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1580
First truss design
Truss structures already exist, but Andrea Palladio give a scientific point of view on trus structure. It was basis for early aircrafts and some bridges. -
Early material
In this century, first design from aircrafts were made and fabricated with basic material as wood. -
The Howe Truss
Wiliam Howe patented some of the first and good designs for a truss. -
Pratt trust
Thomas Willis Pratt designed this truss structure. one of the most used in early aircrafts. Its characteristics are:
* Great weight
* Difficult to streamline
* Box with tubular longerons and vertical members. -
Warren Truss
Designed by James Warren and Willoughby Theobald Monzani.
Also Pratt Truss, this truss structures was widely used in the firsts aircrafts. Its characteristics are:
* Longeron and only diagonal members.
* Less amount of webs work
* Space,strength and rigidity is increase.
* Good streamline
* Capable to carry tension and compression. -
Truss structures on early aircrafts.
Truss structure and its variants were used to early aircrafts. It was because it offered a high-resistance, easy to do and made more resistant to the wood. -
A defined structure
In the beginning of this century, aircraft structures were unstressed kind and frame structures. -
First rudimentary successful flight
Wright Brothers design the first aircraft capable to do a successful flight in history, however, materials used in their aircraft structure are considered very old. For example, they used spruce and ash wood, cotton muslim or waxed twine. -
First aircraft made totally of metal
Using a truss structures, Hugo Junkers was an industrial designer to build succesfully an aircraft made of metal. This marked the metal as the most common material used in aircrafts in the rest of the century. -
First aircraft with monocoque.
Eugene Ruchonnet, a Swiss marine enginee, was the pioneer in monocoque fuselage, his aircraft nicknamed "The Cigare." made from wood. In this method, the exterior surface of the fuselage is also the primary structure. -
Laminated wooden fuselages
Manufacturers started to build planes with laminated wooden fuselages, making better and stronger against load factors. These type of aircraft structures were widely used in WWI airplanes. -
World War I
Aircrafts had new structures because of war. Requirements were higher speed, higher altitude and greater maneuverability. -
National Advisory Committe for Aeronautics.
With this organization, aircraft structures and designs were better and with mathematical and physical foundations, instead of try and failure. Researchs from this organization were so important. -
First all metal monocoque aircraft
Claudius Dornier made multiples efforts to build a metal monocoque. After his fails, he got success and the Dornier-Zepellin D.I was built in a massive production. -
Aircrafts with truss structure faded away
With monocoque and semi-monocoque aparition´s, truss structure was left because it doesn´t have so benefits as monocoque and semi-monocoque. -
First fuselage with passengers.
With metal as principal material in aircrafts, these started to support more forces in their structure. First flights with passengers and more cargo were scheduled. -
New designs
With metal as principal materials in aircrafts, monoplanes and corrugates skin were introduced and used for many purpose. These type of aircrafts were the most important until WW II. -
Geodetic fuselage
Geodetic design was creared by Barnes Willis. This design use space frame formed from a spirally crossing basket-weave of load-bearing members. By geodesic curves form two helice at right angles to one another, members became mutually supporting making to the torsional load be canceled on each one.It´s considereded stronger and safe than other fuselages. -
Wood became obsolet
After successful attempts to create aircrafts made totally of metal, wood disappeared from aircraft structure. -
Aluminium fuselages
After many researchs about materials, aluminium became in the predilect material for aircradt because it makes a better stressed skin and it works as method of reduction coefficients. The most important examples is Messerschmitt Bf.109. -
Larger semi-monocoque aircrafts
Larger semimonocoque fuselages were made with stress-skin wing designs. Semimonocoque is very useful in aluminum fuselage, . First, a series of frames in the shape of the fuselage cross sections are placed on a rigid fixture. Then frames are joined with lightweight longitudinal elements called stringers. These are in turn covered with a skin of sheet aluminum, attached by riveting or by bonding with special adhesives. Also, this structure is widely used for modern aircrafts. -
Modern fiberglass
Even when glass was made into fibers in ancient times, modern form was created accidentally by Dale Kleist. He was trying to create a vacuum-tight seal between two glass blocks then a jet of high-pressure air turned a stream of molten glass into fine fibers and this was the begin to perfect his method, However, fiberglass will not be used inmediately. -
High speed aircrafts and new materials.
After many attempts to make high-speed aviation, american researchers designed aircrafts as Bell X-1. first airplane to beat speed of sound. High speed need extreme strength and thermal resistance, which means new materials.. For example, materials like titanium-aluminum alloys, silicon carbide ceramic coatin or carbon composites were developed. These materials worked to mitigate and reduce fatigue, wear and effects of heating. -
Largest aircraft with duramold
Even Hughes flying boat was a project failed, this aircraft was the largest aircraft using duramold, a composite material that is lightweight and 80% stronger than aliminum. -
Technology war
When a war happens, governments make big investments to create better and new technology. In World War II, aircrats got many improvements as sweptback wings and their structure was gotten better to thick stressed kin and thin-wall beam structure. -
New characteristics, new problems
After researchers developed aircraft capable to reach high speeds with triangular wings. Some of these problems are fatigue, vibration, aeroelasticity problems and avoid high temperatures. -
More composite materials in aircrafts.
Although composite materials have already been used in aircrafts and other apllications, it was until 60s decade when manufacturers were really interested on making stronger, safer, fuel-efficient and lighter aircraft. -
A basic structure for passenger aircrafts
By the 60s, many designs were stablished to diferrent purpose, but the most notable is the structure for passenger aircrafts. Boeing 737 has became a basis model for comercial aircraft and until now, that design has worked as a basis. -
Winglets in aircraft structures.
An aircraft structure has many components to improve efficiency and reduce drag. Dr. Richard Whitcomb recovered this idead from old autors when the price of aviation fuel started spiraling upward -
Boeing 787
This aircraft is one of the most important results for a long and big development in structure as materials on aircraft. It´s one of the most beatiful designs in aeronautic engineer. Most structures is made from composite materials.