On the Unsteady Aerodynamic Forces and Flutter Characteristics of a T-tail

This paper presents a theory for calculating unsteady aerodynamic forces of a T-tail, of which the horizontal stabilizer is oscillating sinusoidally in a sideslipping or yawing mode. It is shown that numerical results are in good agreement with existing experimental results. Secondly, the flutter characteristics of a simplified T-tail is analysed by the use of the aerodynamic forces thus obtained, and the dihedral effect of the horizontal stabilizer is shown to play an important role in the flutter characteristics.