12,711 research outputs found
Optimal design of a composite wing structure for a flying-wing aircraft subject to multi-constraint
No full textThis thesis presents a research project and results of design and optimization of a composite wing structure for a large aircraft in flying wing configuration. The design process started from conceptual design and preliminary design, which includes initial sizing and stressing followed by numerical modelling and analysis of the wing structure. The research was then focused on the minimum weight optimization of the /composite wing structure /subject to multiple design /constraints. The modelling, analysis and optimization process has been performed by using the NASTRAN code. The methodology and technique not only make the modelling in high accuracy, but also keep the whole process within one commercial package for practical application.
The example aircraft, called FW-11, is a 250-seat commercial airliner of flying wing configuration designed through our MSc students Group Design Project (GDP) in Cranfield University. Started from conceptual design in the GDP, a high-aspect-ratio and large sweepback angle flying wing configuration has been adopted. During the GDP, the author was responsible for the structural layout design and material selection. Composite material has been chosen as the preferable material for both the inner and outer wing components. Based on the derivation of structural design data in the conceptual phase, the author continued with the preliminary design of the outer wing airframe and then focused on the optimization of the composite wing structure. Cont/d
Effect of wing flexibility on aircraft flight dynamics
No full textThe purpose of this thesis is to give a preliminary investigation into the effect of wing deformation on flight dynamics. The candidate vehicle is FW-11 which is a flying wing configuration aircraft with high altitude and long endurance characteristics. The aeroelastic effect may be significant for this type of configuration. Two cases, the effect of flexible wing on lift distribution and on roll effectiveness during the cruise condition with different inertial parameters are investigated.
For the first case, as the wing bending and twisting depend on the interaction between the wing structural deflections and the aerodynamic loads, the equilibrium condition should be calculated. In order to get that condition, mass, structure characteristics and aerodynamic characteristics are estimated first. Then load model and aerodynamic model are built. Next the interaction calculation program is applied and the equilibrium condition of the aircraft is calculated. After that, effect of wing flexibility on lift parameters is investigated. The influence of CG, location of lift and location of flexural axis are investigated.
The other case is to calculate the transient roll rate response and estimate the rolling effectiveness of flexible aircraft, and compared with the rigid aircraft’s. A pure roll model is built and derivatives both for the rigid wing and the flexible wing are estimated. It has been found that flexible wing leads to the loss of control effectiveness, even cause reversal when reduces the structure natural frequency. The influence of inertia data for flexible roll is also investigated
Optimal design of a flying-wing aircraft inner wing structure configuration
No full textFlying-wing aircraft are considered to have great advantages and potentials in
aerodynamic performance and weight saving. However, they also have many
challenges in design. One of the biggest challenges is the structural design of
the inner wing (fuselage). Unlike the conventional fuselage of a tube
configuration, the flying-wing aircraft inner wing cross section is limited to a
noncircular shape, which is not structurally efficient to resist the internal
pressure load. In order to solve this problem, a number of configurations have
been proposed by other designers such as Multi Bubble Fuselage (MBF),
Vaulted Ribbed Shell (VLRS), Flat Ribbed Shell (FRS), Vaulted Shell
Honeycomb Core (VLHC), Flat Sandwich Shell Honeycomb Core (FLHC), Y
Braced Box Fuselage and the modified fuselage designed with Y brace
replaced by vaulted shell configurations. However all these configurations still
inevitably have structural weight penalty compared with optimal tube fuselage
layout. This current study intends to focus on finding an optimal configuration
with minimum structural weight penalty for a flying-wing concept in a preliminary
design stage.
A new possible inner wing configuration, in terms of aerodynamic shape and
structural layout, was proposed by the author, and it might be referred as
‘Wave-Section Configuration’. The methodologies of how to obtain a structurally
efficient curvature of the shape, as well as how to conduct the initial sizing were
incorporated.
