Coupled Aeroelastic Simulation of Aircraft Tail Buffeting Under Dynamic Maneuvering Conditions

Aircraft tail buffeting is a nonlinear aeroelastic phenomenon that arises when turbulent airflow separates from the wing and periodically impinges on the horizontal stabilizer region during extreme flight maneuvers. This unsteady aerodynamic loading induces severe structural vibrations, which can compromise structural integrity and significantly shorten its fatigue life. Accurate prediction of buffeting behavior is essential to ensure the durability and safety of aircraft tail structures. This study presents a fully coupled aeroelastic simulation of the NASA Common Research Model (CRM) aircraft to study tail buffeting using time-dependent maneuver data. The simulation is conducted using a stabilized finite element-based compressible flow FSI formulation in an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) framework, which enables the rigid body motion of the aircraft model. The structural model of the framework employs isogeometric Kirchhoff–Love shell elements, coupled to the fluid domain through a non-matching fluid–structure interface discretization technique. Aircraft forward velocity, Euler angles, and body angular rates are used to update the mesh motion in the ALE framework, allowing for accurate replication of dynamic maneuvers. This framework facilitates predictive modeling of aeroelastic responses under realistic operating conditions. A simple wind-up turn maneuver is simulated in this study to demonstrate the framework and to capture the structural response induced by buffeting loads on the horizontal stabilizer of the NASA CRM model.