Comparative Study of Natural Frequency of a C-141a-il Airfoil Wing and Cantilever Beam: Simulation and Experimental Investigation

Vibration in a mechanical structure is of great importance as it can cause extensive damage to the structure’s property if not dealt with properly, especially in the domain of aircraft and aerospace engineering. If the natural frequency of an aerospace structure becomes equal to the externally supplied vibration frequency, the structure starts resonating, which can lead to the shaking of the flying vehicle and thus the ability to change its flying path or lead to its deformation. Therefore, the vibrational and structural analysis of an aircraft wing is one of the most important components during the aircraft design process. This paper’s study reports the formation and comparison of a realistic wing model of Lockheed C-140 aircraft wing that has Lockheed C-141 BL0 airfoil at its root and Lockheed C-141 BL761.11 airfoil at the tip, which is created on Autodesk Fusion 360, to that of a cantilever beam to determine its natural frequency, both by using simulation by ANSYS Workbench as well as conducting experimental testing by calculating the mode morphologies through experimentation of a scaled (1:61) 3D printed model of the wing and the beam in consideration. This study talks about vibration reduction methods to stabilize the wing using dampers or composites to structurally enhance it.