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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number	EP/S013555/1
Title	The Flexible Wing Project: Wing-box static test validation.
Status	Completed
Energy Categories	Energy Efficiency(Transport) 25%; Not Energy Related 75%;
Research Types	Basic and strategic applied research 100%
Science and Technology Fields	ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering) 100%
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation	Not Cross-cutting 100%
Principal Investigator	Dr CB York No email address given Aerospace Engineering University of Glasgow
Award Type	Standard
Funding Source	EPSRC
Start Date	10 July 2018
End Date	21 September 2018
Duration	2 months
Total Grant Value	£31,710
Industrial Sectors	Aerospace; Defence and Marine
Region	Scotland
Programme	NC : Engineering
Investigators	Principal Investigator	Dr CB York , Aerospace Engineering, University of Glasgow (100.000%)
	Industrial Collaborator	Project Contact , University of Sao Paulo (USP), Brazil (0.000%)
Web Site
Objectives
Abstract	Manufacturers are beginning to consider the possibilities of moving away from traditional composite material designs but need further evidence that aero-elastically tailored composite materials can: produce weight savings; introduce aerodynamic efficiency and reduce manufacturing time without incurring cost penalties.The research will be undertaken in collaboration with the University of S o Paulo, and with continued involvement from a number of industrial partners who have supplied composite materials and moulds for specimen manufacture, including a leading Brazilian airframe manufacturer with whom a research article is planned, describing the development of an aero-elastically tailored wing. These collaborations were established during a preliminary study under the Newton Research Collaboration Programme (NRCP1516/4/50) - The Flexible Wing Project: Advanced Tailoring Strategies for Laminated Composite Materials. A key aspect of the preliminary study involved the development of a special class of laminate, possessing Extension-Shearing Bending-Twisting coupling, necessary for optimised passive-adaptive flexible wing-box structures.The possibility of achieving a measurable drag reduction in cruise flight, without the cost or reliability issues associated with active control mechanisms, is of significant interest for achieving increased fuel burn efficiency, and for meeting future emissions targets. The introduction of passive Bending-Twisting coupling at the wing-box level has been demonstrated through laminate level tailoring of Extension-Shearing coupled skins, and new results have revealed a vast laminate design space with Extension-Shearing that can be maximised without the unfavourable strength reduction associated with off-axis alignment of the principal fibre reinforcement, which prior to this research was the only know technique for introducing the required mechanical coupling behaviour.The second stage of the Flexible Wing Project, and the subjec of the current proposal, is a due diligence study, to ensure that the strength requirements for safe operation during wind tunnel testing are achieved.Simulations will be performed to assess the effect of imposing standard manufacturing constraints, such as ply percentages, ply contiguity and ply orientations on the laminate skin panels, as well as unconventional laminate designs, which will possess extension-shearing coupling. However, the associated manufacturing uncertainties are difficult to capture through simulation alone, hence static tests will also be performed to demonstrate that stiffness and strength characteristics are met prior to wind-tunnel testing. The second stage of the Flexible wing project therefore involves the design, manufacture and test of a technology demonstrator, which will be flown in a wind tunnel in a third and final stage of the Flexible Wing Project.
Publications	(none)
Final Report	(none)
Added to Database	19/08/19