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Summary and Motivation
Summary and Motivation
I designed a 3D model of an aircraft wing's internal structure in SolidWorks for my course project.
Lightweight aircraft structures promote environmental sustainability by reducing carbon emissions and manufacturing costs. 3D printing is being widely used in the aerospace industry for critical aircraft components, due to its tailorable additive technology.
My project's objective was to design (CAD) the structural components that constitute an airplane wing, namely ribs, spars, and hinged movement of the control surfaces. I fabricated the wing structure's 3D model by rapid prototyping. Overall, I demonstrated the efficacy of rapid prototyping to design and manufacture a small-scale wing assembly suitable for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones.
Project Details and Achievements
Project Details and Achievements
An aircraft wing's primary components are:
Ribs, spars, and stringers - transfer critical flight loads
Ailerons - control surfaces which provide rolling motion to the aircraft
flaps - secondary control surface (high-lift devices)
I used a NACA airfoil profile for a rib's skeleton. I designed hollow fillets into the face to save weight, a technique widely used in aircraft structural design. The two I-shaped cavities depict wing spars, extending along the wingspan. The two circular supporting rods are known as stringers.
I extruded multiple rib parts and implemented six linear patterns spaced 20 mm apart to extend along the wingspan.
To fill the hollow spar and stringer cavities, I designed the I-beams and rods as separate parts. Then, I mated these components into the wing assembly.
Control Surfaces (Ailerons)
A challenging 3D printing aspect is the design of hinged surfaces. A good practice is to give tolerances of about 0.2mm while designing components in the CAD software for fitting into each other.
The two wing aileron pairs (located on the trailing edge) deflect upward and downward on each side of the wing, allowing the pilot to roll the aircraft at an angle by increasing or decreasing lift.
I designed 3D models of four aileron components. I assigned a 0.1mm spacing on each side to allow for hinge movement of the ailerons while mating the assembly.
Winglets are unique lift generating curved devices attached at the wingtip to decrease aircraft drag. I scaled down the same airfoil profile at an orthogonal plane and created a lofted boss feature for generating the curved device.
The pictures above depict the final assembly of my wing structure 3D model.
I fabricated the wing structure 3D model via rapid prototyping to assess the part's quality. I used Polylactic Acid (PLA) plastic material for manufacturing the structure due to its low cost and optimal temperature range. PLA is ideal for prototyping parts with intricate details.
As shown, I conducted rapid prototyping iterations to improve the prototype's surface roughness. The hinged surfaces did not fit tightly as anticipated, which helped me discern the design of hinged surfaces in CAD software for better results in future.
Conclusion - What Did I Achieve?
Conclusion - What Did I Achieve?
I attained requisite hands-on 3D CAD modeling and prototyping insight by participating in this innovative aircraft wing design project.
Helpful Resources
Helpful Resources
I understand you have a busy schedule, so please find my project's summary below for a quick overview.
Thank you very much, and please feel free to contact me for feedback or if you have any questions.
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