The Effects of Composite Material on the Configuration and Design of the V-22 Wing

The unique capabilities of the V-22 tiltrotor aircraft generate stringent design conditions foreign to con­ventional rotorcraft. Strength, stiffness, and weight requirements dictate that the most efficient wing design is one that utilizes a carbon/epoxy composite to the fullest extent. Since the raw material and fabrication costs of composite components are gener­ally higher than those of a typical aluminum struc­ture, the designers were faced with a tremendous challenge to provide carbon/epoxy components with­in producibility and cost guidelines. This paper is a description of the V-22 wing torque box structure and the design conditions that generate the func­tional and structural requirements.