Vendetta Final Proposal Part 1 (3.4 MB) - Cal Poly

7 Structural Layout & Material SelectionThe overall layout of the Vendetta’s structure is shown in Figure 7.1 and Foldout 2. The wing structure is similarto that of an F-15 and the material selection is similar to an F-22. The main load path is in the form of a central keel thatruns from between the nozzles and engines to the nose gear attachment point. The weapons bay splits the keel in thecenter of the aircraft. The load is shifted from the keel to the aft weapons bay wall and back into the keel at the forwardend of the weapons bay. A close-up of the weapons bay is also shown in Figure 7.1.Main WingSparsWeapons BayStiffenersFigure 7.1 - Structure Buildup for VendettaThe layout of Vendetta’s inlets and landing gear allow for a continuous structural member, in the form of abulkhead, to carry the aerodynamic loads from each wing directly to the central keel. This approach changes as thebulkheads move away from the main wing load paths. The weapons bay splits the forward wing attachment bulkheads.This occurs well in front of the aerodynamic center of the wing. Just forward of the aerodynamic center is the mainforward load path for the wing. The aft load paths are a ring structure around the engines and inlets. The importantthing to note is that where the primary loads are being distributed, between 25 to 50 percent of the mean aerodynamicchord, the bulkheads are continuous. Because of the thin root selection for the Vendetta, care was taken to ensure thatthe wing could withstand the tremendous loads produced by the 7-g load requirement with a factor of safety of 1.5. It36