Flexible Wing

Flutter is an interesting phenomenon that consists of a certain component in a system vibrating at an uncontrollable frequency. Aircraft, due to the circumstances they usually encounter, tend to present this physical condition. Throughout history, aircraft manufacturers have studied flutter and generated models for their particular designs. However, no general analyses and methodologies have been developed for flutter. To conduct this research, a wing was designed and constructed to study excessive vibrations and aeroelastic behaviors, required for flexible flight controls. First, it was necessary to perform material testing to define the best dimensions of each component of the wing. Destructive tests were performed to determine the stiffness and flexibility of naked foam, naked foam with epoxy, and a sandwich composite component made of carbon fiber and foam. Next, the main wing was constructed and placed into the wind tunnel. During testing, flutter was developed when the fan blades were rotating at a speed of 300 rpm. The wing generated rapid and unnatural upward and downward motions, deflecting at a precise frequency until the whole system failed. Unfortunately, this part of the experiment occurred too quickly, so it was not possible to gather enough data. For that reason, this experiment needs to be performed again in a more controlled environment. Furthermore, additional material testing is currently being done to improve the wing structure before the wing is tested again

Europe Research Trip

This project is a Research trip that will give a group of 16 Embry-Riddle students the opportunity to gain a different perspective of the Aviation industry. This experience will encourage students to learn and analyze different points of view to successfully answer the following questions: What impact does the economic system of European countries, such as Germany and France, have on the development of an aviation company, for instance Airbus and Lufthansa, compared to the aviation companies in the US? Do students learn more from a real life experience than from listening to a lecture? The project is composed of a visit to major aviation companies, such as Airbus, Lufthansa, and Condor Flugdienst, in two different cities: Toulouse in France and Frankfurt in Germany, with the idea to have real-world exposure and be able to compare different viewpoints, expectations, and future projects. This trip will also show our student body that anything is possible if there is dedication and effort and that real life experience outside a lecture in a classroom is very important in a student’s education. To prove this last point, a survey will be used to measure learning during the trip. Students travelling will be tested before and after the trip and results will be compared to see how beneficial are these trips