F-15 Tail Buffet Alleviation: A Smart Structure Approach

摘要

In high performance twin-tail aircraft fighter aircraft (HPTTA), tail buffet was first noticed through its destructive effects of induced fatigue cracks in the F-15 aircraft. The fatigue cracks were noticed shortly (less than six months) after the F-15 was placed in service and many high angles of attack maneuvers were executed. After repeated temporary structural fixes, a thorough investigation of the conditions leading to the crack confirmed that tail buffet is the cause of these effects. There are two significant effects of the buffet induced tail vibrations. These vibrations can restrict the flight maneuvering capability by restricting the angles of attack and speeds at which maneuvers such as the wind-up and wind-down turns can be executed. The second effect is caused by fatigue cracks and the resulting corrosion due to moisture absorption through the cracks. The objective of this work is to describe the results of our work in the area of buffet alleviation by the use of piezoceramic stack actuator assemblies.