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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0049.PDF
JANUARY II, lightening holes readily pressed out in great quantities bysuitable dies and fastened to structural steel spars. Surface construction of this kind actually shows that ithas weight of less than 1b. per square foot. This is very much, less than is obtainable with the ordinary wood type ofconstruction for the same strength, and, in addition thereto, the steel construction gives an excellent rigidity and mechanicalappearance to the surface which is most pleasing. This method of aeroplane surface construction has alsobeen demonstrated structurally and from a flying standpoint on the Sturtevant aeroplanes. Wing Construction.The success and ease of manufacture of this steel con- struction of rudder and flap surfaces lias led to the investiga-tion of the possibility of constructing the aeroplane wings by a similar system. Experiments were, therefore, conductedon various methods and sizes of ribs, and finally an entire wing section of this construction was made and covered.This section was fixed on a span of 8 ft. and tested in the presence of several witnesses, with sandbag loading, in orderto determine the suitability of the ribs and spar construction to withstand the air loads. The frame was actually made ofexactly the same weight as a wooden wing to withstand the same load, or 300 lbs. distributed on the 60 square ft. of wingsection, the frame being designed to have a safety tactor of 8. Numerous sandbags were distributed on the wing accordingto the usual method of testing. On top of this were super- imposed a great number of very heavy lumber boards, and,finally, in order to obtain a breaking load, it was necessary for three of the witnesses present to stand on top of this lomd. When there bad been imposed a total of 2,550 lbs., thewings slowly began to fail by the bending of both ol the spars exactly at the point at which the bending momentdiagram indicated the least strength factor. The breaking load of 2,550 lbs., where the wing section was designed tocarry 300 lbs., indicated a safety factor of over 8. This entire test is in itself an unusually clear instance of the accuracywith which steel construction may be designed. Summary,The fuselage construction and the surface construction for rudders, elevators, &c, have proven to be highly satisfactoryand have been adopted as standard after very careful study by the Sturtevant Co. The ease with which riveted or pinned joints can be madebetween angles and channels and the excellent fit of the different members to each other without any extra fittings isnothing short of a revelation in aeroplane construction. Military aeroplanes that can be left out of doors and navalaeroplanes that can ship big seas without " spoiling," can be attained by the use of this new type of steel construction. While a difficulty is foreseen in adapting wood to theconstruction of huge aeroplanes of the battleplane class, with steel it is readily possible and even advantageous togrow to larger sizes. FLIGHT" PRIZE AVIATION JIG-SAW PUZZLE. H mm ip»i •^ >^ ' 7 -^ /WH m m m m m m m H u * ft m m m m m m * m m m m m * m m m m m m m m m m The only actuallycorrect solution re- ceived of the abovepuzzle, which was published in ourChristmas Number, December 14th, isfrom Mr.F. W.Vcrry, 37, Carysfort Road,Crouch End, N., and a cheque for oneguinea has been duly sent to him. Severalnenr attempts were made, but this wanthe only faultless solution. In orderthat our readers may judge its accuracy,we reproduce on this page, firstly a pr'.ntfrom the original photograph asdivided off before cutting up into pieces,with an identifying number for eachpart, and below this photograph is repro-duced the solution exactly as sent by, Mr. Verry. m m m m m m
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