Sensitivity Analysis of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Composite Wing Structural Model Regarding Material Properties and Laminate Configuration

This study optimizes the structural design of a composite wing shell by minimizing mass and maximizing the first natural frequency. The analysis focuses on the effects of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foam thickness and the fiber orientation angle of the inner carbon layers, with the outer layers fixed a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Artur Kierzkowski, Jakub Wróbel, Maciej Milewski, Angelos Filippatos
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Drones
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/9/2/99
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study optimizes the structural design of a composite wing shell by minimizing mass and maximizing the first natural frequency. The analysis focuses on the effects of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foam thickness and the fiber orientation angle of the inner carbon layers, with the outer layers fixed at ±45° for torsional rigidity. A Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA), well suited for complex engineering problems, was employed alongside Design of Experiments to develop a precise response surface model, achieving predictive errors of 0% for mass and 2.99% for frequency. The optimal configuration—90° and 0° fiber orientations for the upper and lower layers and a foam thickness of 1.05 mm—yielded a mass of 412 g and a frequency of 122.95 Hz. These findings demonstrate the efficacy of MOGA in achieving innovative lightweight aerospace designs, striking a balance between material efficiency and structural performance.
ISSN:2504-446X