Motion and airflow during a two-turn erect spin of an aerobatic light aeroplane have been analysed. An alternative method, based upon camera tracking, has been used to capture the spin motion. A CAD model of the Slingsby Firefly was created using laser scanning. Formation flights with a helicopter have been flown and high-quality video and still imagery obtained. Camera tracking has produced data and unique illustrations of the spinning Slingsby. To further investigate the aerodynamic flow of a spinning aeroplane, full-scale, flow visualisation flights have been flown using wool tufts on wing, fuselage and empennage. Tufts indicate that a large vortex forms on the outside wing. The spanwise motion of this vortex has been studied and related to the spin motion. Furthermore, tufts on the horizontal tail indicate the presence of a leading edge vortex with the flow mainly in a spanwise outwards direction. The effects observed are clearly three dimensional and time dependent. Finally, it is discussed how this new knowledge does not correspond with the spin theories of the past.

A combination of uniaxial compression tests and Strip Model and Finite Element analyses of laminates artificially delaminated to create circular (±θ) sublaminates is used to assess the influence of fibre angle on the compressive strength of composite laminates.

Sublaminates with 0° < θ < 40° are found to fail by sublaminate-buckling-driven delamination propagation and provide poor tolerance of delamination. This is a consequence of their relatively high axial stiffnesses, low sublaminate buckling strains, Poisson’s ratio induced compressive transverse strains and extension-twist coupling which produces unexpected sublaminate buckling mode shapes. Sublaminates with 40° < θ < 60° are most tolerant to delamination; axial and transverse stiffnesses are minimal, formation of sublaminate buckles is resisted, high laminate buckling strains reduce interaction between laminate and sublaminate buckling mode shapes and extension-twist coupling is minimal. Sublaminates with 60° < θ < 90° are shown to produce varied tolerance of delamination. Sublaminate buckling is generally prevented owing to transverse tensile strains induced by mismatches between laminate and sublaminate Poisson’s ratios but may occur in laminates with low Poisson’s ratios.

Existing theories are reviewed and compared. From the Tangent Wedge formula a simple expression for the normal force on thin wings is derived and compared with some existing experimental data, which cover the whole supersonic-hypersonic range of Mach numbers.

In this work, stress-based and fracture mechanics criteria were developed to predict initiation and evolution, respectively, of intra- and inter-laminar cracking developed in composite laminates subjected to low velocity impact. The Soutis shear stress-strain semi-empirical model was used to describe the nonlinear shear behaviour of the composite. The damage model was implemented in the finite element (FE) code (Abaqus/Explicit) by a user-defined material subroutine (VUMAT). Delamination (or inter-laminar cracking) was modelled using interface cohesive elements and the splitting and transverse matrix cracks that appeared within individual plies were also simulated by inserting cohesive elements between neighbouring elements parallel to the fibre direction in each single layer. A good agreement was obtained when compared the numerically predicted results to experimentally obtained curves of impact force and absorbed energy versus time. A non-destructive technique (NDT), penetrant enhanced X-ray radiography, was used to observe the various damage mechanisms induced by impact. It has been shown that the proposed damage model can successfully capture the internal damage pattern and the extent to which it was developed in these carbon fibre/epoxy composite laminates.