While not a composites fan, I have long been interested in schemes like Steve Rahm’s Fold-a-Plane approach to creating aircraft parts that can be shipped easily. There are benefits to such an approach other than reduced shipping costs for whole kits including the ability to more easily supply components "à la carte" for budget building or repairs. I group my thoughts on the subject over the years under the heading “UPS planes” and use their size restrictions as my guide:
96" (8' ) L x 24" (2') W x 10" H = 164" length & girth combined
48" (4') L x 48" (4') x 10" H = 164" length & girth combined
32" (2'6") L x W x H (cube) = 160" length & girth combined
There are lots of ways to approach this, but since I just finished an introductory welding course I have been thinking about how you might do this with welded steel or riveted aluminum tube/angle/gusset truss-type construction. For example, Leonard Milholland's simple Cabin Eagle ready to fly weighs under 500 lb empty, so the basic fuselage on gear can't weigh over 200 lb. An even simpler box fuselage with parasol wing on V-type cabane struts could be even lighter as Ed Fisher has shown (or his daughter is really strong!).
Welded or bolted/riveted construction could both work but it's probably better if the builder doesn't need to do any welding to complete the job, just bolt or rivet things together. I can see this working with simple overlapping tabs or sockets with bolts or rivets through them but also with pin joints that work like hinges. For example, a parallel-sided forward-fuselage could fold sideways like a cardboard box with both ends open, then the builder installs diagonal struts or cables on assembly. I can see certain design features facilitating this type of construction, like a twin-boom design using flat truss booms that are braced with diagonal cables from each tail post to the opposing boom root.
Has anyone else tried to come up with truss-type designs that were made up of smaller, more easily shipped components that were then assembled by the builder? Does anyone know of any real-life examples of this approach or have any other ideas how you might tackle it with truss-type construction?
Cheers,
Matthew
- Packages can be up to 150 lbs.
- Packages can be up to 165 inches in length and girth combined.
- Packages can be up to 108 inches in length.
96" (8' ) L x 24" (2') W x 10" H = 164" length & girth combined
48" (4') L x 48" (4') x 10" H = 164" length & girth combined
32" (2'6") L x W x H (cube) = 160" length & girth combined
There are lots of ways to approach this, but since I just finished an introductory welding course I have been thinking about how you might do this with welded steel or riveted aluminum tube/angle/gusset truss-type construction. For example, Leonard Milholland's simple Cabin Eagle ready to fly weighs under 500 lb empty, so the basic fuselage on gear can't weigh over 200 lb. An even simpler box fuselage with parasol wing on V-type cabane struts could be even lighter as Ed Fisher has shown (or his daughter is really strong!).
Welded or bolted/riveted construction could both work but it's probably better if the builder doesn't need to do any welding to complete the job, just bolt or rivet things together. I can see this working with simple overlapping tabs or sockets with bolts or rivets through them but also with pin joints that work like hinges. For example, a parallel-sided forward-fuselage could fold sideways like a cardboard box with both ends open, then the builder installs diagonal struts or cables on assembly. I can see certain design features facilitating this type of construction, like a twin-boom design using flat truss booms that are braced with diagonal cables from each tail post to the opposing boom root.
Has anyone else tried to come up with truss-type designs that were made up of smaller, more easily shipped components that were then assembled by the builder? Does anyone know of any real-life examples of this approach or have any other ideas how you might tackle it with truss-type construction?
Cheers,
Matthew
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