AIRCRAFT

CONSTRUCTION

Figure
19-9Torsion
BoxConstruction

D-Spar Construction
The front spar, which takes most of the bending load, is placed as near as
possible to the point of maximum thickness of the wing, and the skin of
the leading edge is rigidly attached to it to form a D-shaped tube, which
takes nearly all the torsional stressesof the wing.

Figure19-10D-SparConstruction

ControlSurfoce
For speedsup to 300-350kt fabric-coveredaileronsbuilt up on a spar
andribsareusuallysatisfactory. Higherspeeds demanda rigidity that can
only be obtainedby a stressed-skin coveringbuilt up in much the same
way asa D-sparwing.Additional stiffnesscanbe obtainedby employing
longitudinalfluting of the skin (ie spacedcorrugations);in this design
most of the ribs can be eliminated.

Braced Wings
This designfeatureis usedalmostexclusivelyin smallhigh wing aircraft.
The bracingstruts,running from the fuselageto a point about half-way
alongthewing, relievethe sparsof muchof their verticalload and anchor
them in tension.The designercan thereforesaveweightin the wing, but
becauseof the additional drag, this form of constructionis limited to
aircraftwith a low top speed.

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