AE31009 Aerospace Structural

Analysis
Instructor: Mira Mitra
E-mail: mira@[Link]

Some of the figures & tables in the slides are taken

from
1. Aerospace Structures- D. J. Perry
2. Aerospace Structures- T. A. Weisshaar
Motivation
The objective of the course
is to learn the principles of solid
& structural mechanics that can
be used to design and analyze
aerospace structures.
 End Product

The F-14A structural arrangement with embedded systems

The Boeing 767 has 3.1 million interconnected parts with 85
miles of wiring; these parts are supplied to Boeing by 1300
vendors.
 Design Requirement
• loads definition
• how the structures will be shaped
• a description of the environment where the
structure will operate
• description of the interfaces between the
equipment and the structure, such as
placement of access door
 What makes aerospace structures
different from other structures?
• light weight, weight is an overriding
concern
• experience wide variety of load, inertia &
vibratory load during take-off and in-flight
maneuvering
• operates in extreme environment, wide
range of temperature
 Background
Octave Chanute (1832-1910)
Truss construction, fabricated
from simple ‘two-force’
member that can be easily
replaced when damaged, create
a stiff, light weight structure.
Covering the truss structure
with canvas or linen created an
Flown at the Indiana Dunes in 1896, the aerodynamic surface that could
Chanute-Herring biplane glider with Pratt truss fly relatively well, however bi-
construction set the stage for the Wright
Brothers.
plane design created high drag
 Wright Brothers 1903

“Our invention relates to that class of flying- 1903 Flyer airframe weighed 405 lb. –
machines in which the weight is sustained by the the engine weighed about 200 lb.
reactions resulting when one or more aeroplanes complete with radiator, water, fuel and
are moved through the air edgewise at a small accessories.
angle of incidence, either by the application of
mechanical power or by the utilization of the
force of gravity.” Wright Brothers Patent
Application, March 1903.
 Wright Brothers 1903
The Wright Brothers understood structures so well that they arranged the
fabric cover for their wings so that the weave was oriented plus or minus
45 degrees with respect to the spars.

Their patent stated “These spars, bows, and ribs are preferably constructed of
wood having the necessary strength, combined with lightness and flexibility.
Upon this framework the cloth which forms the supporting surface of the
aeroplane is secured, the frame being enclosed in the cloth. The cloth for each
aeroplane previous to its attachment to its frame is cut on the bias and made up
into a single piece approximately the size and shape of the aeroplane, having
the threads of the fabric arranged diagonally to the transverse spars and
longitudinal ribs .... Thus the diagonal threads of the cloth form truss systems
with the spars and ribs, the threads constituting the diagonal members.”
 Louis Bleriot 1909

Prime advocate for monoplane design, these monoplanes had

external wire supports attached to the wing and ending in a central
post above the fuselage and the landing gear below.

1909 Bleriot flew his

Bleriot XI across the
English Channel from
France at a speed of
about 60 mph.
 Monocoque Structures
. • In the beginning aircraft structures were little more than cloth
covered trusses and frames
• In 1911, Louis Bechereau tried to use the airplane skin for
carrying the structural load and eliminate the heavy trusses
• He formed the fuselage out of multiple layers of wood to
create a streamlined shape. The wood layers were glued
together with the grains in different directions to strengthen
the skin
• This was called monocoque construction or single-shell
construction
• Bechereau used the monocoque fuselage, together with a
monoplane design which flew at 125 mph
 Monocoque Structures
Deperdussin’s fuselage was
made from three layers of
tulip wood reinforced with
intermediate layers of fabric,
an approach which proved to
be expensive and difficult to
fabricate without highly
skilled workmen

Deperdussin Racer design with monocoque

shell structure fuselage, 1912.
 Semi-monocoque Structures
• Later, when airplane size grew
the monocoque design was not
suitable because it buckled
• A variation of the concept, a
reinforced or semi-monocoque
structure was created to create
a light-weight durable
structure.
• This type structure is still used
today, both for fuselage
design and wing design.
 Semi-monocoque Structures
Beginning 1920’s, major
airplane structural
component (wings, fuselage)
began to use semi-monocoque
structure, thin-walled shell with
internal stiffening members

Junkers F-13 passenger airplane. First

flight was in 1919.
Hugo Junkers used combinations of metal beams interconnected by
load bearing skin. His primary interest was in using metal rather than
wood for construction of low drag monoplane with high durability

314 F-13 airplanes were produced between 1919 and 1929. F-13 were
in service with more than 60 airlines between 1919 and 1935, when
they were finally retired.
 Semi-monocoque Structures

Modern fuselage showing semi-

monocoque shell with frames
and stringer elements

Semi-monocoque wing: reinforced

shell structure construction includes
space for fuel and other essential
components
 Terminology
Wings, tails and other aerodynamic surfaces:
Spar: longitudinal beam parallel
to the wing, depth equals the
wing thickness, attached to both
& lower skin
Spar Cap: the top/bottom flange
of the spar
Spar Web: the vertical thin member
of the spar
Stringer: a longitudinal skin stiffener
parallel to the wing but, smaller than a
Semi-monocoque wing structure spar attached to either the lower
or upper skin
Rib: a member perpendicular to the
wing, spars and stringers, usually
covers the entire structural cross-section
Fuselage
Frame or ring: a transverse skin stiffener perpendicular to the fuselage

Bulkhead: a heavy frame which covers a greater portion of the cross-section

(sometimes all of it, e.g. a pressure bulkhead) than a ring

Longeron: a relatively heavy longitudinal stiffener parallel to the fuselage

Stringer: a small longitudinal skin stiffener parallel to the fuselage but smaller
than a longeron
 Semi-monocoque element functions
Skin:
o Transmit aerodynamic forces to longitudinal & transverse
supporting members
o Develop shearing stresses which equilibrate the applied torsional
moments and shear forces.
o Act with the longitudinal members in equilibrating the applied
bending loads
o When structure is pressurized, act with the longitudinals in
equilibrating axial force and with transverse members in
equilibrating hoop force
o Provide an aerodynamic surface and cover for the contents of the
vehicle
Longitudinal elements-stringers/spars/longerons

o Help to resist bending moments and axial loads

o Divide the skin into smaller panels to increase buckling stresses

o Act together with the skin in resisting axial and hoop stress
forces caused by pressurization
Transverse members (ribs, frames, bulkheads)

o Maintain the cross-sectional shape of

aerodynamic surfaces and fuselage

o Transmit concentrated loads such as

weight or thrust (from the engine or
from a landing gear) to a wing or
fuselage structure

o Redistribute stresses around structural

discontinuities, such as skin cut-outs

o Provide edge restraints for skin panels

to increase buckling stress

o Provide end seals for pressurized

fuselage