Finite Element Analysis of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Aircraft Wing

Abstract

Subsonic aircraft is used as business jets and commercial airplanes. The wings are usually straight or with low sweep angle. The main group of materials used in aircraft construction has been wood, steel, aluminum alloys and more recently, titanium alloys and fiber reinforced composites. Several factors influence the selection of material of which strength allied to lightness is the most important. Composite materials are well known for their excellent combination of high structural stiffness and low weight.CFC is seen to have a modulus twice &strength three times that of aluminum alloy, the conventional material used in aircraft construction. In the present work the aircraft wing components skin is analyzed considering both isotropic and composite materials. The parametric study conducted using MSc Nastran finite element package. From the studies conducted regarding the weight reduction, it is estimated that replacement of Al. alloy by CFC results in 52.96% saving in the total structural weight of the aircraft wing.