An inflatable wing using the principle of Tensairity

Journal article (2007)
Department
Aerospace Design, Integration and Operations (Aerospace Engineering) (TU Delft)
Copyright: © 2007 The Author(s) ; American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
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Published Date

01-01-2007

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Source:

48th AIAA Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference, Waikiki, Hawaii, USA, 2007

Faculty

Aerospace Engineering

Department

Aerospace Design, Integration and Operations

Abstract

The paper describes the new concept Tensairity which can be used to significantly improve the load bearing capacity of inflatable wings. The basic principle of Tensairity is to use an inflatable structure to stabilize conventional compression and tension elements. So far, Tensairity has been mainly used in civil engineering application like roof structures and bridges. In this work, considerations to apply Tensairity to wing structures are given and the construction of two wing-like Tensairity kite prototypes is described. Test results on the Tensairity structure used in these kites are presented and compared to purely air inflated structures. Finally, the advantages of Tensairity wings are discussed and some application areas of these wings are suggested.

Files

Ockels_2007.pdf
(pdf | 0.374 Mb)