Stiffness tailoring for improved aeroelastic performance of manufacturable composite wings.

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This project focuses on defining new stiffening concepts for aircraft wings that reduce peak stresses in key locations. This can result in reducing structural weight leading to improved aerodynamic efficiency on novel aircraft configurations (such as fully-electric aircraft used for air taxi). It is anticipated that the aeroelastic performance of a wing will be improved by optimising structural layout (e.g. alignment and position of ribs and curving of stiffeners) and stiffness tailoring of composite materials across the span of the wing (e.g. via curving of fibres). The project will consider different manufacturing techniques (such as Automated Fibre Placement, Discrete Stiffness Tailoring, and Continuous Tow Shearing) and will closely model the various manufacturing constraints. In addition, the trade-off between local and wing level stiffness requirements will be addressed. To fulfil the project's objectives, a computational framework will be developed and used. It will consist of the finite element method for structural modelling coupled with various aerodynamic solvers (such as Doublet Lattice Method). Nastran will be used for aeroelastic investigation. The framework will be integrated with an optimization library to conduct multidisciplinary design and optimization studies.