Design of a flying demonstrator wing for manoeuvre load alleviation with cruise shape constraint

Abstract

Application of the aeroelastic framework developed at Delft University of Technology to a design of the tailored composite wing for a flying demonstrator is presented in this paper. In the design process the structural mass of the wing is minimised including a cruise shape constraint. Introduction of the cruise shape constraint is explained as well as a number of other important design requirements which were imposed in order to obtain a feasible and flight worthy design. The effect of the cruise shape constraint is investigated by performing a comparison study. For this purpose two wing types were defined: the reference wing and the tailored wing. The difference between the two wings is in the laminate definition comprising each wing. The reference wing was designed with symmetric-balanced laminates, while symmetric-only laminates were used for the tailored wing. The comparison was performed in terms of laminate stiffness and thickness distribution along the span, jig twist, and the aeroelastic response. Elastic deformations, aerodynamic load distribution and wing root loads are compared within the scope of aeroelastic response.