Loads Kernel
The Loads Kernel Software allows for the calculation of quasi-steady and dynamic maneuver loads, unsteady discrete gust loads in the time and frequency domain, continuous turbulence as well as dynamic landing loads.
Applications & Capabilities
Loads Kernel is particularly suitable for loads analyses based on aerodynamic panel methods and enables a license fee free loads process. Secondary features include various aeroelastic analyses (such as the calculation of elastic derivatives, control surface effectiveness or a flutter check) to ensure a feasible aircraft design from an aeroelastic perspective. The software is publicly available on GitHub.
Recent applications and examples include a large variety of aircraft, ranging from a glider to large passenger transport configurations and from very slow and ultra-light aircraft to very fast and agile fighter configurations.
Tutorials & Examples
There is a growing number of tutorials, focusing on how to use the software. They include a short introduction on how to use Loads Kernel, a detailed simulation set-up, and the simulations and results of the trim, maneuver and gust loads as well as a the flutter check.
Theorectical Background & References
[1] Voß, A., „Loads Kernel User Guide“, Institut für Aeroelastik, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Göttingen, Deutschland, Technischer Bericht DLR-IB-AE-GO-2020-136, Nov. 2021, https://elib.dlr.de/140268/.
[2] Voß, A., „An Implementation of the Vortex Lattice and the Doublet Lattice Method“, Institut für Aeroelastik, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Göttingen, Deutschland, Technischer Bericht DLR-IB-AE-GO-2020-137, Oktober 2020, https://elib.dlr.de/136536/.
License & Availability
The software is publicly available on GitHub: https://github.com/DLR-AE/LoadsKernel
Note that the software is developed for scientific applications and is delivered as open source without any liability (BSD 3-Clause, please see the license for details). For every new aircraft, a validation against test data and/or other simulation tools is highly recommended and in the responsibility of the user.
If you use this software for your scientific work, we kindly ask you to include a reference to [1,2] in your publications. Thank you!