DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE OF A POSTBUCKLING CO-CURED COMPOSITE AILERON

A transport aircraft control surface has been designed and manufacture d which demonstrates several advanced composite technologies, This pap er describes the various innovative processes associated with the deve lopment of a carbon-fibre/epoxy aileron consisting of thin skins with multiple chordwise blade-stiffeners. Demanding structural performance and cost targets were met by designing for post-buckling behaviour in the skins, which were co-cured with the blade-stiffeners, rear spar an d ribs. The analysis of the structure was performed by using the geome tric non-linear capability of the finite-element modelling code MSC/NA STRAN. Such an approach was necessary because the membrane, bending an d buckling actions of the thin skins were allowed, resulting in small but significant out-of-plane skin deflections. The tooling development and manufacture of an initial trial component and full scale aft box assembly are described. An assessment of the quality of the part produ ced and recommendations for further work are provided. (C) 1998 Elsevi er Science Ltd. All rights reserved.