General formulation for the aeroelastic divergence of composite swept-forward wing structures

This paper formulates a simple algorithm that allows for the determination, in a closed form, of the divergence instability of advanced composite swept (back and forward) wing structures. The warping restraint effect is incorporated into the analysis and its influence on the associated static instability condition is put into evidence. In this sense, it is shown that, in contrast to the case of conventional metallic wings where the warping restraint effect has a stabilizing influence only (which is strongly manifested in the case of small-aspect-ratio wings and declines for moderate AR wings), its influence becomes more complex in the case of anisotropic composite wing structures. The principal goal of this study is the divergence behavior of swept composite-type wings to the warping restraint effect being included in the analysis. The numerical examples illustrate the complex role played by the warping restraint effect on the divergence instability of composite wings.