Gatewing X100UAS, System Manual, Page: 23 / 210

2.0 — 23 — 12 October 2012
X100 parts
X100construction
3.3 X100construction
X100 materials
3.3.1 Composition
The main wing material is EPP foam that is supported with a carbon-frame structure that is
placed inside the mold during production of the foam wing. It is a mono-wing. The part is
produced by a supplier specialized in making EPP foam parts. The frame inside the wing
ensures that wing deformation due to torsion or bending forces are minimal. The frame and
tape on the wing also greatly limits the occurrence of fractures of the EPP (e.g. after landing)
and their impact on structural integrity. Small fractures can occur occasionally as EPP is
exceptionally resilient in coping with pressure forces but less in coping with pull forces. The
wing vertical fins and elevons are carbon parts (made by suppliers using jet cutting and hand
layup respectively). The motor housing and many other parts are molded or printed plastics.
3.3.2 Load capability
The wing has been designed to withstand a 15 g launch acceleration (experimentally tested),
wing handling forces and landing impacts (both from experience learned during hundreds of
flights) that are a multiple of inflight flight loads. This is achieved by having an EPP structure
with an internal carbon frame and rigid, carbon elevonds. Actual flight loads are limited by a
commanded bank angle limitation (of 30 degrees), which corresponds to a load factor 1.2 and
early tests with much higher load factors did not show any structural issue.
Regarding flutter: During the +2000 flights, no aeroelastic instabilities were observed. Due to
the relative high stiffness of the wing (internal carbon frame) in comparison to the mass of the
wing itself (EPP structure) and the low inertia forces of the wing in comparison to the aerody
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namic forces, flutter has no chance to occur. Besides this, it should be noted that the EPP
structure dampens any bending motion.
E Leading edge of the wing
F Trailing edge of the wing
Entry Zone