Free-Flight Investigation of Control Effectiveness of Full-Span, 0.2- Chord Plain Ailerons at High Subsonic, Transonic, and Supersonic Speeds to Determine Some Effects of Wing Sweepback, Taper, Aspect Ratio, and Section- Thickness Ratio

摘要

An aerodynamic-control-effectiveness investigation using free-flight rocket-propelled RM-5 test vehicles is being conducted by the Pilotless Aircraft Research Division of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory. Results have been obtained recently which indicate some of the effects of wing taper ratio, section-thickness ratio, wing aspect ratio, and sweepback on the rolling effectiveness of plain full-span 0.2-chord sealed ailerons. The aileron control characteristics of untapered, 45 deg sweptback wings of aspect ratio 3.0 were found to be generally the same for the NACA 65-006 and NACA 65-009 airfoil sections, neither configuration exhibiting abrupt changes in effectiveness in the Mach number range investigated. The tapered 45 deg sweptback wings of aspect ratio 3.0 and NACA 65-009 airfoil section exhibited a small abrupt change in rolling effectiveness in the Mach number range from 0.92 to 1.00 which was not characteristic of untapered wings tested having the same sweep, aspect ratio, and section. A reduction in aspect ratio from 3.0 to 1.75 for unswept, untapered wings resulted in an appreciable increase of rolling effectiveness. Both aspect-ratio configurations exhibited undesirable control characteristics at transonic speeds.