ABSTRACT
Aeroelasticity involves the mutual interaction among inertial, elastic, and aerodynamic forces. The interaction between aerodynamic forces and elastic forces results in a static aeroelastic phenomenon. But when inertia forces are also present along with the other two, the result is a dynamic aeroelastic phenomenon. An airplane wing is essentially a monocoque structure with a thin-skin frame being reinforced by longitudinal and transverse stiffeners. This construction is in order to reduce the weight of the structure while satisfying the strength requirements. In order to study the torsional deformation of such a thin-walled section as an airplane wing, it is necessary to locate the shear center of the wing section and determine the elastic axis of the wing. Pure bending couples acting in a principal plane of a beam produce bending deformation in that plane only. Under such pure bending conditions, the beam does not develop any shear stresses.
