FLIGHT MECHANICS - II

FLIGHT MECHANICS – II
III – I B.Tech AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING
R18 REGULATION
Lecture - 2
Ms. Swetha Bala MNVS
Associate Professor
Department of Aeronautical Engineering

Ms. Swetha Bala MNVS

FLIGHT MECHANICS - II UNIT – I (Introduction)
Static Longitudinal Stability and Control

• Flight dynamics deals with the motion of objects moving in earth’s

atmosphere.

• Flight dynamics is subdivided into two main topics

• (a) Airplane performance
• (b) Aircraft stability and control.

• Stability and control of airplane is one of the fascinating subjects in

aeronautics

Ms. Swetha Bala MNVS

FLIGHT MECHANICS - II UNIT – I (Introduction)
• A detailed theoretical analysis called as sophisticated mathematical
techniques.

• Experimental assessments called as sophisticated wind tunnel and flight

test techniques.

• For Aircraft stability and control needs both theoretician and the
experimentalist.

• In the next section contents are

(a) discussion of the basic concepts of airplane stability and control,
(b)Contents of the UNIT-1

Ms. Swetha Bala MNVS

FLIGHT MECHANICS - II UNIT – I (History)
• Firstly, studies of stability of vehicles in flight were made by Sir George
Cayley (1774-1857) and also carried out experiments on models of gliders with
horizontal tail and rudder.
• Due to many experimental works of Otto Lilienthal (1890-1895),Wilbur Wright
(1867- 1912), and Orville Wright (1900-1903) with hang gliders and gliders,
Resulted a better understanding of the stability and control.
• As a result of these studies in Dec.17, 1903, a successful flight (Wright flyer
(Fig.1.1)) had been registered in the history.
• Wright flyer (Fig.1.1)) had the following controls
• Canard surface ahead of the wings for control of the pitching motion,
• Vertical rudder for directional control while control in roll was obtained by
warping the wings.
Ms. Swetha Bala MNVS
FLIGHT MECHANICS - II UNIT – I (History)

The first airplane with ailerons (Fig.1.2) was

built in 1907 by Louis Blériot (1872-1936).

The first airplane with horizontal tail at the

rear (Fig.1.3) was constructed in 1909 by A.
Verdon-Roe (1877-1970).
Ms. Swetha Bala MNVS
FLIGHT MECHANICS - II UNIT – I (Basic concepts)
Equilibrium : If the size and direction of the forces acting on an object are exactly balanced,
then there is no net force acting on the object and the object is said to be in
equilibrium.
Stable, unstable and neutrally stable states of equilibrium:
• Figure 1.4a shows the pendulum in a state referred to as ‘A’. In
this state, the weight (W) of the bob is supported by the tension
(T) in the rod.

• In this disturbed position, the weight of the bob has components

Wcosθ and Wsinθ.

(a) Bob at the bottom – state Stable equilibrium: The damping due to the medium in which the
‘A
pendulum moves, i.e. coming back to original equilibrium position
Fig.1.4a Equilibrium states
and stability of a pendulum called stable equilibrium.
Ms. Swetha Bala MNVS
FLIGHT MECHANICS - II UNIT – I (Basic concepts)
•
Figure 1.4b shows the pendulum in a state referred to as ‘B’. the
weight of the bob is balanced by compression (C) in the rod.
• In this disturbed position, the weight of the bob has components W
cos θ and W sin θ.

• Un stable equilibrium: The component W sin θ in this case tends

(b) Bob at the top – state ‘B’
to move the pendulum away from its equilibrium position. Hence,
equilibrium ‘B’ is called unstable equilibrium.
Fig.1.4b Equilibrium states and
stability of a pendulum
• Neutrally stable equilibrium: If a system, when disturbed slightly
from its equilibrium state, stays in the disturbed position (neither
returns to the equilibrium position nor continues to move away from
it), then, it is said to be in neutrally stable equilibrium.

Ms. Swetha Bala MNVS

FLIGHT MECHANICS - II UNIT – I (Basic concepts)
Types of motions following a disturbance:
• After a system has been disturbed from it’s equilibrium position, it’s subsequent motion
will be like any one on the six types which are:
a) Subsidence
b) Divergence
c) Neutral stability
d) Damped oscillation
e) Divergent oscillation
a) Subsidence
f) Undamped oscillation

a) Subsidence : When a system returns to its equilibrium position without

performing an oscillation, the motion is said to be a subsidence. Exp: the
motion of a door with a hydraulic damper.
b) Divergence: Conversely, when the system continuously moves away b) Divergence:
from the equilibrium position, the motion is called divergence.
Ms. Swetha Bala MNVS
FLIGHT MECHANICS - II UNIT – I (Basic concepts)

c) Neutral stability: If the system stays in the disturbed position then the
system is said to have neutral stability.

d) Damped oscillation : if the system while returning to the equilibrium

and position goes beyond the undisturbed state towards
the negative side (the negative side is smaller than the original disturbance
decreases continually with every oscillation) called Damped oscillation.

d) Damped oscillation
c) Neutral stability

Ms. Swetha Bala MNVS

FLIGHT MECHANICS - II UNIT – I (Basic concepts)
e) Divergent oscillation :If the system shows an oscillatory response but
the amplitude of the oscillation increases with each oscillation and the
system never returns to the equilibrium position then it called as divergent
oscillation
f) Undamped oscillation : If the system shows an oscillatory response but the amplitude of
the oscillation remains unchanged and the system never returns to the equilibrium position
then it called Undamped oscillation
Ex: (Fig.1.5a), when the hinge is frictionless and the pendulum oscillates in vacuum.

e) Divergent oscillation
f) Undamped oscillation
Ms. Swetha Bala MNVS
FLIGHT MECHANICS - II UNIT – I (Basic concepts)
Static stability and dynamic stability:

Static stability : The tendency of a system to return back to the undisturbed position is
called statically stable systems. Ex: fig. a, d, e and f (in previous slide).
(Or)
When a small disturbance causes forces and moments that tend to move the system towards
its undisturbed position. If the forces and moments tend to move the system away from the
equilibrium position, then the system is said to be statically unstable.

Static instability: The tendency of the system, immediately after the disturbance, is to turn
away from the equilibrium position is called Static instability Ex: fig b.

Neutral static stability: When the tendency of the system, after the disturbance, is to stay in
the disturbed position, then it is said to have neutral static stability.

Ms. Swetha Bala MNVS

FLIGHT MECHANICS - II UNIT – I (Basic concepts)
Dynamic stability and instability : when the system finally returns to the equilibrium
position, the system is said to be dynamically stable. Otherwise, it is dynamically unstable.
Ex: fig d and a.
(Or)
A system is said to be dynamically stable if it eventually returns to the original equilibrium
position after being disturbed by a small disturbance.
Note: For a system to be dynamically stable, it must be statically stable.

Case Fig Static Stability Dynamic Stability

Damped oscillation d
Divergent oscillation e
Undamped oscillation f
Subsidence a
Divergence b
Neutral stability c
Table 1.1 Test for Static and dynamic stability
Ms. Swetha Bala MNVS Page-1 of
FLIGHT MECHANICS - II UNIT – I (Basic concepts)

Table 1 Results for Static and dynamic stability

Ms. Swetha Bala MNVS

FLIGHT MECHANICS - II

Any Queries

Ms. Swetha Bala MNVS