simplest, the equations of motion can describe small perturbation
motion about trim only.
 At their most complex they can be completely descriptive embodying static
stability, dynamic stability, aeroelastic effects, atmospheric disturbances and
control system dynamics simultaneously for a given aeroplane configuration
 The equations of motion enable the rather intangible description of flying and
handling qualities to be related to quantifiable stability and control parameters,
which in turn may be related to identifiable aerodynamic characteristics of the
airframe
 Aerodynamics
Scope: It is usual to incorporate aerodynamic descriptions in the
equations of motion in the form of aerodynamic stability and control
derivatives.
Small perturbations: In the first instance this aim is best met when the
motion of interest is constrained to small perturbations about a steady
flight condition, which is usually, but not necessarily, trimmed
equilibrium. This means that the aerodynamic characteristics can be
approximated by linearizing about the chosen flight condition.
 Review

• Stress-Strain Diagram
• Stress-Strain Diagram Properties
• Tensile Testing Procedure
• Failure Modes
• Tensile Stress-Strain Testing Diagram: Ductile Materials
• Tensile Stress-Strain Testing Diagram: Brittle Materials
• True Stress- True Strain
 Stress-Strain (𝜎 − 𝜀) Diagram
 Normal strain in a member is defined as the
deformation of the member per unit length.
 The stress-strain diagram
 Properties that can be deduced from the
stress-strain diagram:

• Modulus of elasticity
• Ductility or Britility of the
material
• Strain
• Deformation type

16
 Stress-Strain (𝜎 − 𝜀) Diagram Properties
 Yield Stress (𝜎𝑦 ): Is the stress corresponding to the point in the stress-strain curve where the plastic deformation starts.
Yield stress is a material property. Yield strength is used to determine the maximum allowable load that can be
supported by a structure.
 Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) (𝜎𝑢 ): is the maximum stress that a material can withstand before reaching the
breaking point. It is mostly found by performing a tensile test. The highest point in the stress-strain curve, is the
ultimate tensile strength.
 Fracture Stress (𝜎𝐵 ): also known as the breaking strength, is the stress at which a specimen breaks or fails. It mainly
corresponds to the last point in the stress strain curve.
 Young’s Modulus: also called modulus of elasticity, which is a material property that represents the slope of the linear
part in the stress strain curve.
 Elastic Region: is the linear part of the stress strain curve. It is the part where the material is able to stretch so as to
return to an original shape or size when released.
 Strain Hardening: is when a metal is strained beyond the yield point. An increasing stress is required to produce
additional plastic deformation and the metal apparently becomes stronger and more difficult to deform.
 Necking: is a tensile mode of deformation where the material is subjectd to large amounts of strains that are localized
disproportionately in a certain region, which results in a decrease of the cross-sectional area forming a neck shape.
The neck part becomes the location of yielding in the material.
 Uniform
Tensile testing procedure uniaxial
load P.

The
distance L
is the gage
length of
the
Two gage specimen.
marks.

Tensile test machine Tensile test specimen before Tensile test specimen after
load application load application
Elongation: 𝛿 = 𝐿 − 𝐿0
 Tensile Stress-Strain diagram: Ductile Materials

Ductile materials are materials that have the ability to deform plastically (stretch),
under a tensile load before reaching the fracture or the breaking point. Most metals
(not all) have a ductile nature.
 Tensile Stress-Strain diagram: Brittle Materials

𝜎𝑢 = 𝜎𝐵

Brittle materials are materials that break without deforming plastically, or permanently.
Examples of brittle materials are glass, concrete, and cast iron.
True Stress and True Strain
 Engineering stress: the applied load divided by the
original cross-sectional area of a material.
𝑃
𝜎=
𝐴0
 True stress : is the applied load divided by the actual
cross-sectional area (in other words the changing area
with respect to time).
𝑃
𝜎=
𝐴
 Engineering strain is the amount that a material
deforms per unit length in a tensile test.
𝛿
𝜀=
𝐿
 True strain is defined as the ratio of the natural log
with respect to the original length
𝐿
𝜀 = ln( )
𝐿0
THE END
 References;
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Russell Johnston, E. (2012). Mechanics of materials. Copyright.
Van Schoor, M. C., & von Flotow, A. H. (1990). Aeroelastic characteristics of a highly flexible aircraft. Journal of Aircraft, 27(10), 901-
908.
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