Aerowerx
Well-Known Member
Am I correct in this? A spar with an I-beam cross section can be built lighter than an equivalent (handles same forces) box spar?
I know that one problem with a box spar is inspecting inside it. Another problem, I think, would be moisture collecting inside the spar, Even with the inside varnished, which adds weight, I think the moisture would eventually cause a problem.
Ok, then. If you have a design that uses a box spar, what steps would you go through to use an I-beam spar instead? I would think the first thing would be to reverse engineer the box spar to see what forces it could handle. Then work forward again to find the equivalent I-beam spar.
I know that one problem with a box spar is inspecting inside it. Another problem, I think, would be moisture collecting inside the spar, Even with the inside varnished, which adds weight, I think the moisture would eventually cause a problem.
Ok, then. If you have a design that uses a box spar, what steps would you go through to use an I-beam spar instead? I would think the first thing would be to reverse engineer the box spar to see what forces it could handle. Then work forward again to find the equivalent I-beam spar.