wing joining suggestions...

basslord1124

Master member
I'm in the process of constructing a large foamboard glider (Galaxy) project and to make it easy to transport I am going to have the wing break down into 2 pieces. I was thinking of running a carbon fiber arrow tube inside the wing to help with strength and in aligning the wings and probably use some wood and other materials as well.

But right now I am just stuck on a way to secure the 2 wing halves in place so they don't slide apart. My creative juices aren't flowing like they should as this is a new thing for me. I was researching it and someone did mention something like cam locks like you see on IKEA and other furniture which seemed like a possibility. But anyways, just wanting some ideas for a cheap and quick way to lock the halves in place that won't require a lot of tools and such.
 

Arcfyre

Elite member
You can get as fancy or as basic as you like.

On the basic end, a pair of BBQ skewers, inserted through (reinforced) holes in the wing spar vertically would serve as suitable anchors. An upgraded version of this would be bolts with a nut glued to the underside as a backing plate.

I just read this again and realized it maybe wasn't all that clear what I'm talking about. Each wing half would need to be built with a spar that extends beyond the end of the wing on the fuselage side. The exposed spars would need to be staggered in such a way that when the wing comes together in the fuselage, one slides over the other. Once they are in place and lined up, poke or drill 2 holes vertically through them and use either skewers or bolts to keep them from moving.
 

rockyboy

Skill Collector
Mentor
I accidentally found a great way to do this.

On my Monster FW-42 canards and rudder I have two arrow shaft spars that extend about 3 or 5 inches out of the end of the flying surface and into a carbon fiber tube with an internal diameter that matches the arrow shaft. Those carbon tubes are carefully glued into the fuselage after being slid onto the arrow shafts. Use plenty of waxed paper or tape or even just glue part of the tube in place at first, wait for it to dry, and then glue in the rest of the tube - very important to not permanently glue the sliding parts together.

The way everything sticks together is the two spars are just a tiny bit out of parallel with each other - they are maybe 1/8" closer together at the fuselage end vs. the outer ends of the spars :eek: So when I slide them together I need to pull the arrow shafts apart just a little bit so they will line up with the tubes and use a little extra force to slide them together - but they seat flush and firm into place since I did the glue up of the tubes while they were on the shafts.
 

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
The methods I have used varied according to the of the moment and the aircraft at the time. Some of them from the simplest to the most appealing, (to me), are as below;

Clear packing tape applied over the wing joint just prior to flying.
Rubber bands stretched over a couple of small adhesive picture hangers, (used on a very early Bixler 1.1 which had been crashed and repaired almost 20 times.
Compression or friction fit where there is a 5 x 5 mm spar receiving tube, (made in the wing during construction, (spar was/is a 6mm CF tube).
Recently with my obtaining a 3D printer I will be using one of the THINGIVERSE servo boxes, (with lid), in the wing around the spar end and securing the spar with a spring pin through a small hole in the end of the spar. Just need to secure the lid with a couple of small screws. This is an added advantage actually as the pin can't fall out and get lost.

As for the wing incidence alignment I just use a small length of CF or BBQ skewer fixed in one wing and a matching hole in the other.

Just some of the things I have used successfully or will soon be using!

Have fun!
 

basslord1124

Master member
I figured up a good plan now. I'll tell ya sometimes I just make up a plan on the spot, but something like this I had to think it over some.

The wing is rubber banded to the fuse which I decided to keep that. Hadn't really thought of running any tubes into the fuse.

So here's the plan....
Glue a paint stirring stick on both wing halves right on the box spar. Drill a decent size hole near the end of both paint sticks (the end going out to the wing tips...not the center of the wing). Use a wooden yard stick as the joiner...marking/drilling holes on the yard stick to match up with the paint stick drill holes. Attach all this with nylon screws/nuts. I will probably leave one end of the yard stick permanently attached so it makes setup a little quicker. I was also going to put a carbon fiber arrow tube at the leading edge and something at the trailing edge (another CF arrow tube, popsicle stick, etc) protruding from one of the wing halves to keep the wing from flexing/rotating when joined together.
 

rockyboy

Skill Collector
Mentor
I agree that 7 foot wings are a real pain in the butt to transport. I've got one that just barely fits inside my Ford Flex held to the ceiling with bungee cords to go to the field. And it's been damaged a couple times in storage too until I rigged up a ceiling mount to keep it safe.

Bigger might fly better, but it sure as heck doesn't store better. :cautious: