Aerospace · Structures
Aircraft Wing Structural Analysis & Optimization
Advanced 6 weeks 40-70 hours
Build 3D-printed or foam wing spars and load-test them to failure on a rig. Measure deflection and failure load, compare to your beam/FEA calculations. Optimize for strength-to-weight.
Major
Aerospace
Focus area
Structures
Total hours
40-70 hours
What you'll need
- load cell 5kg with HX711 amplifier weight sensor kit
- Arduino Uno R3 ATmega328P microcontroller board
- balsa wood strips and sheets pack
- dial indicator gauge 0.001 inch measurement tool
- calibration weight set for testing
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Steps
- Design several spar cross-sections and calculate expected deflection and failure load.
- Build the spars from balsa and weigh each one.
- Set up the spar as a cantilever with the load cell and dial indicator.
- Load each spar to failure and record deflection.
- Compare measured results to your calculations and find the best strength-to-weight design.
- Document the study for your portfolio.
What to photograph for your portfolio
- Spar test rig
- load-deflection curves
- failure load vs prediction
- strength-to-weight optimization
Resume bullet starters
Copy one, then swap in your own numbers.
Engineered an aircraft wing structural analysis & optimization using Aerospace structures, mechanical testing, FEA validation
Applied optimization to implement, test, and validate the analysis end-to-end
Quantified performance with [insert your result, such as accuracy, error reduction, response time, or load capacity] after iterative tuning
Skills you'll show off
Aerospace structuresmechanical testingFEA validationoptimization