Originally posted by Ben Lanterman
If the mass distruibution is such that the center of mass of the aileron is in front of the hinge line it is basically an unstable system. Mass on the hinge line is neutral and mass aft of the hinge line is a stable system.
Ben,
In what sense is it unstable to have the CG ahead of the hinge line? I don't think I buy this. There is a stability issue with the aerodynamic balancing, but not the mass balancing. I think this notion of 'mass balancing' is a bit misunderstood here. When you add or shift mass in an effort to prevent flutter, or other undesireable vibrations, what you are doing is shifting the frequency at which the structure will have the vibration problem, and possibly reducing the magnitude. Incidentally, you also run the risk of increasing the destructive forces that occur if it still flutters. For the most part, adding the mass on the aileron or on a horn at about 90 deg. from the aileron will have the same effect, which is to increase the moment of inertia.\
banktoturn