An aeroelastic beam finite element for time domain preliminary aeroelastic analysis

An aeroelastic beam finite element based on Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and two-dimensional unsteady aerodynamics is presented. Based on the flexural-torsional equations of motion of the wing the finite element formulation is provided by means of their weak form, taking into account the presence of trailing edge control surfaces that are considered flexible. Each aeroelastic beam presents transverse and rotation displacements due to bending and torsion of the wing box, torsion of the control surface, and the aerodynamic lag state. The developed finite element model is validated with literature and numerical flutter results of wings with and without control surfaces.