Wind-tunnel tests on the effect of body freedoms on the flutter of a model wing carrying a localised mass

Abstract

Wind-tunnel test results for the flutter of a swept-back wing carrying a localised mass, and having symmetric or antisymmetric freedoms of the root, are given. The tests were made on a model wing of 23 deg sweepback, the chordwise and spanwise positions of a localised mass being varied for two localised mass values. In most of the symmetric flutter tests the inertia conditions of the fuselage were constant, and representative of full scale. For the antisymmetric tests, the fuselage rolling moment of inertia was varied. The test results indicate that, in general, the symmetric flutter case is more critical than the antisymmetric for masses at outboard positions on the wing, but for heavy inboard masses the antisymmetric case may be the more critical. The results are too complex for any detailed use in predicting the effects of mass loading on the flutter of particular aircraft.