Aircraft Structural Components

Question 1

What are the substructures of a typical aircraft? (hint: front1; mid6; back*6

Answer 1

• front: nose
• mid: centre fuselage; mainplane/centre section; flaps; outer wing; ailerons; wing tip
• back: rear fuselage; vertical tail; rudder; horizontal tail; elevators; tip;

Question 2

describe the general constructional technology used for wings in conventional civil aircraft. Refer to spars, ribs, skins, stringers and rivets and how they contribute

Answer 2

• fixed wings consist of a main spar with various ribs runing across it
• whole system would be covered with a stress skin
• different designs vary the number of spars and ribs

-stringers/longerons are thin strips which the skin of the wing is mounted onto
-purpose is to transfer aerodynamic loads from the skin to the ribs and spars
run laterally across span of the wind and attach between ribs

-components such as the wing and tail surfaces are pre-formed aluminium alloys
when the curvature (of leading edge) of these surfaces is large, its skin if preformed via rolling (allows precise shape to be made)

-skins are attached via rivets
rivets are countersunk in locations where precise/smooth wing surfaces are needed ie. forward sections of the wing
-means that the rivet heat is sunk into the material so as to avoid protruding into airflow

Question 3

what is a sandwich panek

Answer 3

consist of light honeycombs or corrugated metal cores sandwiched between two outer sheets of light alloy

Question 4

what does a sandwich panel do

Answer 4

used as strengthening sub surfaces for skins

Question 5

advantage of a sandwich panel

Answer 5

• able to stabilise the actual outer skin

- reduces number of stringers and ribs needed

Question 6

2 examples that use sandwich panels

Answer 6

• BAE Systems Jaguar uses aluminium honeycomb for its ailerons and rudder
• Boeing 747 contains extensive amount of GRP & aluminium honeycombs in the wings and tail surfaces