A theoretical analysis of load transmission indicated that the Wave-Section
Configuration is feasible, and this was further proved as being practical by FE
analysis. Moreover, initial FE analysis and comparison of the Wave-Section
Configuration with two other typical configurations, Multi Bubble Fuselage and
Conventional Wing, suggested that the Wave-Section Configuration is an
optimal design in terms of weight saving. However, due to limitations of the
author’s research area, influences on aerodynamic performances have not yet
been taken into account
Influence of wing kinematics on aerodynamic performance in hovering insect flight
No full textThe influence of different wing kinematic models on the aerodynamic performance of a hovering insect is investigated by means of two-dimensional time-dependent Navier–Stokes simulations. For this, simplified models are compared with averaged representations of the hovering fruit fly wing kinematics. With increasing complexity, a harmonic model, a Robofly model and two more-realistic fruit fly models are considered, all dynamically scaled at Re = 110. To facilitate the comparison, the parameters of the models were selected such that their mean quasi-steady lift coefficients were matched. Details of the vortex dynamics, as well as the resulting lift and drag forces, were studied. The simulation results reveal that the fruit fly wing kinematics result in forces that differ significantly from those resulting from the simplified wing kinematic models. In addition, light is shed on the effect of different characteristic features of the insect wing motion. The angle of attack variation used by fruit flies increases aerodynamic performance, whereas the deviation is probably used for levelling the forces over the cycle.Aerospace Design, Integration and OperationsAerospace Engineerin
Does source similarity type matter in online review effectiveness? The moderating role of information processing style
No full textDoes source similarity type matter in online review effectiveness? The moderating role of information processing styl
Coupled piezoelectric fans with two degree of freedom motion for the application of flapping wing micro aerial vehicles
No full textPiezoelectric fans consisting of a piezoelectric layer and an elastic metal
layer were prepared by epoxy bonding and a coupled flexible wing was formed by a
pair of carbon fibre reinforced plastic wing spars and polymer skin attached to
two piezoelectric fans. Two sinusoidal voltages with phase differences were then
used to drive the coupled piezoelectric fans. High speed digital cameras were
used to characterize the two degree of freedom (DOF) motion of the wing and
these results were compared to finite element model of the wing and the coupled
piezoelectric fans. It has been observed that the phase delay between the
driving voltages applied to the coupled piezoelectric fans plays an important
role in the control of the flapping and twisting motions of the wing and this
set-up has the potential for application to the control of flapping wings for
micro aerial vehicles. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Development of piezoelectric actuated mechanism for flapping wing micro-aerial vehicle applications
No full textA piezoelectric actuated two-bar two-flexure motion amplification mechanism for
flapping wing micro-aerial vehicle application has been investigated. f(r)*A as
an optimisation criterion has been introduced where f(r) is its fundamental
resonant frequency of the system and A the vibration amplitude at the wing tip,
or the free tip deflection at quasi-static operation. This criterion can be used
to obtain the best piezoelectric actuation mechanism with the best energy
transmission coefficient for flapping wing micro-aerial vehicle applications,
and is a measurable quantity therefore can be compared with experimental
results. A simplified beam model has been developed to calculate the fundamental
resonant frequency for the full system consisted of piezoelectric actuator,
motion amplification mechanism and the attached wing and the calculated values
were compared with the measured results. A clear trend of the criteria f(r)*A
varying with the two-flexure dimension, stiffness and setting angle have been
obtained from the measured data and also the predicted results as a guideline
for optimal design of the system
Preliminary fuselage structural configuration of a flying-wing type airline
No full textThe flying-wing is a type of configuration which is a tailless airplane accommodating all of its parts within the outline of a single airfoil. Theoretically, it has the most aerodynamic efficiency. The fuel consumption can be more efficient than the existed conventional airliner. It seems that this configuration can achieve the above mentioned requirements.
According to these outstanding advantages, many aircraft companies did a great deal of projects on the flying-wing concept. However, the application was only for sport and military use; for airliner, none of them entered production.
FW-11 is a flying-wing configuration airliner which is a design cooperation between Cranfield University and Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Aiming the spatial economic and environmental needs, this 200-seat airliner would attract attention from airline companies for cost saving and environmental protection.
Before start, this program is designated for a new generation commercial aircraft to compete with the existing same capability airliner, such as Airbus A320 and Boeing 767. As the first team of this program, the aim is to finish the conceptual design and prepare the relevant document for next two teams that will perform preliminary and detail design.
As a member of FW-11 program and as part of the GDP, the author has been through the four conceptual design stages: engine manufacturers, aircraft family issues, structure design and the establishment of 3-D CAD model.
The aim of IRP study is to focus on the initial fuselage design
Analysis of composite wing structures with a morphing leading edge
No full textOne of the main challenges for the civil aviation industry is the reduction of its environmental impact. Over the past years, improvements in performance efficiency have been achieved by simplifying the design of the structural components and using composite materials to reduce the overall weight. These approaches however, are not sufficient to meet the current demanding requirements set for a „greener‟ aircraft.
Significant changes in drag reduction and fuel consumption can be obtained by using new technologies, such as smart morphing structures. These concepts will in fact help flow laminarisation, which will increase the lift to drag ratio. Furthermore, the capability to adapt the wing shape will enable to optimise the aerodynamic performance not only for a single flight condition but during the entire mission. This will significantly improve the aircraft efficiency.
The current research work has been carried out as part of the European Commission founded Seventh Framework Program called „Smart High Lift Device for the Next Generation Wing‟ (SADE), which main aim is to develop and study morphing high lift devices. The author‟s investigation focused on developing a design concept for the actuation mechanism of a morphing leading edge device. A detailed structural analysis has been carried out in order to demonstrate its feasibility.In the first phase of the research the attention was directed on the preliminary design and analysis of the composite wing box. The parameters of the key structural components, such as skin, spars, ribs and stringers were set to satisfy the static stress and buckling requirements. Moreover, numerical and experimental studies were conducted to analyse the static failure and buckling behaviour of two typical composite wing structural components: a spar section and a web and base joint assembly.
In the second stage of the research, a design for the morphing leading edge actuation mechanism was developed. The actuation system was designed in such a way that the target shape was reached with minimum actuation force demand. A geometrical nonlinear FE analysis was conducted to simulate the leading edge morphing deflection and ensure that structural strength requirements were satisfied. Furthermore, the behaviour of the skin integrated with the internal actuation mechanism was modelled under the aerodynamic pressure, at different flight conditions and gust loads, in order to prove that the proposed actuation system can compete with the conventional rigid rib.
This study demonstrated that a feasible morphing leading edge design for a next generation large aircraft wing can be achieved. Developing the readiness of this technology will have a significant impact on aircraft efficiency and considerable contribution towards a more environmental friendly aviation
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