Aircraft Anatomy Flashcards
Wing- Spar?
the main load bearing structural member and provide a lot of strength
Wing - Ribs?
What the skin is attached to. They provide the wing cross-sectional shape and transfer loading from the skin to the spars
Wing - stringers?
They take bending loads and prevent the skin from buckling.
Skin
often made from composite materials such as glass or carbon fibre or some metals.
Spoilers?
Spoils lift on upper surface of the wing to provide more weight on wheels - shorter landing distance
Winglets?
Reduces air spilling from the lower to upper surface, reducing induced drag
Types of wing anti-icing?
Pneumatic, electro-thermal or bleed air operated
Vertical stabilizer?
Acts to return the aircraft to its original position following a disturbance in yaw without pilot input.
Horizontal stabiliser?
Acts to return the aircraft to its original position following a disturbance in pitch without pilot input.
Two main types of engine?
Piston, Gas turbine
Purpose of the propeller?
To convert rotational motion of engine to a linear force (thrust).
It does this by accelerating air rearward
Types of fuselage?
Truss, monocoque, semi-monocoque
Characterisitcs of truss?
Strength comes from frame works
Members on tension and compression
Characteristics of Monocoque?
Skin carries structural load, for lighter aircraft
Small dents or stresses can cause complete failure
Characteristics of Semi- Monocoque?
Skin fastened to sub-structure
Load shared between structure and skin
Modern method
Why are AC windows small?
Aircraft windows are small to maximise the area of the fuselage structure between them which maximises the strength of the airframe. Larger windows could blow out under cabin pressurisation.
What makes up a landing gear?
Tires
Brakes
Shock absorbers
Purpose of LDG gear?
Support the aircraft on the ground
Absorb loading from landing and braking
Give minimum rolling friction during take-off
For a given strength be light and produce minimum drag
Two LDG gear configs?
Tricycle & taildragger
Taildraggers have limited ground visibility
Benefits of retractable LDG?
Reduced form & interference drag
Used when aerodynamic gains outweigh cost and weight
Type of power associated with helicopters?
Shaft power
What is an airship?
A lighter than air aircraft, which can navigate through the air under its own propulsion.
What were the historical uses for airships?
Transoceanic luxury travel
Freight & mail transportation
Political propaganda
Bombers in WW1
Future uses for airships?
Freight and logistics
Scenic tourism
Surveillance
Mass transport to remote areas
6 Primary aircraft instruments?
Attitude Indicator Airspeed Indicator Altitude Indicator (Altimeter) Direction Indicator Vertical Speed Indicator Turn Co-ordinator (Balance)
Purpose of primary instruments?
Primary instruments are the most safety critical instruments that are used to determine exactly what the aircraft is doing in the air.
Types of pressure related to ASI & Alt?
ASI - Dynamic pressure
Alt - Static pressure
Secondary instruments?
Engine Temperature and Pressures
Engine RPM
Fuel gauges
Navigation Instruments (VOR/DME/GPS/NDB)
Why are engines important?
Engines provide a force that is typically used to provide thrust for for forward motion or direct lift to counter gravity
Five engine considerations?
Lightweight Small (minimise drag) Powerful (rapid climb) Reliable Repairable
4 Major types of engines
Piston Engines
Gas Turbine Engines
Rocket Engines
Electric Engines
Piston engine configurations?
Radial
Inline
Inverted Inline
Horizontally opposed
Radial engines
Large size, more drag
Douglas DC3
North-American T-6 Texan
Inline Engine
When air-cooled, furthest back cylinder gets too hot
Dehavilland tiger moth, gipsy moth
Horizontally opposed engines
Cessna 172
By having the pistons oppose each other, any forces are cancelled out, and the weight is evenly distributed. Having a wider engine with less cylinders on either side means that air cooling is feasible without the drag of radial engines.
Rotary engines
Fixed crankshaft & rotating cylinders
Gyroscopic forces difficult to control
Sopwith Snipe
Pros and cons of piston engines
Cheap to buy & maintain
Efficient at low alt
Hard to get right mix at high alt
Needs a prop, limits top speed
Wankel engine
Lightweight, compact, reliable, vibrationless, high power to weight ratio
inefficient at low rpm due to unburnt fuel
Used in light aircraft & UAV
Four different gas turbine engines
Turbojet, Turbofan, Turboprop, Turboshaft
Turbojet
Fuel inefficient since thrust just comes from exhaust
Used for supersonic
More efficient at higher alt
Turbofans
Engine feeds power back to fan, as well as compressors - fan also provides thrust
Low bypass - military jets like F-35
High bypass - like Boeing 787
Turboprop
Engine powers a shaft that transforms rotational power to the propeller to create propulsion
Turboshaft
Uses a free power turbine to power a shaft
Main disadvantage of gas turbine
Cost of purchasing & maintaining
Inefficiency at low alt (relative)
Rocket engines
Light compared to other engines
Least efficient, in fuel use
Electric engines
Convert electrical to mechanical energy
Very efficient
Limited by ability to store & obtain electric power
