In the past, Zenith used sheet metal (the top wing skin) as the aileron hinge on some aircraft (available on the 601?). Chris Heinz claimed it saved weight, reduced construction time, resulted in an aerodynamically cleaner wing and that it worked well. Still, potential customers worried about metal fatigue (Zenith looked at it--"no problem"), friction/control input effort, (especially if the wing isn't perfectly flat), etc. Some builders reported a heavy control feel. As a result, it wasn't very popular and most of these planes were built with regular hinges.
So, has this been tried using composite fabric or film instead of aluminum sheet? There would seem to be options with better fatigue resistance and far lower resistance to bending than we get with aluminum. If fabric is used, a very flexible matrix could be used at the hinge line (a strip maybe 3/8” wide) and generous bonding surface attached to the wing and aileron (or rudder/v-stab, elevator/h-stab).
Advantages: Light, inexpensive, seals the gap (like a piano hinge), no lube.
Disadvantages: Not easily removed, not easily inspected for wear, would need to be designed to avoid peeling loads at bond, compared to a hinge (or Zenith sheet AL hinge) would permit more non-hinging motion of the control surface (racking, etc).
So, has this been tried using composite fabric or film instead of aluminum sheet? There would seem to be options with better fatigue resistance and far lower resistance to bending than we get with aluminum. If fabric is used, a very flexible matrix could be used at the hinge line (a strip maybe 3/8” wide) and generous bonding surface attached to the wing and aileron (or rudder/v-stab, elevator/h-stab).
Advantages: Light, inexpensive, seals the gap (like a piano hinge), no lube.
Disadvantages: Not easily removed, not easily inspected for wear, would need to be designed to avoid peeling loads at bond, compared to a hinge (or Zenith sheet AL hinge) would permit more non-hinging motion of the control surface (racking, etc).
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