Angle of attack from pitch angle acceleration

In summary, you can assume the flight path angle to be 0 and use the equation θ = θ_0 + \int_0^t \ddot{\vartheta}dt to integrate the angular acceleration and obtain the pitch angle.
  • #1
Ballistic
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I am analyzing the landing of an aircraft with the following assumptions:

- I consider the main and the nose landing gear wheels as skids, in order to ignore the tyre deflection;

- I have a 3 DOF aircraft model, with X and Y-axis indicating the forces acting respectively horizontally and vertically and the theta angle positive clockwise. This frame of reference is referred to the center of gravity;

- I assume that the plane has already touched the ground, so I don't consider the gliding phase towards the runway.

Now the summation of moments aroung the c.g. gives:

ƩMcg = Iyy[itex]\ddot{\vartheta}[/itex]= RNLG * Ln - RMLG * Lm - hcg * [itex]\mu[/itex]Fvert

Where:
[itex]\ddot{\vartheta}[/itex] is the angular acceleration of the pitch moment;
RNLG and RMLG are the vertical reactions of the nose and of the main landing gear shock absorber;
Ln and Lm are the distances respectively of the nose landing gear and of the main landing gear from the c.g.;
[itex]\mu[/itex] is the friction coefficient;
hcg is the vertical distance between the runway and the c.g.;
Fvert is the resultant of the vertical forces.


Knowing the value of Iyy, which is the airplane pitch moment of intertia I can then compute [itex]\ddot{\vartheta}[/itex].

From this angular acceleration of the pitch angle I want to find the angle of attack, which is the difference from the pitch angle and the flight path angle:
A.o.A. -> α = θ - γ

My questions are:

1) Can I assume γ = 0 (flight path angle), since the plane has already touched the ground when I start my computations?

2) If so, how do I integrate [itex]\ddot{\vartheta}[/itex] in order to get the picth angle? What are my intitial conditions?


I hope that everything is clear and sorry for the long post.
 
Last edited:
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  • #2
1) Yes, you can assume γ = 0 since the plane has already touched the ground. 2) To integrate \ddot{\vartheta} to obtain the pitch angle, you need to use the following equation: θ = θ_0 + \int_0^t \ddot{\vartheta}dt Where θ_0 is the initial pitch angle and t is the time. The initial conditions for the integration will be θ_0, which can be assumed to be 0, and the initial angular velocity, which can be assumed to be 0.
 

1. What is the difference between angle of attack and pitch angle acceleration?

Angle of attack refers to the angle at which an object, such as an airplane wing, meets the oncoming airflow. Pitch angle acceleration, on the other hand, refers to the rate of change of the pitch angle of an object, which is the angle between its longitudinal axis and the horizontal plane. In simpler terms, angle of attack is a fixed angle, while pitch angle acceleration is a measure of how quickly that angle is changing.

2. How does angle of attack affect an airplane's flight?

Angle of attack is a crucial factor in an airplane's flight as it determines the lift and drag forces acting on the wings. A higher angle of attack will result in more lift, but also more drag, which can impact the speed and stability of the aircraft. Pilots must carefully monitor and adjust the angle of attack to maintain safe and efficient flight.

3. What is the relationship between angle of attack and stall?

As the angle of attack increases, the lift generated by the wings also increases. However, at a certain point, the airflow over the wings becomes turbulent and the lift decreases dramatically. This is known as a stall. The angle of attack at which a stall occurs varies depending on factors such as airspeed, weight, and air density.

4. How is angle of attack measured?

Angle of attack can be measured using various instruments, such as pitot tubes, angle of attack indicators, and angle of attack vanes. These instruments measure the difference in air pressure between the front and back of the wing to determine the angle of attack.

5. Why is it important to understand angle of attack in aviation?

Understanding and controlling the angle of attack is crucial for safe and efficient flight. A pilot must be able to adjust the angle of attack to maintain lift and prevent stalling, especially during takeoff and landing. Additionally, a deeper understanding of angle of attack can help improve aircraft design and performance.

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