Good morning all,
As I continue to perform the calculations on my aircraft wing design, I'm finding that it's possible that the spar caps of this rather large wing will exceed the available stock material length for 2024-T3/T4. Typically this material comes in 12-foot lengths, from what I've been able to gather from the usual suspects, whether you purchase it in bar stock or sheer it from sheet material.
Are there acceptable methods for splicing spar cap strips that won't jeopardize the structure? Or would I be better off finding a source for a custom extrusion for the caps? Chapter 4 of AC-43.13 shows some examples of repairing some structural members that I thought might provide some guidance, but not this particular case.
As a point of reference, consider the Bearhawk spar where the caps are double-layered 1-1/4" x 1/8" thick 2024 stock on each side of the .032" web, and the layer thickness reduces as you go from root to tip.
I'm sure this will raise additional questions, of course. I appreciate your thoughts!
Best regards,
Chris
As I continue to perform the calculations on my aircraft wing design, I'm finding that it's possible that the spar caps of this rather large wing will exceed the available stock material length for 2024-T3/T4. Typically this material comes in 12-foot lengths, from what I've been able to gather from the usual suspects, whether you purchase it in bar stock or sheer it from sheet material.
Are there acceptable methods for splicing spar cap strips that won't jeopardize the structure? Or would I be better off finding a source for a custom extrusion for the caps? Chapter 4 of AC-43.13 shows some examples of repairing some structural members that I thought might provide some guidance, but not this particular case.
As a point of reference, consider the Bearhawk spar where the caps are double-layered 1-1/4" x 1/8" thick 2024 stock on each side of the .032" web, and the layer thickness reduces as you go from root to tip.
I'm sure this will raise additional questions, of course. I appreciate your thoughts!
Best regards,
Chris
