RCAIDE.Library.Methods.Mass_Properties.Weight_Buildups.Conventional.Transport.Raymer.compute_horizontal_tail_weight

compute_horizontal_tail_weight#

compute_horizontal_tail_weight(vehicle, wing, settings, elevator_fraction=0.4)[source]#

Calculates horizontal tail weight based on Raymer’s empirical method.

vehicleRCAIDE.Vehicle()
Vehicle data structure containing:
  • mass_properties.max_takeofffloat

    Maximum takeoff weight [kg]

  • flight_envelope.ultimate_loadfloat

    Ultimate load factor

  • wings[‘main_wing’]Data()

    Main wing properties including origin and aerodynamic center

  • fuselages[‘fuselage’].widthfloat

    Width of the fuselage [m]

wingRCAIDE.Component()
Horizontal tail component containing:
  • areas.referencefloat

    Tail surface area [m^2]

  • originarray

    Location of tail measured from nose [m]

  • aerodynamic_centerarray

    Location of ac measured from leading edge [m]

  • sweeps.quarter_chordfloat

    Quarter chord sweep angle [rad]

  • thickness_to_chordfloat

    Thickness-to-chord ratio

  • spans.projectedfloat

    Projected span [m]

  • aspect_ratiofloat

    Aspect ratio

elevator_fractionfloat, optional

Fraction of horizontal tail area that is elevator, defaults to 0.4

settings.advanced_compositesbool, optional

True if advanced composites are used, False otherwise

tail_weightfloat

Weight of the horizontal tail [kg]

This method implements Raymer’s correlation for horizontal tail weight estimation, accounting for geometry, loads, and configuration effects.

Major Assumptions

  • Not an all-moving horizontal tail (Kuht = 1.0)

  • Elevator comprises 40% of tail area by default

  • Correlation based on transport category aircraft data

  • If advanced composites are used, the tail weight is reduced by 15%

Theory The horizontal tail weight is calculated using: .. math:

W_{ht} = 0.0379K_{uht}(1 +

rac{F_w}{B_h})^{-0.25}W_{dg}^{0.639}N_{ult}^{0.1}S_{ht}^{0.75}L_t^{-1}K_y^{0.704}cos(Lambda)^{-1}AR^{0.166}(1 + rac{S_e}{S_{ht}})^{0.1}

where:

  • \(K_{uht}\) is 1.0 for fixed tails, 1.143 for all-moving

  • \(F_w\) is fuselage width

  • \(B_h\) is horizontal tail span

  • \(L_t\) is tail arm length

  • \(K_y\) is a function of tail arm length

  • \(\Lambda\) is quarter-chord sweep angle

[1] Raymer, D., “Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach”, AIAA

Education Series, 2018.

RCAIDE.Library.Methods.Weights.Correlation_Buildups.Raymer.compute_vertical_tail_weight RCAIDE.Library.Methods.Weights.Correlation_Buildups.Raymer.compute_operating_empty_weight