Eventos Anais de eventos
COBEM 2023
27th International Congress of Mechanical Engineering
Structural optimization of the fuselage hull of a composite ground effect vehicle
Submission Author:
Felipe Araújo Bortolete , SP
Co-Authors:
Felipe Araújo Bortolete, Lucas Souza, Manuel Alejandro Rodriguez Diaz, Ney Rafael Secco
Presenter: Felipe Araújo Bortolete
doi://10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2023.COB2023-1568
Abstract
With great economic potential, the Amazon always generates major logistical problems, mainly caused by its extensive territory linked to its huge lack of infrastructure. In a context where solutions designed to meet the specificities of each region make more and more sense, the use of wing ground effect vehicles (WIG) presents characteristics capable of helping to solve several logistical bottlenecks that lived in the region. Historically, this type of vehicle has mostly been used for operating in closed seas, which is why operating in Amazonian rivers has its particularities, a critical point being the constant risk of impact with a piece of wood during takeoff and landing. Thus, the use of a hull consisting of a structure of sandwich panels combined with composite materials would give this hull excellent robustness to impact loads. Moreover, this type of material has the advantage of being lightweight, mechanically resistant and durable, thermally insulating and long-lasting. With this background, the present work aims to perform a structural optimization of the fuselage of a composite ground effect vehicle in order to obtain a lightweight structure with higher impact resistance. First, a literature search was conducted to find mathematical models that best represent the impact of a hull on the water surface. A MATLAB code was then created to estimate the main loads caused by this impact. The format of the hull was fixed and the design variables used were the thickness of the layers and reinforcements that form the structure of the hull. The results show a structural layout with a high resistance index, able to withstand the impact loads to which the vehicle will be subjected, proving an excellent relationship between structural weight and resistance.
Keywords
structural optimization, WIG, Ground Effect
