cvogt26

Hi all, my team and I are currently building our own version of a "back pack" or soldier UAV (prototype only of course, no plans for marketing). I'm currently trying to weigh our options in terms of wing joints. That is, we will have a fairly large span and are wondering what some of the different types of joints there are to connect all the segments together while retaining strength and low weight.

Any input would be very much appreciated. And if there is some link that I missed that has already compiled some of these ideas, then a point in the right direction would also be much appreciated.

Thank you!

huck1199

Is this a flat wing or a polyhedral? Two piece? Some specs and pics would help. Carbon tubes are light and strong.

cvogt26

Of course. The wing is flat, basically a hershey bar wing at this stage. While there are no realextravagant parts to the wing, the fuselage will essentially be a lifting body.
The airfoil is a thick, high-lift foil, making for a considerable amount of space to fit a joint, or special spar type. (Wing is standard foam core with fiberglass and composite spar caps.)
I appreciate your reply!

cvogt26

And you could think of it more as "multi piece" say the wing will be disassembled into 6 pieces, each of which need to be connected to each other.

huck1199

I would use concentric carbon tubes. The larger tubes would be the lenngth of each wing section embedded in the wing and the smaller tubes (tight fit inside the larger tube) would be inserted at assembly time. You will need to fasten the sections together with screws somehow. You will also have to work out how you will connect the aileron servo wires reliably.

cvogt26

Yeah, I've got to agree, the sleeved tube method is pretty foolproof, and as far as weight savings go, it's also hard to beat.