Structural Evaluation of an Aircraft Wing with a Repaired Front Spar

Abstract

This article hypothesizes that the leading spar of an experimental aircraft wing is damaged, and that this damage will be repaired using different variations. The effect of these repairs on the wing's strength is investigated. Aircraft accidents and incidents caused by damage or cracks in the leading spar served as the basis for this study. 3D models of all repair variations were created, and mathematical mesh models were developed to examine the strength parameters generated using the finite element method. The von-Mises stress, shear stress, safety factor, and wingtip deformation in the repaired area of the leading spar were compared according to the repair variations to evaluate the wing's strength. Furthermore, the strength condition was also evaluated based on the damaged spar sector. During the evaluations, the strength parameters were examined using an undamaged wing as a reference.

Keywords

• Front spar
• Spar repair
• Finite element method
• Wing strength
• von-Mises stress
• Shear stress

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