2

Currently studying for a course on fighter aircraft. I came across the phenomenon of 'wing rock', which occurs at very high angles of attack, but I couldn't find any good sources that explain how this phenomenon works in detail. Could anyone give me an explanation of the mechanics of this phenomenon?

Wouterr G
  • 43
  • 5
  • NASA sponsored a research paper on this. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19850037432 There are quite a few other papers on this subject. Your educational institution should be able to get you access to them. – Juan Jimenez Jun 01 '19 at 09:36
  • 1
    Thank you for the resource! – Wouterr G Jun 07 '19 at 19:57

1 Answers1

4

It occurs on aircraft that have triangular or arrow-like wing shape.

Let's say at a high angle of attack, the left wing begins stalling first. The aircraft will turn slightly to the left. Immediately, there are two forces counteracting this:

  • when the left wing goes down, it stops stalling and the shadowed wing on the right begins stalling;
  • if the aircraft is laterally stable, the aircraft has a tendency to revert to the center position when turning left or right.

Therefore the aircraft will turn slightly to the right, and the same process repeats again.