Date of Award
5-2014
Access Type
Thesis - Open Access
Degree Name
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Department
Mechanical Engineering
Committee Chair
William A. Engblom, Ph. D.
First Committee Member
Jean-Michel Dhainaut, Ph. D.
Second Committee Member
Sathya Gangadharan, Ph. D.
Abstract
A design optimization process is developed to define the wing box structure for High-Altitude Long-Endurance Aircraft (HALE). The goal of this study is to determine the best tradeoff between mass and rigidity of a HALE aircraft wing structure. A preliminary composite laminate structural design procedure is described which uses a NASTRAN-based Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and the Hierarchical Evolutionary Engineering Design System (HEEDS) MDO software to define a locus of acceptable, optimized wing box design definitions.
Scholarly Commons Citation
Arévalo, Philip T., "Design Optimization of a Composite Wing Box for High-Altitude Long-Endurance Aircraft" (2014). Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses. 16.
https://commons.erau.edu/edt/16
