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66
MODULE 11a
AIRFRAME STRUCTURES
GENERAL CONCEPTS
INTRODUCTION
An aircraft
aircraftss struc
structure
ture is designed
designed to withsta
withstand
nd flight
flight forces
forces whil
whilst
st
remaining aerodynamically efficient. The forces are:
Lift
Drag
Weight
Thrust
Lift
Drag
Weight
Thrust
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
PRIMARY STRUCTURE
This
This can
can be desc
descri
ribe
bedd as any
any par
partt of the
the
aircraft structure, which upon failure, will
cause the catastrophic loss of control of the
aircraft, or inhibit the operation of essential
services/equipment.
Frames
Main spars
Eng
Engine
ine mountunt poi
point
ntss
SECONDARY STRUCTURE
This
This can
can be
be desc
descri
ribe
bed
d as sec
secti
tion
onss of the
the
structure which have a considerable amount
of strength above the design specifications
of the aircraft.
Stringers
Fuselage sk
skin
Wing ribs
TERTIARY STRUCTURE
stringer
Skin
cleat
cleat
The fail-safe concept is not restricted to structural
components.
If we look at a passenger cabin window, you will
note that it has to withstand the pressurisation of
the fuselage.
In the next slide you should note that both the
inner and outer pane are more than capable of
taking these loads.
It is therefore logical to assume that if one fails,
the other is more than capable of withstanding the
load, hence this may be assumed as Fail-Safe.
ZONAL AND STATION
IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS
LOCATION NUMBERING SYSTEM
(STATION NUMBERS) FUSELAGE
STATIONS
B = bottom
Z = internal
± External drains
± Internal drains
EXTERNAL DRAINS
Exterior drains are located on exterior
surfaces of the fuselage, wing and
empennage to dump fluid overboard.
In non-pressurised areas the drain ports are
always open, but in pressurised areas, air
leakage has to be considered.
There are three main types of drain valve
used for this purpose
Two of the types mentioned rely upon
pressurised air within the cabin to keep the
valves closed.
Both are open when the aircraft is stationary
on the ground, allowing fluids to drain
overboard.
During flight the valves close, thus
preventing any air losses from the cabin
area.
One of the above valves uses a rubber seal, while
the other uses a spring seal.
You should also note the use of a levelling
compound, normally a rubberised sealant which fills
the cavity and brings the level up to the drain hole
to ensure all fluids drain out.
This type of valve uses
cabin pressure air to
close off the drain path
by moving the plunger
down to seal the drain.
When cabin pressure
falls, the spring assists
the valve to open and
drain any fluid to
atmosphere.
To enable external drains to function
correctly, some means must be provided
within the airframe structure to ensure that
all fluids are directed towards the external
drain points, this is achieved by using
internal paths and drain holes.
Other
Other methods
ethods of draini
draining
ng are shown
shown in the
next slide where drain tubes remove the
fluid from the pressure cabin and direct
them through tubes in the wing to the
t he body
fairing and dump the fluids overboard.
LIGHTENING STRIKES
Lighte
Lightenin
ning
g is the discha
discharge
rge of electri
electricit
city
y
between highly charged cloud formations or
the cloud formation and the ground.
If an airc
aircra
raft
ft wer
weree to be
be stru
struck
ck by
by eith
either
er
type of lightening, it would result in very
high voltages being passed through the
structure.
All separate parts of the structure are
electrically bonded together to direct the
lightening strike away from sensitive parts
of the airframe such as fuel tanks or flying
controls.