A panel structure for a vehicle, and especially for an aircraft or spacecraft, includes an area member, especially a skin member, that defines an areal expanse with a first surface and an opposite second surface and having a thickness between the first and second surfaces; and a plurality of elongate stiffener members which are attached to the area member and extend over at least one of the first and second surfaces; wherein at least one of the stiffener members is bifurcated at a bifurcation point into two or more branch stiffener members.

A panel structure for a vehicle, and especially for an aircraft or spacecraft, includes an area member, especially a skin member, that defines an areal expanse with a first surface and an opposite second surface and having a thickness between the first and second surfaces; and a plurality of elongate stiffener members which are attached to the area member and extend over at least one of the first and second surfaces; wherein at least one of the stiffener members is bifurcated at a bifurcation point into two or more branch stiffener members.

An aircraft has a wing providing the main lifting surface for the aircraft. The wing has a structure supporting an aero-dynamic surface, and the wing has a weight, the wing structure being unable to support its own weight when the aircraft is stationary and under a load of 1 g so as to cause structural failure of the wing.

An aircraft has a wing providing the main lifting surface for the aircraft. The wing has a structure supporting an aero-dynamic surface, and the wing has a weight, the wing structure being unable to support its own weight when the aircraft is stationary and under a load of 1 g so as to cause structural failure of the wing.

An aerofoil has at least one space frame and at least one pre-stressed cover supported by the space frame. The space frame has one or more structural members, the structural members including a structural foam material; and the pre-stressed cover forms at least a part of an external aerodynamic surface of the aerofoil.

An aerofoil has at least one space frame and at least one pre-stressed cover supported by the space frame. The space frame has one or more structural members, the structural members including a structural foam material; and the pre-stressed cover forms at least a part of an external aerodynamic surface of the aerofoil.

A panel structure for a vehicle, and especially for an aircraft or spacecraft, includes an area member, especially a skin member, that defines an areal expanse with a first surface and an opposite second surface and having a thickness between the first and second surfaces; and a plurality of elongate stiffener members which are attached to the area member and extend over at least one of the first and second surfaces; wherein at least one of the stiffener members is bifurcated at a bifurcation point into two or more branch stiffener members.

A panel structure for a vehicle, and especially for an aircraft or spacecraft, includes an area member, especially a skin member, that defines an areal expanse with a first surface and an opposite second surface and having a thickness between the first and second surfaces; and a plurality of elongate stiffener members which are attached to the area member and extend over at least one of the first and second surfaces; wherein at least one of the stiffener members is bifurcated at a bifurcation point into two or more branch stiffener members.

Aircraft wings have an interior volume that incorporates a space frame as a primary supporting structure of the wing, and enables securement of an aircraft fuselage to the wing. The space frame includes carbon fiber rods arranged to handle tensile and compression loads otherwise carried by conventional wing spars, ribs, and stringers normally connected to heavy structural metal wing box joints at the sides of a fuselage for attachment of left and right wings. The space frame also includes sleeve and shaft connectors secured to the carbon fiber rods, the connectors arranged in truss-like configurations for preventing buckling of the carbon fiber rods. The space frame may be designed to extend at least midspan between wings, so that traditional wing box joints on a fuselage can be eliminated. Finally, wing skin panels secured to the space frame can be designed to support only aerodynamic loads of flight.

A component, including a part, comprising a honeycomb-like structure formed from at least a seamless resin-infused fiber composite material. The honeycomb-like structure includes a first plurality of honeycomb-like cells, and a second plurality of honeycomb-like cells, different than the first plurality of honeycomb-like cells.