High attitude delta wing unsteady aerodynamics

An analysis of the steady and unsteady aerodynamics of sharp-edged slender wings has been performed. The results show that slender wing theory can be modified to give the potential flow static and dynamic characteristics in incompressible flow. A semiempirical approximation is developed for the vortex-induced loads, and it is shown that the analytic approximation for sharp-edged slender wings gives good prediction of experimentally determined steady and unsteady aerodynamics. The results indicate that the effects of delta planform lifting surfaces can be included in a simple manner when determining the aeroelastic characteristics of the space shuttle lift-off configuration.