Construction of flexible wing models by combined manufacturing of additive and subtractive processes for transonic wind tunnel testing

Abstract

This study presents a systematic manufacturing approach that combines metal additive manufacturing and subtractive machining to construct flexible wing models for transonic wind tunnel testing. Two wing designs were fabricated and evaluated in terms of geometric accuracy, structural characteristics, and aeroelastic behavior. Three-dimensional scanning, static load tests, ground vibration tests, finite element analyses, and transonic wind tunnel tests were conducted. The fabricated models reproduced the designed geometries and structural properties with good accuracy. The average surface roughness was below 1.0 micrometer, and the average surface deviation was below 0.3 mm, improving geometric precision over previous skill-dependent polishing methods. Independently manufactured models also exhibited highly consistent flutter behavior, with measured flutter frequencies of 157.0 and 158.0 Hz. The results demonstrate that the combined additive and subtractive manufacturing approach enables efficient and reproducible production of flexible wing models for reliable aeroelastic wind tunnel experiments.

15 pages, 27 figures, 10 tables. Published in Aerospace Science and Technology, Volume 167, Article 110665, 2025