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Lateral and Directional Stability

This document summarizes lateral and directional stability concepts for aircraft. It describes how roll is produced through creating an asymmetric lift distribution using ailerons. It also explains that an aircraft has static directional stability if it yaws back into alignment with the relative wind in response to sideslip. Finally, it discusses the dihedral effect and a phenomenon called aeroelastic aileron reversal where the ailerons can reduce lift and rolling moment at high speeds instead of producing roll.

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Gurunath Aero
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170 views5 pages

Lateral and Directional Stability

This document summarizes lateral and directional stability concepts for aircraft. It describes how roll is produced through creating an asymmetric lift distribution using ailerons. It also explains that an aircraft has static directional stability if it yaws back into alignment with the relative wind in response to sideslip. Finally, it discusses the dihedral effect and a phenomenon called aeroelastic aileron reversal where the ailerons can reduce lift and rolling moment at high speeds instead of producing roll.

Uploaded by

Gurunath Aero
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Lateral and Directional

Stability
AE 6501 | Flight Dynamics

Lateral (Rolling) Dynamics


A roll starts with the creation of an asymmetric lift
distribution along the wingspan.
In the case of aileron roll control, deflecting an aileron
down increases wing camber and coefficient of lift;
raising the opposite aileron reduces camber and
coefficient of lift.
The resulting spanwise asymmetry produces a rolling
moment.

Directional Stability
An aircraft has static directional stability if it tends to
respond to a sideslip by yawing around its z-axis back
into alignment with the relative wind.
Another way to put it is to say that a directionally
stable aircraft yaws toward the velocity vector,
returning it to the aircrafts x-z plane of symmetry.

Dihedral Effect

Aeroelastic Aileron Reversal


The down aileron produces a twisting
moment on the wing, which forces the
leading edge to deflect downward, reducing
the angle of attack. This reduces lift and
consequently rolling moment.
Roll rate then starts going down and at a
certain speed, VR, when the decrease in lift
due to twisting equals the increase in lift
due to aileron deflection, the ailerons will no
longer create a normal rolling moment.
Beyond this speed aileron reversal occurs.

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