32fordboy
Well-Known Member
Going through my sets of steel tube airplane plans, I notice the tail diagonals on the lighter planes is usually .035 x 5/8th diameter tube from the base to the tip. Many of these planes probably have far smaller loads on those tubes than the 5/8 can take.
Now, I haven't gone through the structures to see what the loads are, of course, but I also notice how some very tiny planes are entirely 5/8, the Earlybird Jenny comes to mind.
Question: when it comes to practicality, has 5/8 been used as a safe minimum? Say a 1/2 inch tube is perfectly capable of carrying the load. Do designers tend to step it up to 5/8ths because in the practical world, 1/2 is easier to damage in ground handling, etc?
Just something I noticed, putting all calculated numbers aside.
Now, I haven't gone through the structures to see what the loads are, of course, but I also notice how some very tiny planes are entirely 5/8, the Earlybird Jenny comes to mind.
Question: when it comes to practicality, has 5/8 been used as a safe minimum? Say a 1/2 inch tube is perfectly capable of carrying the load. Do designers tend to step it up to 5/8ths because in the practical world, 1/2 is easier to damage in ground handling, etc?
Just something I noticed, putting all calculated numbers aside.
