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AE 533 Lecture 1

This document discusses the structural components and design of aircraft. It contains the following key points: - Aircraft structures consist of several components like skin, ribs, spars, and stringers that form a skeleton to withstand various loads. - Loads on aircraft include surface forces from air pressure, body forces from gravity and inertia, and ground loads from landing. Structural analysis must accurately predict these loads. - The objectives of aircraft design are to minimize drag and weight while maximizing lift, payload, and flight range. Structures must withstand loads to provide an aerodynamic shape and protect the interior. - Components like the skin, ribs, spars, and stringers each serve functions like resisting bending

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48 views

AE 533 Lecture 1

This document discusses the structural components and design of aircraft. It contains the following key points: - Aircraft structures consist of several components like skin, ribs, spars, and stringers that form a skeleton to withstand various loads. - Loads on aircraft include surface forces from air pressure, body forces from gravity and inertia, and ground loads from landing. Structural analysis must accurately predict these loads. - The objectives of aircraft design are to minimize drag and weight while maximizing lift, payload, and flight range. Structures must withstand loads to provide an aerodynamic shape and protect the interior. - Components like the skin, ribs, spars, and stringers each serve functions like resisting bending

Uploaded by

sultan ali
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES I

AE 533
FALL 2018

Dr. Abdallah Almomani


[email protected]

Office Hours
Sunday-Tuesday-Thursday
10:30 Am – 12:30 pm
Office N1- L2
STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF AIRCRAFT
An aircraft structure is very complex. It consists of several structural components that are joined
together forming a skeleton that is covered with a thin shell or skin of the aircraft
STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF AIRCRAFT
CONFLICT ON PRIORITIES
AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS
AIRFRAME LOADS
AIRFRAME LOADS

Loads on an aircraft can be divided into two distinct groups:

(a) Ground Loads: Taxiing and Landing


(b) Air Loads: Take‐off, level flight, maneuvers, gusts, internal
pressure.

Aircraft loads can be further divided into:


– Surface forces: aerodynamic pressures or
hydrostatic pressure (amphibious aircraft only)
– Body forces: gravity and inertial
– Ground loads – impact load through the landing
gear and undercarriage system
• Other loads
– Engine thrust
– Engine failure causing asymmetric loads
– Water landing (e.g. an United Airlines Flight made an
emergency landing on Hudson river in New York)
AIRFRAME LOADS AND DESIGN

These various loads cause bending moment, torsion and shear in different components of an
aircraft.

• Basic objectives of design of an aircraft is to :


(a) minimize drag.
(b) maximize lift.
(c) protect passengers and/or cargo from environmental conditions that are
encountered in a flight.

• In engineering, minimizing cost is implicit.


• In aerospace structures, cost is directly proportional to weight so saving weight
becomes a major factor.
- Less weight of structure means more payload (passengers, cargo, satellites) and
fuel (longer flights).

Structural analysis in the aerospace industry must be accurate, precise and reliable because lives,
dollars and reputation are at stake.
FUNCTION OF AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES: GENERAL

The structures of most flight vehicles are thin walled structures (shells)

General requirements :
Resists applied loads (Aerodynamic loads acting on the wing structure)
Provides the aerodynamic shape
Protects the contents from the environment
WING INTERNAL COMPONENTS
FUNCTION OF AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES
(EXAMPLE)

Skin
reacts the applied torsion and shear forces
transmits aerodynamic forces to the longitudinal and transverse supporting members
acts with the longitudinal members in resisting the applied bending and axial loads
acts with the transverse members in reacting the hoop, or circumferential, load when the
structure is pressurized.
FUNCTION OF AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES
(EXAMPLE)

Ribs and Frames


 Structural integration of the wing and fuselage
 Maintain aerodynamic profile
FUNCTION OF AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES
(EXAMPLE)

Spars
 resist bending and axial loads
 form the wing box for stable torsion resistance
FUNCTION OF AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES
(EXAMPLE)

Stiffener or Stringers
 resist bending and axial loads along with the skin
 divide the skin into small panels and thereby increase its buckling load

The fuselage skin is connected to the stringers and


frame whereas wing skin is connected to stringers
and wing ribs using rivets (most predominant), welds
and sometimes epoxy resin depending on the
material. A joint in a fuselage skin is shown
DESIGN PROCESS

Design Process

1. Set the design specifications and restrictions.


2. Determine the loads, temperatures, operating
conditions and define the load cases or load
combination.
3. Perform preliminary design and iterative changes.
4. Determine stresses, deformations, fatigue life, etc.
5. Is the design adequate as per specifications? If
not then go to Step 1 and repeat.

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