Additive Manufactured Wing Segments with Chordwise Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional additive manufacturing of airframe structures faces challenges in achieving sufficient structural strength and integrity, particularly in handling shear and tensile stresses, due to limitations in material orientation and component size, leading to issues with torsional and bending loads.
Innovation Solution
The approach involves assembling airfoil structures from multiple monolithic components aligned in the chordwise direction, with receiving apertures and reinforcement elements to enhance structural strength, allowing for better alignment of material strength with stress directions and improved load distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If additive manufacturing is used to create airframe structures, then rapid part change and low stock are achieved, but structural strength and integrity deteriorate due to limitations in material orientation and component size
Solution Approach 1:
The airfoil structure is divided into multiple chordwise segments (front, middle, rear components) that can be manufactured separately through additive manufacturing and then assembled together. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for additive manufacturing while maintaining overall structural integrity through the assembly system with reinforcement elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite construction by combining multiple additive manufactured components with reinforcement elements (such as bolts, rivets, or bonded joints) to create an assembled structure that achieves superior structural strength compared to single-component additive manufacturing, while preserving the adaptability benefits of additive manufacturing.
2Ease of manufacture
If additive manufacturing is used for airframe structures, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but ability to handle shear and tensile stresses deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the airfoil into multiple chordwise components, each component can be manufactured with optimized material orientation for additive manufacturing processes, while the assembly system with reinforcement elements ensures adequate stress resistance across component interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement elements are strategically positioned at critical locations where shear and tensile stresses occur, providing localized strength enhancement at joints and interfaces while maintaining manufacturing flexibility in other areas of the structure.
3Productivity
If additive manufacturing is used for airframe structures, then production speed is improved, but ability to handle torsional and bending loads deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The airfoil is segmented into multiple chordwise components that can be manufactured in parallel through additive manufacturing, improving production speed, while the reinforcement system ensures adequate torsional and bending load capacity through proper load distribution across components.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite assembly of multiple additive manufactured components with reinforcement elements creates a structure that leverages the production speed advantages of additive manufacturing while achieving the torsional and bending strength required for airframe applications.
Data Source
AI summary
An airfoil structure for an aircraft includes at least two components mated together adjacently along a chordwise direction. The at least two components extend in the chordwise direction from a front surface to a back surface, the front surface defines a contour of a leading edge of the airfoil structure, and the back surface defines contour of a trailing edge of the airfoil structure. Each of the at least two components includes receiving apertures defined therein at one or more spanwise locations along a spanwise direction, and the receiving apertures at each of the one or more spanwise locations are aligned with each other in the chordwise direction. The airfoil structure also includes a plurality of chordwise reinforcement elements extending through the aligned receiving apertures between the front surface and the back surface.