Manufacturing Process of High Performance—Low Cost Composite Structures for Light Sport Aircrafts

Abstract

This work describes the technological and scientific efforts on designing, manufacturing and testing validation for high performance-low cost composite structures for Light Sport Aircrafts (LSA). A Mexican initiative to conceive, manufacture and assembly a Light Sport Aircraft has been developed by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Liquid Composite Manufacturing (LCM). These consolidated techniques are used to characterize novel approaches to manufacturing and assembly carbon-fiber based structural components. As large structures are manufactured via Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion (VARI), impregnation strategies are studied to minimize inner flaws and also to improve the manufacturing time and surface quality of each component. The first case of study, to validate this methodology, involves non-structural components such as the cowling. Control surfaces (ailerons, rudder, elevator and flaps) have been manufactured, each of them having common issues but also unique challenges. As an example, a second case of study, the aileron main beam is analyzed. Furthermore, test portfolio will be developed with the goal to perform 1-to-1 scale mechanical tests for validation in compliance with ASTM standards.