Structural Testing of an Ultralight UAV Composite Wing
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This paper describes the design and implementation of a series of experiments to measure the static response and vibration characteristics of a composite wing of an ultralight UAV. All structural components are made of laminated carbon composite materials with uniaxial and biaxial prepreg fabrics. A shaker-table approach is used for the vibration testing. A specially designed track system is used to shake the wing to induce lateral, chordwise or torsional oscillation. Ten dual-axis accelerometers provide information on the wing's dynamic characteristics. Using the swept sine technique, g-load data is obtained for a range of desired frequencies. A whiffletree loading mechanism is designed and used for the static testing. Each wing is instrumented with forty-five strain gages as well as four deflection gages at critical locations. The results of vibration and static tests are presented and discussed.
