Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 June 2016
The theory of aerofoils in unsteady flow, which has made substantial progress in the last decade due largely to the ground work of Küssner and his co-workers, is presented here in a form suitable for application in aeroelastic problems, particularly those concerned with the dynamic loads on aircraft arising from gusts.
Exact expressions are given for the aerodynamic lift and moment for an oscillating aerofoil as well as for the case of arbitrary motion through disturbed air. The expressions for the latter case involve two special functions, generally referred to as Wagner and Küssner functions. Exact values of these functions are tabulated together with useful approximations. The problem of a wing-tail combination is discussed and a method of solution indicated. The bibliography at the end of the paper lists the most important publications in this field.