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  1. A

    Will wood replace aluminium in aviation soon ?

    That Paralam stuff is probably not the way to go, like you said. No, I'm talking more a fibreglass/carbon skin, balsa core, then fibreglass/carbon again. Or if you you wish a more Mosquito-esque construction - fibreglass/plywood/balsa core/plywood/fibreglass. Here's a carbon/bals sandwich...
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    Will wood replace aluminium in aviation soon ?

    But specific strength is much higher. So you can use less material making a lighter structure.
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    Pressurization=> structural big window?

    I own a pressurised Piper Aerostar. Often up high at her 25K ceiling, unless you keep above a certain manifold pressure (normally 65% or up), she will lose her pressurisation. Just not enough bleed air from the turbos to sustain the cabin altitude when you throttle back. The system is a 4.25psi...
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    Will wood replace aluminium in aviation soon ?

    Sorry to dredge up old thread, but just found it. It's probably been 4 years since I was here on this forum the last time, but a renewed interest in the subject brought me back. I think we think of wood construction in far to classical ways, as in wood and fabric. It's all an attitude...
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    Homemade rotor

    I've included a cross section picture of the wooden Bell 47 blades, for those who might find it interesting. Also worth noticing is that wooden Bell 47 blades are on condition and don't have TBO's like metal blades (as wood doesn't fatigue). Many old school Bell 47 pilots also preferred flying...
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    Wood rupture - the figures seem strange.

    Hi. Sorry to bring up this old thread, but after extensive searching on the net until I'm now blue in the face, I need a pointer. Where can I find simple to understand formulas for load bearing in beams etc (doesn't have to be wood specifically). I know my load (force), I know the distance...
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    51% rule...

    I'm not trying to reinvent he wheel - yet that's what I want to do. All the LSA's follow a boring formula and they all look the same. I want to build an electrical plane. It's the future, that's for sure. But in order to capitalize on the huge developments done from the big RC planes (like...
  8. A

    51% rule...

    But the LSA rules only permit one engine - mine has two. There must be a legal way to manufacture a plane that's NOT certified and sell it, no?
  9. A

    51% rule...

    Thanks. No, the reason I'm asking is because I was wondering if it was possible to start a "kitplane" manufacturing business, but without it being a kit - it's fully made and you get the keys and fly it off as an experimental aircraft. BTW, the manufacturing would not be done in the US. Also -...
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    51% rule...

    What exactly does it mean? Let's say as a manufacturer that I want to build an aircraft close to complete. I can either sell it as a kit and let the buyer do 51% of the work. But let's say for various reasons that I didn't want to do that - could I build the plane, register it to the...
  11. A

    cedar strip

    It was the Specific Strength figures I was quoting, sorry. According to my figures birch is 1.7 times stronger than 6061 Alu in Specific Strength. 6061 is 3.9 times heavier than birch, but only 2.3 times as strong. Also, the FAA certification process requires a 2x safety structural factor in...
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    cedar strip

    Interesting topic which I myself have researched. The cedar strip method (fiberglass reinforced) not only produces very stiff canoes, it is also extremely light. The reason you don't see cedar strip canoes in whitewater much is that they have pretty bad impact resistance - that's their only...
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    Rotor blades

    Well normally a 2-blade rotor has to be made with longer blades to sustain the ship (less solidity and wider chord), which means the tips get closer to transsonic speed. This normally creates more noise. Also, the 2-blade frequency is very distinct and can be perceived as more noisy - flap...
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    Rotor blades

    I'm more knowledgeable in helicopter dynamics, but there it makes a world of difference. I would assume the same goes for unpowered rotors. A two blade rotor is easier to construct and the blade forces cancel each other out. It will however not fly as well as a multiple blade system. It will...
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    Wood rupture - the figures seem strange.

    My plan was to have a wood core and a carbon fibre shell on top of it. Alu blades are always and option of course, but the elasticity of wood would probably be better suited for this rigid blade.
  16. A

    Wood rupture - the figures seem strange.

    Actually, I've now looked it up a bit and this is what I've found. Tensile strength figures of wood Parallel to the grain are hard to come by, but the figure of Modulus of Rupture can be used as a slightly more conservative substitute, according to this online publication (chapter 4)...
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    Wood rupture - the figures seem strange.

    Thanks. Still a bit confused by the bh3/12 formula - could you elaborate? Is there a site or a book I could buy that goes into these things and explains how to calculate stresses on a spar or framework? I've got the Wood book by Poberezny and the Simplified Aircraft Design, but none of...
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    Wood rupture - the figures seem strange.

    Hi. I'm all new to this, but in my efforts to get my head around certain structures for my design, I need your help. I have access to Birch on my own land, but this could apply to any wood. Here is a list of structural properties for various woods...
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    So i want to design and build a helicopter...

    Couple of things: 1. You should consider increasing the diameter of your tailrotor so as to minimize the risk of LTE (Loss of Tail rotor Effectiveness). This is a potentially deadly flaw of many helicopters, such as the B206 Jetranger and the R22. 2. Your main rotor is going to hit your tail...
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    Pressurized Fuselage design

    I know that Bombardier pressure tested their new Learjet 60XR to 36psi for the certification, which was 3 times more than the aircraft will ever encounter at 12psi maximum. I guess you need it if you plan on reaching 51.000ft like it's certified for...
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