AVL Overview

Summary Description

AVL is a program for the aerodynamic and flight-dynamic analysis of rigid aircraft
of arbitrary configuration. It employs an extended vortex lattice model for
the lifting surfaces, together with a slender-body model for fuselages and nacelles.
General nonlinear flight states can be specified. The flight dynamic analysis
combines a full linearization of the aerodynamic model about any flight state,
together with specified mass properties.

Extended Vortex-Lattice Model

Trim Calculation

Mass Properties

Eigenmode analysis

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Release Conditions

The most important conditions are:

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Announcements

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Software

Latest Versions

Older Versions

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Documents

Sample Input Files

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Accessibility

Authors:

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Page Revisions

1 Sept 2004
- Page created. AVL 3.14

2 Sept 2004
- A few links fixed.
- Comments added to AVL's Makefile (in new avl3.14.tar.gz)

13 Oct 2004
- Fixed compilation problems occurring on some compilers. AVL 3.15
- Windows executable provided (courtesy Hal Youngren).

18 Oct 2004
- Fixed bug in handling of runtime-loaded input file. AVL 3.16

28 Aug 2005
- Fixed bug in the design-variable implementation. AVL 3.18
- Added CY (sideforce) constraint to the available list.

24 Oct 2005
- Fixed printing error in stability-axis yaw rate r'b/2V. AVL 3.20

25 Oct 2005
- Fixed small error in axis transformations in Cl,Cn moment calculations. AVL 3.21

12 Nov 2005
- Fixed and clarified stability derivative output. Added strip cl to surface listing output. AVL 3.22

17 Mar 2006
- Added a non-existent airfoil file check and warning. Added Pan and Expand hot keys to Keystroke Viewer. AVL 3.24

29 Apr 2006
- Set default printnames for run-case parameter units.
- Added freestream-referenced cl to Trefftz-Plane plot.
- Fixed hinge-moment calculation for leading-edge flaps.
- AVL 3.26

11 Aug 06
- Windows executable of AVL 3.26 (courtesy of Doug Greenwell)

28 Feb 07
- Modified the GPL summary above. Previously this wasn't a correct GPL interpretation, as discussed here .

23 May 08
- Removed the small influence of CLAF on the zero-lift angle.
- Added file output options to listing commands (FT,FN,FS,etc)
- Made a bunch of other minor tweaks (see version_notes.txt)
- AVL 3.27

21 Jul 08
- Windows executable of AVL 3.27 (courtesy of Ralph Paul)

4 Aug 08
- Reorganized and updated the AVL description above

26 Jan 11
- MacOSX executable of AVL 3.27 (courtesy of Emanuele Rizzo)

6 Apr 11
- Added runs/ directory links
- AVL 3.31 for Linux. Lots of new goodies since 3.27. See version_notes.txt and avl_doc.txt

16 Dec 12
- Fixed post-processing calculation of the strip center of pressure (FS command in OPER). It was not correct for sections with significant sweep or dihedral.
- AVL 3.32 for Linux.
- Windows executable of AVL 3.32 (courtesy of Harold Youngren)

10 Feb 14
- Added second-order righthand sides to the VL system, proportional to both the unit translation+rotation velocities, and to control deflections. This improves convergence to the trim condition. It also gives the correct eigenmode solutions even for large trim control deflections. Only the very slow eigenmodes, especially the phugoid, will be affected by this change. A few other minor features were added since 3.32. See version_notes.txt.
- AVL 3.35 for Linux.

23 Feb 14
- Windows executable for AVL 3.35 (courtesy of Harold Youngren)

29 Jan 15
- MacOSX executable for AVL 3.35 (courtesy of Harold Youngren)

23 Feb 17
- Made a few fixes and tweaks. See version_notes.txt file.
- Windows executable for AVL 3.36 (courtesy of Harold Youngren)

18 Apr 22
- AVL 3.40b , courtesy of Steven Allmaras.
- Has wider variety of output options -- see version_notes.txt
- Switched to LAPACK matrix solver for faster execution