RE: Folded Aerobird wing in flight today
The skewers prevent the wing from folding at the center where they are anchored to the body. The skewers themselves are probably easier to break than the foam of the wing. However, when they are taped to the underside of the wing, they are positioned so that they would have to stretch as well as bend in the case of a wing breakage. They resist this deformation very well. When the skewers are properly taped to the wing, the reinforced section is almost impossible to bend.
The fold happened just past the reinforcement point. The problem with reinforcing the wing in this way is that the aerodynamics of the reinforced section are totally destroyed. Making the skewers longer would result in a stronger wing, but also in a wing that produces less lift. I do not know what the optimal balance point is. I do know that there was no noticable difference flight characteristics after I reinforced the wing.
This wing had been through some tought times but had no visible gouges, holes, or creases in the wing when it folded.
Matt