Riveted aluminum aircraft style tears?

[G-force]

Anybody ever seen or built a tear in the style of an aircraft? I have experience building all aluminum experemental aircraft, the structures are light and stiff. For example a 100 pound wing can support over 3000 pounds, yet it weighs about the same as a sheet of 4x10 3/4 plywood. I imagine a tear body could be constructed very light and ridged. Here is an example of a horizontal stab, I imagine the walls and roof built with similar construction with formed ribs and spars.

Mike

[toypusher]

Mike,

If you build with AL on both the outside and the inside, you might have some pretty serious condensation on the inside when temps are a bit different inside and out. This is just a guess, I can not say that for sure, but it would be something to think about. I have AL over wood exterior with wood interior and there is AL trim around the doors that always has condensation on it if the temps a cooler than the inside of the tear. Metal conducts the cold very, very well.

[angib]

We've got some owners here, so do the Cub/Modernaire/Modernistic have steel or aluminium framing to the body?



It certainly had just a single aluminium skin, with pretty minimal framing. You could build lighter/thinner, but then you hit durability problems from the thin skin, and the Cub was hardly heavy.

Andrew

[WebFoot]

I spy'd one build like you suggested on TV the other day..it look awesome!
Dull Brushed aluminum finish with the rows of rivets & spoke wire wheels gave it a real WWII look!
Webfoot

[robert johnson]

Hi Mike, I'm an A&P. I was gunna build my stand-up trailer with aircraft type construction, but I decided to use a wood frame covered with aircraft aluminum .025 7075 T6. It would have been a lot of shrinking aluminum angle to the teardrop shape etc etc, and two people to rivet it together. (I don't like blind rivets) I did some hard riveting on the door, but it would be fun to do on the next one that way.


......Bob

[G-force]

I knew there had to be an A&P/AI around here I've been thinking about design all day, and really, I'm not sure one could build it with flat sides like a traditional tear. The strength in the skins comes when they are curved. So if the sides bowed out a bit (perhaps an inch or two, not drastic), you run into a difficult transition in the corners. I'll have to think about this a while, perhaps build a few scale walls out of some alclad scraps I have around. Toypusher: I haven't thought about the interior much yet, indeed an all aluminum interior would be COLD! I'm thinking more of a frame and stressed skin construction for the body, as nearly all airplanes are made. The insides could be insulated with the fluffy pink house insulation (the walls will be 2-4 inches thick) and some sort of panneling (not necessarly wood, perhaps vaccume bagged fiberglass cloth over a 1/4" foam core) with upholstry on it.

Mike

[WebFoot]

Bob..your in Puyallup?,
Im just off Canyon Rd, south hill...nice to know Im not alone on this side of the tracks..lol
Webfoot

[Miriam C.]

Well if you want a TD with curved sides then you might look at Del's. It is quite light and beautifully constructed from plywood.
http://del-jellybean.blogspot.com/

[robert johnson]

Mike I would build it flat sided and use like 2" C chanel for the vertical posts then you can attach what ever you want on the inside with insulation in between. I think Spartin trailers from the 40's were all aluminum construction there are some pics on line of restorations so you can see the framework.

Webfoot , yup right here in down town Puyallup.



....Bob

[robert johnson]

[angib]

The great advantage of an aluminium skinned body is the ability to knuckle/flange the seams. So how about a miniature version of the Bowlus:





Of course, finding a half-scale Tatra to tow it with is gonna be a problem, but it seems likely that Porsche 'borrowed' Tatra ideas to make the original Beetle/Bug design, so a Bug would be appropriate!

Andrew

[halfdome, Danny]

Bob..your in Puyallup?,
Im just off Canyon Rd, south hill...nice to know Im not alone on this side of the tracks..lol
Webfoot

I'm in the Fredrickson area. Danny

[cuyeda]

Here is an example you may be looking for.

Click for thread

[Jiminsav]

I'm a A&P also, but doing it all in aluminum would be cost prohibitive unless you can get some on a five finger discount.

[Gage]

The great advantage of an aluminium skinned body is the ability to knuckle/flange the seams. So how about a miniature version of the Bowlus:


Of course, finding a half-scale Tatra to tow it with is gonna be a problem, but it seems likely that Porsche 'borrowed' Tatra ideas to make the original Beetle/Bug design, so a Bug would be appropriate!
Andrew

Someone say miniature?