Structural Design Analysis of the Burnelli CBY-3 Loadmaster and DC-3

Massari, Amaya; Boyer, Aaron; Paszczuk, Nicholas; Moore, Jacob; Raynowska, Emily; Tims, Gabrielle

Student Work

Structural Design Analysis of the Burnelli CBY-3 Loadmaster and DC-3

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This work presents a study to investigate the structural design of the wing attachment of the 1940s era Burnelli CBY-3 Loadmaster and compare it to that of a contemporary aircraft, the Douglas DC-3. Specifically, the team calculated the equivalent stresses in the wing attachment structure for both aircraft and calculated safety factors to assess the two different designs. As part of this work, the team evaluated the efficacy of using a handheld 3D scanner to create a digital model of the components to be analyzed. The team also designed a camera stand that can be used to photographically document archival print documents. Finally, the team collected information on the aircraft restoration workflow at four museums to understand current practice, particularly with respect to use of software and 3D printing to create replicas of missing parts. The fact no digital model of the wing structural components exists posed a unique challenge as these had to be created to perform the structural analysis. A combination of archival print documents and measurements on the actual aircraft were used to create the 3D solid model. Key dimensions were checked throughout the process using measurements of accessible parts on the actual aircraft with the model adjusted accordingly. The solid model was imported into Ansys Mechanical where the stresses were evaluated under lift and drag loads representative of a typical flight condition for each aircraft. These results are summarized, and the team show that the CBY-3 wing attachment had a higher safety factor than that of the DC-3. Finally, the team summarized the findings with respect to restoration workflow and concluded with some recommendations regarding software and resources for 3D printing.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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