Airliner Cross Section

[gambit]

Just in case you want to know what little separate you from -45 C temperature at 35,000 ft cruising altitude, in other words, pretty much certain death.

 

[WAJsal]

always good to learn some thing new tnks, i think its still too thin

 

[gambit]

It is not 'too thin'. It is just enough to maintain structural integrity and life support. In aviation, weight is a penalty, whether it is the engine, a passenger, or a food tray.

 

[WAJsal]

It is not 'too thin'. It is just enough to maintain structural integrity and life support. In aviation, weight is a penalty, whether it is the engine, a passenger, or a food tray.

scary though

 

[ApparentRaceTraitor]

I thought the wing is always a single continuous unit??

 

[Donatello]

always good to learn some thing new tnks, i think its still too thin

It's thin for light-weight purpose, but incredibly strong for the same purpose. The circular cross-section of an aircraft is more like an Arch. It helps distribute outside and inside forces equally on the body, so there are no weak points, except where the wings are attached, which is pretty strong. The light Aluminium allows it to be flexible with a near infinite (yes i know it is not really infinite) life time, that is the structure expands inside out due to high cabin pressure at cruising altitude. It then goes back to normal shape while on ground. This stretching and relaxing is easily supported by the Aluminum frame which can repeatedly take such stresses. Steels gets permanently deformed after some time. So that is another reason why it is thin. The structure needs to be flexible to cope with expansion under pressure and thin enough to contract back to original dimensions when at normal pressure.

I thought the wing is always a single continuous unit??

No. It is build in separate sections and then joined together by rivets/super glue. (yes, super glue!)

 

[ApparentRaceTraitor]

No. It is build in separate sections and then joined together by rivets/super glue. (yes, super glue!)

yikes....even more for me to freak out about during turbulence....

 

[Donatello]

yikes....even more for me to freak out about during turbulence....

No, there have been no instances of wings on an airliner failing in modern times. They are actually the strongest part and are tested to 150% of their expected full load under severe turbulence.

 

[WAJsal]

No, there have been no instances of wings on an airliner failing in modern times. They are actually the strongest part and are tested to 150% of their expected full load under severe turbulence.

is it the same case with PIA?

 

[Donatello]

is it the same case with PIA?

It is not the job of airline but the aircraft manufacturer to test.

 

[WAJsal]

It is not the job of airline but the aircraft manufacturer to test.

was just a joke

 

[Bilal9]

It's thin for light-weight purpose, but incredibly strong for the same purpose. The circular cross-section of an aircraft is more like an Arch. It helps distribute outside and inside forces equally on the body, so there are no weak points, except where the wings are attached, which is pretty strong. The light Aluminium allows it to be flexible with a near infinite (yes i know it is not really infinite) life time, that is the structure expands inside out due to high cabin pressure at cruising altitude. It then goes back to normal shape while on ground. This stretching and relaxing is easily supported by the Aluminum frame which can repeatedly take such stresses. Steels gets permanently deformed after some time. So that is another reason why it is thin. The structure needs to be flexible to cope with expansion under pressure and thin enough to contract back to original dimensions when at normal pressure.



No. It is build in separate sections and then joined together by rivets/super glue. (yes, super glue!)

Bhai are you sure it is Cyano-Acrylate glue?I always thought it was some sort of epoxy resin....

 

[Donatello]

Bhai are you sure it is Cyano-Acrylate glue?I always thought it was some sort of epoxy resin....

It's different for different parts. But i think in the wings they primarily use epoxy based adhesive.

 

[Bilal9]

It's different for different parts. But i think in the wings they primarily use epoxy based adhesive.

In the more recently designed airplane wings - such as that for Airbus 380, Airbus 320 Neo, Airbus 350 XWB, Boeing 747-8, Boeing 787, Boeing 737 Max, the non-load-bearing sections of the wings (upper skin) is made entirely of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Resin Plastic sheets. These sheets are affixed to the Aluminum Alloy SPARs, RIBs and STRINGERs. An ultralight wing is shown below with a CFRP Frontal, mid and rear stringer tubes (black) epoxy resin-glued to RIBs made from aluminum alloy sheets and tubes (yellow). The epoxy resin is the dark gray colored goop.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

Just in case you want to know what little separate you from -45 C temperature at 35,000 ft cruising altitude, in other words, pretty much certain death.

View attachment 131919

I take solace in knowing that a circle/sphere is a very resistant shape to crush damage and punctures. still that is quite a harrowing picture and shows just how much faith we put in the engineers and manufacturers of these systems. On a slightly related note, i feel bad for the people stuck in the window seats. The overhead clearance looks tiny in the picture.