During Summer 2017, I worked on a 3D design for a model airplane wing. This wing was to be mounted under the fuselage of the Aircraft Rapid Prototyping Lab's current research plane.

Over the course of the following Fall semester, I manufactured the design with the assistance of two freshmen (my mentees from the Randall Research Scholars Program).

The wing was made with lightness in mind. The ribs were shaped from 1/16in thick balsa sheets, using a laser-cutter. The leading edges were shaped by wetting 1/32inch sheets of balsa with ethanol/water and slowly pressing them into a 3D printed mold. The spars, which required more bending stiffness, were cut from 1/8inch basswood. Since wood is nonisotropic, the grain direction was taken into account when cutting the parts.

Finally, the saddle was shaped from a block of foam using a CNC machine.

Software Used: Autodesk Inventor 2017, MS Excel

Airfoil: SD7062

Span: 86 in

Chord Length: 10 in

Dihedral Angle: 1.5 degrees

Wing Geometry: No Twist, Constant Chord Length

Servos: HS-65HB High Torque Ultra Micro

Materials: Balsa Wood, Basswood, Plywood, Cyanoacrylate(Super Glue), 2-Part Epoxy, Fiber Glass, Servo Motors, High Density Foam, Hex Nuts, Steel Screws, Monokote, Nylon Control Horns, Steel Clevis and Pushrods