This work describes the technological and scientific efforts on designing, manufacturing and testing validation for high performance-low cost composite structures for Light Sport Aircrafts (LSA). A Mexican initiative to conceive, manufacture and assembly a Light Sport Aircraft has been developed by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Liquid Composite Manufacturing (LCM). These consolidated techniques are used to characterize novel approaches to manufacturing and assembly carbon-fiber based structural components. As large structures are manufactured via Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion (VARI), impregnation strategies are studied to minimize inner flaws and also to improve the manufacturing time and surface quality of each component. The first case of study, to validate this methodology, involves non-structural components such as the cowling. Control surfaces (ailerons, rudder, elevator and flaps) have been manufactured, each of them having common issues but also unique challenges. As an example, a second case of study, the aileron main beam is analyzed. Furthermore, test portfolio will be developed with the goal to perform 1-to-1 scale mechanical tests for validation in compliance with ASTM standards.
The electromagnetically driven flow in the wide gap of a concentric spheres system is studied experimentally and numerically in the laminar regime ($Re \leq 1540$). The mainly azimuthal driving Lorentz force is promoted by the interaction of a direct current and a dipolar magnetic field. The current is injected through two ring-shaped copper electrodes located at the equatorial zone of each sphere and the magnetic field is produced by a permanent magnet located inside the inner sphere. Velocity profiles for the azimuthal component in the equatorial plane were obtained with Particle Image Velocimetry and the radial velocity component of the flow was recorded using Ultrasonic Doppler Velocimetry. Laser-fluorescein technique was used for flow visualization. It was found that for a critical electric current ($Re=1140$), an instability occurs and the flow becomes time-dependent. We found, theoretically and experimentally a vortex breakdown structure at each of the polar zones of the spherical gap, which to the best knowledge of the authors, this is the first time it is reported with electromagnetic forcing. A full three-dimensional numerical simulation reproduces the experimental observations qualitatively and quantitatively.
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