FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1943
1943 - 2217.PDF
SEPTEMBER OTH, 1943 FLIGHT 291 GERMAN AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES joints, which also incorporate self- aligning bushes. Fuselages. All the eight types of aircraft mentioned have fuselages of stressed-skin construction." In general, the designs are notable for the small number of transverse frames and the large number of stringers used. Tables 1 and 2 give details of the frames and stringers respectively in most of the types. /« 87 and He III:—Only in the JU87 and the He 111 is there any connection between the stringers and frames. In the latter machine, however, the Z-section frames are placed inside the stringers and have ) direct attachment to the skin, (ing riveted only to the stringers. This scheme, which is the only one which involves no cutting of frames or stringers, is, perhaps, the simplest possible construction. The skin panels are many feet long and only a few inches wide. Fw 190:—The fuselage of the Fw 190 has 21 L-section stringers with one wide top-hat section stringer at the top. L-section transverse frames are used, about i8in. apart. The whole is covered with light- alloy sheeting cut in very large panels and flush-riveted. The fin is integral with the fuselage. Below the front end of the fuselage is a large panel, attached to the fuselage by countersunk screws, which gives access to the two fuel tanks. This panel is made from two large light-alloy sheets, the internal sheet being dished at about jin. centres and attached to the external sheet by a single" rivet at the bottom of each dishing, as well as by rivets round the edges of the panel. This method of construc- tion gives a very stiff panel and is used also in the fin, Mp.parts of the engine cowling, and for an inspection door in the side of the fuselage. D021J:—In the Do 217 the fuselage is built in three parts. The front fuselage contains the crew's compart- ment and is not remarkable in any way. The metal skin is stiffened by Z-section frames and T-section longitudinal stringers which are discontinuous at the frames. The centre Fig. 7. Me 109. Rear fuselage construction. Aircraft type Ju S3 Me 109 Me 210 Fwl'JO Do 217, TABLE 1. Details ol Fuselage Stringers. Section Bowler hat Inverted hatTop hat Lipped angle^-section Overall width ('"•) 2.0 1.52.2 0.825 '.1.7 0 Overall depth (i«.) 0.7 0.750.65 1.251.0 Approx. gauge (SW6) Front 20Rear 21 lfl16 17 Riveting 2 rows Single row2 rows SinglejowSingle row RivetPitch (in.) 3.0 1.61.2.'. 1.01.5 TABLE 2. Details of Fuselage Frames. type H.-1U lii >S Me 10!) •'I- :in iv 1!IO Section Z-section Z-sectionZ-section integral with skin . . Z-section integral with skin... Lipped angle Z-section Average spacing (in.) 20 1718 24 15 20 Overall width (in.) 1.5 1.0 1.251.2 0.6 1.5 Overall depth (in.) 2.0 2.01.5 1.5 2.0 1.5 Approximate (fwl* 1819 Front 17Rear 18 18 18 Rivet Pitch (in.) Front 1.0 2—31 Front 0.3 Rear 1.2 O.fl 0.75 fuselage is integral with the centre- section wing, as previously men- tioned. The main fuel tank is housed in the upper portion be- tween the wing spars, the lower portion forming the front end of the bomb bay. The fuselage sides in this section are stiffened by ver- tical members composed of Z- and angle-sections riveted together. These stiffeners are riveted to the skin at about i8in. pitch with a l-section between each one 1 he edges of the bomb dcor openings are reinforced by box section longerons built up from angles and sheets. The rear fuselage is approxi mately circular in section The forward portion of the rear fuse lage, which contains the after part of the bomb bay, is divided hori- zontally by a deck attached to a number of portal frames lormed from pressed sheets with flanged lightening holes. The bomb beams are attached to the underside of the dividing deck Above the bomb bay the skin is riveted to Z-section names, which are cut away to allow passage of the longitudinal stringers, which are particularly closely spaced at the top. The edges of all openings are stiffened , by angle sections. The portion of the rear fuselage behind the bomb bay has openings for the retractable tailwheel, for the attach- ment of the tailplane, and! at its extreme rear end, where the detachable dive-brake unit or dummy tail cap are fitted. In front of the tailplane opening is a diamond- shaped transverse frame with a vertical diagonal bracing strut. The opening at the extreme tail is finished off with a cross-shaped frame. Between these two frames are two others of crescent shape, each consisting of a pair of flanged pressings pierced with lightening holes, the front one being further stiffened by a pair of angles riveted along the top. These two frames carry the attachments for the tailplane. Fuselage Connections The connections between the three parts of the fuselage are made in each case by a large num- ber of small bolts passing through flanges formed by extruded angle-sec- tions riveted round the inside of the periphery of the fuselage section. Me 210:—The most interesting, method of fuselage construction is that used in the Me 210 and, in fact, in all the Messerschmitt designs mentioned. Top-hat section stringers are attached to the skin, each by a single row of rivets through the top. The skin and frames, o.o.sin. thick, are integral, the .two transverse edges of alternate panels being bent up to form Z-section flanges on the inside of the fuselage. These panels are also joggled along the transverse edges, so that flush skin laps can be made with the alternate plain sheet panels. The fuselage is built in two halves, with longitudinal seams along the top and bottom. The two halves are joined by two wide bat- section stringers using two rows of
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
