Composite Riblets for Aircraft Drag Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft performance is adversely affected by aerodynamic drag, particularly during long-range cruise operations, leading to increased fuel consumption, decreased range, and prolonged travel times, especially in supersonic flights where weight and drag coefficients play significant roles.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a plurality of riblets into the outer surface of composite material components, such as the skin of an aircraft, using resin transfer molding or vacuum bag molding processes to reduce drag by minimizing skin friction and shear stresses, thereby improving aerodynamic efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If riblets are added to the outer surface of composite material components, then drag is reduced and fuel consumption decreases, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The riblets are integrated directly into the composite material component during the manufacturing process itself, merging the drag reduction feature with the structural component. This eliminates the need for separate riblet installation steps and reduces overall manufacturing complexity despite the added functional requirement.
Solution Approach 2:
The riblet pattern is incorporated into the mold before the composite material is formed. By preparing the mold surface with the riblet pattern in advance, the riblets are automatically formed during normal composite manufacturing operations, avoiding post-processing steps and reducing manufacturing complexity.
2Productivity
If riblets are integrally formed into the composite material, then aerodynamic efficiency improves, but manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process utilizes changes in resin viscosity and flow characteristics during curing to ensure the riblets are properly formed. By controlling temperature, pressure, and resin injection parameters, the process achieves integral riblet formation without requiring complex additional manufacturing steps.
3Duration of action of moving object
If fuel consumption is reduced through drag reduction features, then range increases, but the structural integrity of the composite component may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The riblets are designed with specific dimensional parameters (height, width, spacing) that are optimized to provide drag reduction while maintaining structural integrity. The local geometry of the riblets is carefully controlled to ensure they do not create stress concentration points that would compromise the overall strength of the composite component.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The integration of riblets into the aircraft's composite material components reduces overall drag, leading to decreased fuel consumption, reduced weight, and increased range, allowing for reallocation of fuel storage space and refinement of the aerodynamic profile, enhancing operational efficiency and utility.
Implementation Method 1
reduce drag by minimizing skin friction and shear stresses
Implementation Method 2
reduce drag by minimizing skin friction and shear stresses
Implementation Method 3
minimizing skin friction and shear stresses
Data Source
AI summary
A composite material component including drag reduction features is provided. The drag reduction features include a plurality of riblets that are integrally formed in an external surface portion of the composite material component. The plurality of riblets may be integrally formed in a composite material of the component through a vacuum bagging fabrication process, a resin transfer molding process, or other such composite material fabrication process allowing for integral formation of the plurality of riblets.