PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Aerodynamics of Rogallo wings
View Single Post
Old 5th August 2008 | 14:23
  #1 (permalink)  
hugh flung_dung
25 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jan 1999
: CPL
Posts: 899
Likes: 42
From: Slowly decaying (disgracefully)
Aerodynamics of Rogallo wings

I'm just converting onto a weightshift microlight so have been trying to understand the basic aerodynamics.

I understand that Pitch stability comes from washout and reflex, and that reflex causes a rearward CP movement with AoA - but please can someone explain why reflex causes the CP to move rearwards?

Some of the articles talk about pendulum stability but I can't see how this is possible when the trike is able to freely pivot beneath the wing (presumably at the Aerodynamic Centre?). I could accept something based on centripetal force causing sideslip which leads to roll-in because of the sweep, but haven't seen this discussed anywhere. What's actually going-on?

I can see that billow-shift is a good thing, and that it can be improved with a floating cross-tube, but how do I explain the sequence of events when entering a turn with a wing having both of these "features"?

HFD
hugh flung_dung is offline  
Reply