Presently at the Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, a comprehensive research investigation is being performed on the lateral-directional stability characteristics of a business jet class blended wing body. This paper presents an innovative MATLAB-based methodology using a multi-disciplinary design and optimization code written by the author, which combines various flow solvers, structural solvers, and aircraft design equations, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the overall vehicle performance while simultaneously creating a database for six-degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) flight simulation. Initial validation of the design was achieved through the Monte Carlo analysis of a 6DOF flight simulator, testing the take-off and landing flight regimes where the blended wing body is prone stall and departure due to asymmetric flow over the wing. Differential control effectors on the bottom of the wing, called “belly-flaps,” are investigated for lateral-directional control. Initial test results show that optimal span is 20% b/2, chord 20% [Formula: see text], located at 62% croot, with zero separation from vehicle centerline.
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