Project description
Investigating the impact of fuel movement on aircraft wing aerodynamics
Fuel sloshing is an important effect for any moving vehicle. Given that most aircraft have fuel stored in the wings, manufacturers are considering this effect to create optimal wing structures. The EU-funded SLOWD project will develop advanced numerical and experimental techniques to further investigate the effect of sloshing on the dynamics of flexible, wing-like structures carrying fuel. Its main goal is to provide a holistic approach to the quantification of energy-dissipation effects associated with the liquid movement inside the fuel tanks as the wing undergoes dynamic excitations. Researchers expect to see a 50 % increase in the damping of the wing structure.
Objective
SLOshing Wing Dynamics (SLOWD) aims to investigate the effect of sloshing on the dynamics of flexible, wing-like structures carrying a liquid (fuel), through the development of experimental, numerical and analytical methods, and to use sloshing to reduce the loads occurring from gusts and turbulence.
Its main goal is to provide a holistic approach (both experimental and numerical) in order to quantify the energy-dissipation effects associated with the liquid movement inside the fuel tanks, as the wing undergoes dynamic excitations. An increase of the order of 50% in the damping characteristics of the structure is expected.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
BS34 7PA Bristol
United Kingdom