Contents

Objective:.........................................................................................................................................3
Elevator Torque Arm:......................................................................................................................3
General Description:....................................................................................................................3
Purpose:........................................................................................................................................3
Working:......................................................................................................................................5
Bearing Load:...............................................................................................................................5
Bearing load and Pressure approximation:..................................................................................6
Modelling:........................................................................................................................................6
Analysis and Results:.......................................................................................................................6
Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................8
References:......................................................................................................................................8
Abstract:
In this report a comprehensive analysis of deformation of elevator torque arm is presented
through the application of pressure instead of bearing load. Elevator arm is used for stability
purposes in aircrafts. Moreover, the general description of elevator torque arms, its purpose in
the flight control along with the working of elevator arm and bearing load all are descried in this
report. In the end, the details related to finite element analysis for torque is also described in this
report.
Objective:
To approximate whether pressure can approximate bearing load on an elevator arm.

Elevator Torque Arm:

General Description:
The main flight control surface is a lift that monitors the motion of an appliance's lateral axis. It
is called a "Pitch" action. Most aviation’s have two lifts, one of them on each half of the
horizontal stabilizer's trailing edge. The elevators go up or down, as a manual or autopilot control
is entered. For most installations, the lifts move symmetrically, but they move differently as
necessary to satisfy the requirements of control inputs in some fly-by-the-wire aircraft. In case of
a hydraulic system failure, certain types of aircraft have arrangements to "disconnect" the right
and left lifts from one another in the course of a control surface jam. Various types of hydraulic
systems operate on a lift with at least one surface[1].
Purpose:
Many planes have a horizontal stabilizer and an elevator at the back of the fuselage. The
stabilizer is a fixed wing section whose function is to keep the plane going straight while
providing stabilization. The horizontal stabilizer stops the aircraft noise from pitching up and
down. The elevator is the small rotating portion at the back of the stabilizer, which is hinged to
the fixed parts. Since the elevator travels, the amount of force produced by the tail surface varies,
and the elevator is used to produce and control the plane's pitching motion. Each side of the
fuselage has an elevator attached to it. When the right elevator goes up, the left elevator goes up
with it. When the elevator is deflected by the pilot, as seen on this slide[2].
The elevator controls the angle of attack of the wing as well as the direction of the aircraft's nose.
The amount of lift produced by a wing varies depending on its inclination to the local flight
route. As a result, the plane climbs or dives in altitude. The elevators are used to raise the plane's
nose to begin the climb out at takeoff. Elevator inputs will trigger a tighter turn during a banked
turn by increasing the lift. For fighter aircraft, elevator efficiency is critical[2].
The elevators operate by altering the effective form of the horizontal stabilizer's airfoil. Changing
the angle of deflection at the rear of an airfoil affects the amount of lift produced by the foil, as
defined on the shape effects slide. Lift is increased by increasing the downward deflection of the
trailing edge. Lift decreases and can also become negative with more upward deflection of the
trailing edge, as seen on this slide. The lift force (F) is exerted at the horizontal stabilizer's center
of pressure, which is a distance (L) from the aircraft's center of gravity[2]. A torque is generated
as a result of this.
T=F*L
The plane experiences a torque as a result, and it rotates around its center of gravity. This skill
can be used by the pilot to make the plane circle. Alternatively, since certain aircraft
automatically loop, the deflection may be used to trim or stabilize the aircraft, stopping it from
looping. The plane pitches in the opposite direction if the pilot reverses the elevator deflection to
down[2].
Vertical and horizontal airfoils comprise the stabilizing surfaces of an aircraft. They are known
as the vertical (or fine) stabilizer and the horizontal. Together with the rudder and lifts, these two
airfoils form the tail portion. The entire tail section is assumed to be a single unit known as the
empennage for inspection and repair.
The stabilizer's main function is to maintain the aero planes in a straight flight. The vertical
stabilizer keeps the aircraft stable on its vertical axis. The directional stability is defined as this.
Usually, the vertical stabilizer is the foundation on which the steering wheel is mounted. The
horizontal stabilizer supports the aircraft's lateral axis of stabilization. This is referred to as
longitudinal stability. Typically, the horizontal stabilizer is the foundation on which the lifts are
fixed. The complete vertical or horizontal stabilizer is a mobile airfoil on several modern, high-
performance aircraft. The flight control surfaces would lose their efficiency at incredibly high
altitudes without the mobile airfoil. Stabilizer building is identical to wing building. A
honeycomb-type construction is used for greater strength, especially in the thinner airfoil
sections typical of trailing corners. Any of the larger carriers have hydraulically folded vertical
stabilizers to aid aircraft's flight on aircraft carrier.
The stabilizer and elevator are fused into one wide moving surface called a stabilator on many
fighter planes to accommodate their heavy maneuvering requirements. The force is then changed
by altering the orientation of the entire floor, rather than modifying its effective form, like in an
