Sloshing reduced-order models for aeroelastic analyses of innovative aircraft configurations

Abstract The present paper introduces the sloshing effects on aeroelastic stability and response of flying wing configurations. Using reduced order model based on data provided by computational fluid dynamics data, the description of the slosh dynamics is introduced into an integrated modelling that accounts for both rigid and elastic behaviour of flexible aircraft. The fully unsteady aerodynamics, modelled in the frequency domain via doublet lattice method, is recast in time-domain state-space form through the rational function approximation. The reference aircraft is the Body Freedom Flutter equipped with a single tank of cylindrical geometry, partially filled with water, and located underneath the center of mass. The results of the stability and response analyses are compared with the frozen fluid case with the final aim of showing how the fluid movement affects the complete aircraft behaviour.