Abstract:
The split drag rudder (SDR) serves as an unconventional control surface specificially designed for flying wing aircraft. Positioned near the wingtips, the SDR splits to generate drag force and yawing moments, which exhibit significant nonlinear characteristics. This paper introduces a flutter analysis method for an SDR equiped wing model, which is based on high-precision unsteady aerodynamic force corrections at the flutter frequency domain. Subsequently, a low-speed wind tunnel test for the SDR wing flutter was conducted. The study reveals the flutter patterns of the SDR wing under various split angles by comparing the simulation and wind tunnel test results. Both sets of results indicate that an increase in the split angle leads to a higher flutter speed of the SDR wing. Specificially, a unilateral 20° split angle results in an approximately 8.5% increase in flutter speed compared to the non-split state.