Due to recent advancements in fabrication technology and materials, there is a lot of interest towards inflatables, which can restrain high pressures and produce greater stiffness. Owing to this, Inflatable Wing (IW) technology has found increasing importance in military and space applications. Its use in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), especially in the mini and small UAV classes, has shown a way forward towards solving the issue of high storage volume requirement and the associated transportation problems. Furthermore, the inherent flexibility of these wings facilitate the employment of wing warping as a way to improve aircraft performance. In addition, studies have shown the possibility of achieving sufficient roll control using warping in mini UAVs. The impact resiliency of these wings further adds to their benefits. This paper is an effort to study and development of a methodology to predict failure of an IW through stress analysis, given the specifications of the wing like geometry, material and loading conditions. It was concluded that, the Inflation Pressure required to sustain wing loading is calculated at the end.
展开▼