The combined aeroelastic behaviour and gust response of a flexible aerofoil is explored
theoretically. The analysis comprises a structural model based on Rayleigh’s beam
equation, which describes the aerofoil’s chordwise dynamics. The aerodynamic load is
accounted for via Peters’ state-space model for the case of a morphing aerofoil undergoing arbitrary pitching and plunging motion. By assuming a suitable modal expansion
for the structural displacement, Ritz’s method is used to solve the coupled aeroelastic
equations of motion in the fashion of a classic Mass–Damper–Spring system. The
proposed model is validated against both previous work and established results
appertaining to the stability analysis and gust response of a rigid Typical Section, with
a vertical wind gust being taken as the aerodynamic perturbation. The influence of
chordwise flexibility on both aeroelastic stability and gust response is investigated
critically for different cases.