New Composite Wing Design Boosts Aircraft Performance and Safety
A new composite wing design using Z-pin reinforced foam core panels was created for high aspect ratio wings. The wing has strong resistance to twisting and bending, along with better ability to withstand damage. The collapse modes of the Z-pinned core were studied, and failure envelopes were determined under different stress conditions. An analysis method was developed to evaluate how the wing box bends and twists, showing how changing the orientation of the panel facesheets affects this. The Z-pinning parameter is chosen based on the applied bending moment and transverse loads. Examples were provided to demonstrate how to design Z-pinning for specific load scenarios.