The wing structure, as the main load-bearing structure of the aircraft (referred to herein as a fixed-wing aircraft), needs to bear a variety of high loads. The first thing to meet is the structural strength requirements. Under this premise, aircraft designers are based on the development of materials technology, material manufacturing technology and other technologies, and use structural materials with high specific strength and specific stiffness as much as possible to achieve the purpose of reducing aircraft weight.
In addition, during the flight of the aircraft, the wings are mainly used to provide lift for the aircraft, and the surface shape and finish of the wing will greatly affect the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft. It also puts forward new requirements for the selection of wing structural materials .
Next, I will introduce the development of aircraft wing materials to everyone. The development of aircraft wing materials has experienced the following three times:
Wooden plane age
In 1903, the American Wright brothers invented the world's first manned aircraft. The main structure of the first aircraft was mainly wood. The body, including the skeleton, girders, and ribs, was made of spruce. The wing skin was coated with varnished linen, and only a few load-bearing parts were made of metal. Early aircrafts had low flight speeds and small loads on the wings. The wood cloth structure used to meet the design requirements and the low cost of the aircraft. Therefore, until the 1920s, the wood cloth structure was The mainstream of aircraft wing structure.
The era of all-metal aircraft
With the continuous improvement of aircraft performance, faster and faster speeds, and larger and larger loads, the "congenital deficiency" (inadequate strength and stiffness, flammable and corrosive) of the wood cloth material has been infinitely amplified, plus the material technology With the rapid development of each day, the aerospace material with excellent performance, aluminum alloy, has appeared, and the transition from wooden aircraft to all-metal aircraft is also a general trend.
In the mid 1930s, all-metal airplanes, represented by aluminum alloy airplanes, gradually gained a firm foothold and flourished, and they have been used ever since. The wing skin of this aircraft usually uses super-hard aluminum alloy with excellent fatigue resistance.
Age of composite aircraft
Beginning in the 1970s, a new generation of aerospace materials-composite materials began to be used on aircraft, first used in non-load-bearing structural components and non-main structural components, such as access covers, fairings, control surface skins, etc. The Airbus A380 aircraft is the first composite material to be used for the main structure of the wing. However, the A380 is only used for the non-exposed wing structure-the central wing box. The outer wing still uses high-strength aluminum alloy materials.
With the introduction of the B787 and A350 aircraft, carbon fiber composite materials have become the most important material for the wing structure. The resulting wing is lighter, the aerodynamic shape is better, the resistance of the wing is smaller, and the fuel economy of the aircraft is more it is good.
Aircraft materials are part of the new materials industry in the country's strategic emerging industry plan. They are the basis of various industries in the national economy. They have strong versatility, and there is a lot of room for the materials industry market. In addition to the wings, it can be said that every part of the aircraft is also constantly innovating and developing.