The Design of Compression Structures for Minimum Weight

Abstract

The primary structure of an aeroplane usually consists basically of a set of tubular beams. The main structural box of the wing or tailplane is a well-known example: a semi-monocoque fuselage is another. For any given loading condition of the aircraft the material in the tube is stressed mainly in tension, in shear, or in compression, depending on its location in the tube cross section.The aim of the designer is to make the material fulfil these three functions in the most economical manner. In tension, he is limited only by the quality of material available. In shear, this is again substantially the case, although it is well known that very light shear webs over great depths do not develop as high an effective failing stress as do more sturdy webs. This property of dependence on theintensity of loadingis much more marked in the case of the compression structure, which is liable to instability in various ways.