elevator. A horizontal surface positioned ahead of the center of gravity provides pitch
stabilization and control on certain aircraft (a tail in the front). A canard is the name for this kind
of soil. The name comes from the French word for duck, and it was chosen because the shape
resembles a duck with bulges around the neck as seen from above. A forward elevator was used
in the Wright brothers' first aircraft[2].
Ailerons, elevators and steering wheels are the main category of flight control surfaces. The
ailerons mount themselves to the wings' trailing edge. The aircraft's movement is monitored by
them (or bank). This is called longitudinal control. The elevator controls the angle of attack of
the wing as well as the direction of the aircraft's nose. The amount of lift produced by a wing
varies depending on its inclination to the local flight route. As a result, the plane climbs or dives
in altitude. The elevators are used to raise the plane's nose to begin the climb out at takeoff.
Elevator inputs will trigger a tighter turn during a banked turn by increasing the lift. For fighter
aircraft, elevator efficiency is critical. The lifts are mounted on the horizontal stabilizer and
power the aircraft's ascent or descent (pitching movement). This is called lateral power. The
rudder is fixed to the vertical stabilizer. The horizontal flight (turn or lava movement) of the
aircraft is determined. This activity is referred to as directions. The ailerons and lifts are
controlled by a single-motor aircraft control stick from the cockpit. The ailerons and lifts on
multi-engine aircraft including transport and patrol aircraft are controlled by a yoke and wheel
montage. The rudder is used on all kinds of aircraft through foot pedals.
The secondary category consists of trimming tabs and spring tabs. The trims are miniature
airfields that are embedded in the main control surface's trailing edges. Each trimming tab hinges
on its main control surface but works independently. Tim tabs enable the pilot, without
pressuring primary controls, to reduce an unbalanced situation. Spring tabs tend to be similar to
trim tabs, but have a very different function. For the same function as hydraulic actuators, spring
tabs are used. They help the pilot to move a greater control surface including elevators and
ailerons.
Working:
Pitch is operated by the elevator along the lateral axis. The elevator, like the ailerons on small
planes, is connected to the flight deck control column by a series of mechanical linkages. The
trailing edge of the elevator surface is deflected up by aft rotation of the control panel. This is
also known as the "up-elevator" location[3].
The elevator angle reduces the camber of the elevator and produces a downward aerodynamic
force that is greater than the usual tail-down force that occurs in straight-and-level flight. The
cumulative reaction causes the aircraft's tail to drop and the nose to rise. About the center of
gravity, the pitching moment happens (CG). Width from the CG to the horizontal tail area and
aerodynamic efficiency in the horizontal tail area are the determining force for the pitching
moment. The reverse impact is to move the control column forward. In this case, the lift camber
raises, which creates more lift on the horizontal stabilizer/lift (less tail-down force). It pulls the
tail up and down the nose. Again, the moment of pitching is the CG[3].
As noted earlier, stability, speed, thrust line and the location of the horizontal surfaces on the
elevator control pitch are considerations. For instance, at the midpoint or at the high point at the
lower part of the vertical stabilizer as per the T-tail layout, the horizontal tail surfaces may be
connected. The lift in T-tail configuration has a greater than other impact of propeller wash and
airflow in typical flight conditions across the fuselage and/or wings. Elevators in this
uninterrupted air allow for continuous control over most flight regimes. On many light and large
aircraft, especially those with fuselage mount rear motors, T-tail designs became common, since
the T-tail configuration separates the tail from the engines' fire exhaust. Seaplanes and
amphibians have frequent T-tails to hold horizontal surfaces as far as possible from the sea. A
further advantage is that the plane has minimized noise and vibration[3].
Bearing Load:
Bearings enable a shaft or housing to move freely along an axis of rotation by supporting it.
Bearings can be loaded in one of two ways: axially or radially. Radial loads work at an angle to
the shaft (rotational axis of the bearing). Axial (thrust) action is parallel to the rotational axis. A
moment load (M) is produced when these loads are offset from either the bearing axis (distance
St) or the radial plane (distance St)[4].
Since certain systems do not run at a constant load or rpm, choosing bearings for a certain rating
life in hours depending on the worst operating environment may be uneconomical. A service
cycle will also be specified for the different operating conditions (load and speed) as well as the
percentage of time spent in each. In certain reciprocating motion devices, a similar condition
may occur. In these cases, a full service cycle can be completed in only one bearing revolution.
In addition, the two cases could be coupled with a variety of expected operating situations,
including reciprocating motion and varying peak loads and speeds[5].
Bearing load and Pressure approximation:
In our analysis, we did not apply bearing load to the elevator arm. Rather we are applying
pressure to the elevator torque arm to determine whether pressure can be used as an
approximation to the bearing load in our case or not. Uniform pressure was applied to the
elevator arm as compared to the bearing load to check for the hypothesis that bearing load can be
approximated to baring load for the elevator arm. The analysis and results are further explained
in the modelling section.

Modelling:
The analysis was performed using Ansys apdl. In the Ansys apdl, first off all the given geometry
was imported and material properties were defined. After the specification of the material
properties, the type of mesh that were to be generated around the structure was selected. The load
(pressure) that was applied i.e. 786 Pa on the arm and the results were calculated for the arm.
The whole analysis was performed in Ansys mechanical APDL. The material properties defined
for the arm were that of Aluminum T7505-T6. Then, the points were defined were the load was
to be applied along with the point where the structured was to be fixed i.e. to calculate for the
required amount of torque produced in the elevator arm. The value of load was specified and the
mesh were generated around the modal. Finally, the modal was solved and required results were
plotted for the elevator arm.

