![]() ![]() Steel is stiff and strong (both prerequisites in the design of an efficient structure) but its high density makes it very heavy (density of wood approximately 500 - 800 \( kg/m^3 \) vs steel 7800 \( kg/m^3 \)). New methods were sought and steel was investigated as a replacement for wood. As the flight speed and wing loading of newer designs increased, the variation of the structural properties of the wood and its susceptibility to environmental degradation meant that wooden structures were no longer an efficient means of production. Piper PA-18 Super Cub with a Space Frame Fuselageīy the end of the First World War limitations in the the use of wooden truss configurations were being identified. One popular aircraft designed with a space frame fuselage is the iconic PA-18 Piper Super Cub which is pictured below. A space frame is a simple albeit inefficient way of building a fuselage structure as the fabric skins add weight without contributing to the rigidity of the structure. In this fuselage configuration the force members of the truss provide the structural stiffness, and the aerodynamic covering provides the shape, but does not add much to the overall stiffness of the structure. Often wood was used as the primary structural material with a fabric covering providing the aerodynamic shape. The earliest aircraft fuselages were built with a space frame or truss like construction. Three common design methodologies are described below in chronological order leading up to the semi-monocoque design that is most prevalent today. Throughout the years a number of design principles have been adopted regarding the structural layout of a fuselage. Let’s start by examining three popular design methodologies for the structural design of a fuselage. The fuselage design is versatile enough to offer the potential to stretch the aircraft if a number of aircraft configurations are desired.The aerodynamic shape of the fuselage is such that the minimum drag is produced during typical operation while still ensuring that the design payload is adequately housed.The mass of the fuselage is optimized to ensure safe operation without carrying any additional or excess weight.The fuselage structure will not fail due to excessive loading throughout the entire aircraft flight envelope.Loading the aircraft with goods, fuel and passengers does not negatively impact on the stability of the aircraft for a range of payload configurations (center of gravity is adequately located).The fuselage is sized such that the various control and stabilization surfaces (typically the vertical and horizontal tail) are located such that the aircraft is stable in flight.The intended payload is adequately and efficiently housed.The fuselage houses the crew, any passengers, cargo, an array of aircraft systems and sometimes fuel.Ī well designed fuselage will ensure that the following are met: This forms the central body of the aircraft onto which wings, control surfaces and sometimes engines are connected. The main body section of an aircraft is called a fuselage. In this post, we move away from the wing and introduce aircraft fuselage design: we’ll look at the various ways to construct a fuselage, how to size it correctly, and introduce the various loads that the fuselage structure is expected to carry during operation. In part 6 we looked at the structural make-up of the wing. This is Part 7 of a series on the Fundamentals of Aircraft Design.
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