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Aviation History
1939
1939 - 1336.PDF
MAY 4, 1939 FLIGHT. Production flow. These pictures illustrate the sequence of operations in building the Hampden fuselage. (1) The skeleton of the nose portion being assembled ; (2) after removal to a jig, the skin is riveted on ; (3) installing equip ment in the starboard half of the centre portion ; (4) assembling the two halves of the centre portion in a special jig > (5) the two halves of the fuselage tail portion are built on horizontal jigs, although the split is vertical ; (6) the three fuselage portions being brought together for assembly before transport to Radlett. The transparent nose unit is not yet in place. priate members have attached to them the fishplates by means of which they are secured to other members. In this way there is no need for elaborate jigs on which to assemble the skeleton. In fact, this framework is assembled on plain wooden trestles, the fishplates providing sufficient indication of the angles at which adjoining members are to be attached. The same principle is applied throughout, and it is significant that one never sees a blue-print in the shops. When the complete skeleton of formers and stringers has been riveted up, it is removed to large jigs built of structural steel. On these jigs the metal covering is ap plied. The main frames of the nose portion of the fuselage are built-up box-section members, whilst the intermediate frames are of Z-section. The lower longerons are large channels with the open side facing outwards, where the skin covering is attached to the turned-up flanges of the channel by riveting. When the nose portion of the fuselage has been ' skinned," as it is called (a horrible expression which seems to infer removing rather than applying the skin), it. is taken to light wooden trestles where most of the equipment is installed before the nose portion is bolted to the centre portion of the fuselage. One of the last items to be attached is the transparent nose of the fuselage, which is a Perspex covering on a light tubular framework. The whole of this is made up as a unit and bolted to the fuselage when all the equipment, controls, etc., has been installed.
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