Is there a cheapest/lightest/simplest wing structure other than aluminium tube and fabric?

[J.L. Frusha]

ResearchGate, etc. I have several downloads, and suggestions...

 

[dog]

Blow up tubes with compressed air.

ZLIN does this,though it is only to have a continious
and instant reading of spar integrity.
useing compressed air for structural purposes would require an active system that compensated for altitude ,redency would be difficult to get,and testing and development are going to be drawn out.
Essentialy a whole new technology to develope and mature.
that said
there is the simple fact of useing compressed air as a structural component of all cars and most airplanes

 

[MR101005]

Thank you J.L.

We just have a little difference: You're talking about tensegrity wings. I of those who work with the Trensairity technique.
I'm copying from the first section of the link below:

".... The key principle of Tensairity is to use low pressure air to stabilize compression elements against buckling. The basic Tensairity structure is a beam with the properties of a simple airbeam as light weight, fast set up and compact storage volume but with the load bearing capacity of conventional steel girders. Ideal applications of the Tensairity technology are wide span roof structures, temporary buildings and footbridges. ...."

(download full text-pdf):

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rolf-Luchsinger/publication/251300416_LIGHT_WEIGHT_STRUCTURES_WITH_TENSAIRITY/links/555c261b08ae91e75e76cfaa/LIGHT-WEIGHT-STRUCTURES-WITH-TENSAIRITY.pdf?origin=publication_detail

That's it! Maybe this link will be a little clearer now:

https://repository.tudelft.nl/islandora/object/uuid:306785d0-f75b-4378-a145-75905c83efa7/datastream/OBJ/download

And here some pictures:

 

[Aesquire]

I hate to puncture your dreams....

 

[J.L. Frusha]

I hate to puncture your dreams....

Pop goes the weasel?

 

[MR101005]

Pop goes the weasel?

I'm sorry I don't understand this play on words. English isn't my mother tongue. But anyway: I hope my posting might be a bit clearer now

Is there a cheapest/lightest/simplest wing structure other than aluminium tube and fabric?

ResearchGate, etc. I have several downloads, and suggestions...

www.homebuiltairplanes.com

 

[J.L. Frusha]

I'm sorry I don't understand this play on words. English isn't my mother tongue. But anyway: I hope my posting might be a bit clearer now

Is there a cheapest/lightest/simplest wing structure other than aluminium tube and fabric?

ResearchGate, etc. I have several downloads, and suggestions...

www.homebuiltairplanes.com

@Aesquire said "I hate to puncture your dreams"
I was making a play on words, using an old English song/nursery rhyme.
Puncture ~ Pop as in 'pop a balloon')
No offense intended.

Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle.
That's the way the money goes,
Pop! Goes the weasel.[1]

Often a second and third verse is added:

Every night when I go out,
The monkey's on the table,
Take a stick and knock it off,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

Up and down the City Road,
In and out the Eagle,
That's the way the money goes,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

 

[Sraight'nlevel]

How heavy is a foam wing covered with thin plywood ?

 

[MR101005]

I hate to puncture your dreams....

Self-repairing membranes for inflatable structures inspired by a rapid wound sealing process of climbing plants - Journal of Bionic Engineering

A new self-repairing membrane for inflatable light weight structures such as rubber boats or Tensairity® constructions is presented. Inspired by rapid self-sealing processes in plants, a thin soft cellular polyurethane foam coating is applied on the inside of a fabric substrate, which closes the...

link.springer.com

 

[raytol]

Was it Goodyear that made the inflatoplane?

 

[J.L. Frusha]

Was it Goodyear that made the inflatoplane?

Yes. There was also a prototype inflatable space station.

 

[poormansairforce]

How heavy is a foam wing covered with thin plywood ?

Heavy! A 4.5' x 22' wing will have 100 lbs in it before the plywood skin and any structure, hinges, spar caps, etc.

 

[challenger_II]

How heavy is a foam wing covered with thin plywood ?

"Blue" foam weighs in at 2# per cu/ft. Figure your foam structure from that.

 

[Riggerrob]

Was it Goodyear that made the inflatoplane?

Yes, Goodyear built a few Inflatoplane prototypes during the 1950s and they patented Airmat construction techniques. Airmat looks like a constant-thickness version of the through-stitching process now used to manufacture inflatable stand-on-top paddle-boards. They start with two sheets of impermeable fabric, then through-stitch with thousands of light-weight threads to maintain a constant thickness ... when inflated. Current through-stitch sewing machines can only produce constant-thickness slabs, but I predict that variable-thickness will be available within the next 5 years.

 

[Riggerrob]

Yes. There was also a prototype inflatable space station.

Yes, Bigelow Aerospace was building inflatable add-ons for the International Space Station.
Sadly, Bigelow folded during COVID-19. A friend was working at Bigelow's lab near Vancouver, Canada.

 

[J.L. Frusha]

Yes, Bigelow Aerospace was building inflatable add-ons for the International Space Station.
Sadly, Bigelow folded during COVID-19. A friend was working at Bigelow's lab near Vancouver, Canada.

I'm talking about something Goodyear was attempting in the late 1950s/early 1960s...

ch9

 

[MR101005]

..... Airmat looks like a constant-thickness version of the through-stitching process now used to manufacture inflatable stand-on-top paddle-boards. .....

Yes. Airmat (for a aircraft wing) ---> Drop-Stitch Technology (for inflatable stand-on-top paddle-boards ---> ?

One more reason to think (sometimes) outside the box

Here other technologies (ClustAir and VacuuAir) that you could imagine for a wing construction: TRIPSTIX Clustair technology for demanding water sports

 

[Wespa]

Heavy! A 4.5' x 22' wing will have 100 lbs in it before the plywood skin and any structure, hinges, spar caps, etc.

Was it ever considered the use of an helium core for wings and fuselage to offset the weight of sturdy construction materials?

 

[Bill-Higdon]

Was it ever considered the use of an helium core for wings and fuselage to offset the weight of sturdy construction materials?

Problem is helium leakage, Helium is Mother Natures Houdini which is why it's used for leak checking

 

[poormansairforce]

Was it ever considered the use of an helium core for wings and fuselage to offset the weight of sturdy construction materials?

Do the math on the internal volume of said wing filled with helium and you'll find that it's only 4.5 pounds lighter than if filled with air and that ignores the volume of any structure in the wing. I'll let you do the math on the fuselage volume and resultant weight decrease and then you can decide if it's worth your while or not