Abstract
An unsteady lifting-line theory is presented for a general motion of a wing of high aspect ratio. Our matched-asymptotic-expansions analysis parallels that of Van Dyke (1964) in his solution for the steady lifting line, but is complicated by the shedding of transverse vortices associated with variation of circulation with time. The principal result is an expression for the downwash due to three-dimensional effects. Numerical calculations are presented for a wing of elliptic planform following a curved path.