Analysis and Results:

Elevator arm is used to support the motion of an aircraft. In our analysis, we have assumed that
the bearing load acting on the elevator arm can be approximated with uniform pressure and the
torque produced will be similar to the case when only the bearing load is acting on the arm as
compared to the approximated value of pressure acting on it. The elevator arm was designed
using SolidWorks software. It was assumed that the bearing torque arm, torque value can be
calculated by applying a uniform pressure at one end of the arm while fixing the other end of the
arm at the same time. The load (pressure) was then applied i.e. 786 Pa on the arm and the results
were calculated for the arm. The whole analysis was performed in Ansys mechanical APDL. The
material properties defined for the arm were that of Aluminum T7505-T6. The value of yield
strength for this aluminum type is 73 GPa with poisons ratio of 0.33. The value of density for
this aluminum value was found to be 2700 Kg/m3. After the specification of the material for the
elevator arm, the mesh was generated for the elevator arm and then the respective value of loads
and displacement were defined. The mesh type used is tetrahedral type, because of the complex
nature of the geometry. Here displacement was set to be 0 m because we have to calculate for the
torque acting on the elevator arm and for this purpose one end has to be fixed i.e. fixed support.
After the application of the applied pressure the results were obtained from the Ansys. The
pressure was approximation to the bearing load and similar results will be obtained for the
elevator torque arm as obtained in the case when pressure was applied to the elevator torque arm.
The pressure was uniformly distributed in the present case like that of the bearing load in a
practical scenario. The bearing load is maximum at some random point for the case when baring
arm is present in the hole of the elevator torque arm, but for the case when we are approximating
the pressure to the bearing load, the pressure is uniformly distributed in the hole and almost
similar results were obtained for the case of pressure approximation of the bearing load. The
point of maximum deformation is found to the point of application of the load i.e. uniform
pressure and the deformation produced in the elevator torque arm decreases as we move away
from the point of application of the load. The point of maximum deformation is the region
around the application of load point as seen from the above figures. The deformation produced
in the elevator arm is given below:

Figure 1: Deformation in the Elevator Arm

The left hand side of the figure shows the deformation produced in the elevator arm due to the
application of the applied pressure. The dotted circle represents the original position of the
geometry, but due to the load i.e. pressure acting at this end the material is displaced and the
diameter of the circle has been increased. The same analysis was performed on the elevator
torque arm in the Ansys mechanical, structural analysis was performed on it in the similar
method. The results of the analysis are given below in the figure.

Figure 2: Deformation in the Elevator Arm

The above analysis shows that pressure can be used as an approximation to the bearing load and
similar results will be obtained for the elevator torque arm as obtained in the case when pressure
was applied to the elevator torque arm. The pressure was uniformly distributed in the present
case like that of the bearing load in a practical scenario. The bearing load is maximum at some
random point for the case when baring arm is present in the hole of the elevator torque arm, but
for the case when we are approximating the pressure to the bearing load, the pressure is
uniformly distributed in the hole and almost similar results were obtained for the case of pressure
approximation of the bearing load. The point of maximum deformation is found to the point of
application of the load i.e. uniform pressure and the deformation produced in the elevator torque
arm decreases as we move away from the point of application of the load. The point of maximum
deformation is the region around the application of load point as seen from the above figures.
Moreover, as we move away from the point of application of the applied load the deformation
reduces to minimum value. Finally, the shear stress distribution for the elevator arm was also
calculated and is described by the below figure.

Figure 3: Shear Stress Distribution in Elevator Arm

Conclusion:
The analysis was performed on the elevator torque arm using Ansys apdl. The modal was
defined in the Ansys along with the material properties. The mesh was defined for the geometry
and deformation analysis was carried out on the elevator torque arm to check whether pressure
can be approximated to bearing load. Hence, from the above analysis we can conclude that the
bearing load can be approximated with the uniform pressure and similar results can be obtained
through this approximation as obtained in the present case. Moreover, Ansys mechanical APDL
is a simple and a powerful tool for the analysis as similar results were obtained through both of
the analysis. The point of maximum deformation in the point of application of load i.e. pressure
in our case.

References:
1. skybrary.aero. Elevator. 2021 [cited 2021 3/7/2021]; Available from:
https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Elevator.
2. grc.nasa.gov. Airplane Elevators. 2021 [cited 2021 3/7/2021]; Available from:
https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/elv.html.
3. https://www.faa.gov. Flight Control. 2021 [cited 2021; Available from:
https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/media/08_phak_
ch6.pdf.
4. kaydonbearings. Bearing Load. 2021 [cited 2021 3/7/2021]; Available from:
https://www.kaydonbearings.com/typesACX.htm#:~:text=Radial%20and%20axial%20(thrust)
%20loads,to%20the%20axis%20of%20rotation.
5. Amroll. Bearing Load. 2021 [cited 2021 3/7/2021]; Available from:
https://www.amroll.com/bearing-selection-load-life.html.