Good afternoon all …
OK … so my somewhat battered edition of Kermode (1972) isn’t too helpful on the topic of canards/foreplanes (no duck jokes please), so I thought some of you aerodynamicists might be able to help.
I came across a couple of cross sections recently of the Typhoon and Rafale which sparked my curiosity. Broadly speaking both aircraft are similar high performance, inherently unstable, designs benefiting enormously from the magic of FBW to achieve phenomenal maneuverability. In fact there is a degree of striking physical similarity in design other than the obvious use of canards/ foreplanes.
Typhoon Cross Section
Rafale Cross Section
I was, however, surprised to see that the Rafale has a marked Dihedral of the canard/foreplane as opposed the Anhedral of the Tyhoon. I understand that pitch control is provided by symmetric operation of canard/foreplanes and wing flaperons, while roll control is primarily achieved through differential operation of wing flaperons.
So my question … Why the need for either Anhedral or Dihedral on the respective canards/foreplanes ? What is the aerodynamic advantage ?
As I say just curious ...
Best ...
Coff.