Effect of finite element mesh and load location on the stress and deflection of a light aircraft metal wing structure

Abstract

Using the Abaqus- Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software package, this study aims to numerically simulate the effect of the aerodynamic lift load experienced by a light all-metal aircraft in flight. The objective is to find how much stress and deflection is accumulated under the design ultimate load and also to identify the critical components in the wing structure. The load profile is idealized as a uniformly distributed load over the wing. The wing components such as spars, ribs, skin and struts are initially composed using SolidWorks- and then imported using Abaqus- CAE for stress and stiffness analysis. Various scenarios of load and geometry are analyzed and their results discussed. These scenarios include the choice of solid or shell elements of the components as well as the location of load concentration (pressure on the skin or direct load on the spar cap). Results show that for aircraft wing analysis purposes, the skin should be included in the analysis and the load should be applied on both the bottom and top surfaces. The meshing type is also found to have a greater effect on stress results than on deflection results. © 2013 The Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences.