PROBLEM & ITS SETTING/BACKGROUND

Structural design is very important to aircraft safety, and plays a key role in an
aircrafts cost and performance. It is important to know this, because first, through having
more knowledge about this, we can further understand the WHATs, the HOWs, and
the WHYs of the plane. And second, through knowing and understanding, we can
eliminate and cross out the WHAT Ifs and possibly predict future outcomes in relation
to the aircrafts performance.
When designing an aircraft, it is important to take in to consideration the materials
used and its compatibility to the design itself. It is all about finding the weight and
payload. It needs to be strong and stiff enough to withstand enough to withstand certain
pressures and speeds. Durability is an important factor. Also, if a part fails, it doesnt
necessarily result in failure of the whole aircraft.
The aircraft structure focuses not only on strength, stiffness, durability (fatigue),
fracture toughness, stability, but also on fail-safety, corrosion resistance, maintainability
and ease of manufacturing. The structure must be able to withstand the stresses caused by
cabin pressurization, if fitted, turbulence and engine or rotor vibrations.
In this research, we aim to be able to understand the appropriate material selection
in the design and construction of aircraft structure in relation to aircraft flight
performance.

INTODUCTION

When designing an aircraft, its all about finding the optimal proportion of the
weight of the vehicle and payload. It needs to be strong and stiff enough to withstand the

exceptional circumstances in which it has to operate. Durability is an important factor.

Also, if a part fails, it doesnt necessarily result in failure of the whole aircraft.

The main sections of an aircraft, the fuselage, tail and wing, determine its external shape.
The loadbearing members of these main sections, those subjected to major forces, are called
the airframe.

The airframe is what remains if all equipment and systems are stripped away. Old
aircrafts had skin made from impregnated linen that could hardly transmit any force at all. In
most modern aircrafts, the skin plays an important role in carrying loads. Sheet metals can
usually only
Support tension. But if the sheet is folded, it suddenly does have the ability to carry compressive
loads. Stiffeners are used for that. A section of skin, combined with stiffeners, called stringers, is
termed a thin-walled structure.

A very good way of using sheet metal skin is in a thin-walled cylinder, called
a monocoque structure. A cylinder with holes, for doors and such, is called a semimonocoque structure.

An extruded stiffener is manufactured by squeezing hot, viscous material through an

opening of a certain shape. It can usually be recognized by the fact that the thickness is not
consistent, especially in the corners. This is relatively expensive, compared to stiffeners made
from sheet metal. From sheet metal it is not possible to make complicated stiffeners. Thin sheet
metal can be rolled or drawn.

Usually stiffeners are attached to the skin. In an integral structure, the skin and stiffeners
have been manufactured from one solid block of material. It is also possible to make some kind
of a sandwich structure, in which the skin has a high stiffness due to its spatial structure.

All of these are important factors in designing an aircraft, from the materials used, to the
different parts and even the structural design of an aircraft. Every integral part must not be
neglected nor left to chance.

RATIONALE

It is important for our study to be conducted because it is essential for us to be

aware and educated about how each aspect of an aircrafts structure affects the flight
performance. By knowing this, we could make improvements on certain parts for
practicalitys sake or make optimization for better performance results. We could also use
this knowledge to learn from our mistakes and make improvement on structural flaws to

avoid future accidents and mishaps. Since foreseeing the future is practically close to
impossible, we need not to take such things by chance. Accidents are inevitable and
cannot be completely controlled nor eradicated. All we can do is to accept the fact and
reality that accidents are just around the corner waiting to happen and to be proactive
about it. We might not be able to control the date and time an accident occurs, but what
we can do is to control the outcome and the magnitude of its effects.
With our study, we can make an appraisal on the aircrafts structure, and have a
clearer understanding and perspective on which part does what, which contributes to a
certain performance, and just to be able better understand the anatomy of a plane and
what makes it work.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
The Effect Of Aircraft Size On Performance
BY: Aircraft Aerodynamics and Design Group
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Stanford University, Stanford, California
1994 by Ilan Kroo.

A very simple study of the effect of aircraft size on performance and cost illustrates some
interesting results. It has been suggested that the square-cube law may limit the feasible size of
aircraft, and that proposed 600-800 passenger aircraft may be approaching this limit. The current
results suggest that while a variety of practical issues may indeed limit the size of aircraft, basic
structural weight and aerodynamic performance considerations permit aircraft of much larger
dimensions.

There is, of course, reason to suppose that the square-cube law will at some point limit
the feasible size of aircraft. However, the wing and fuselage structural weight remain a small part
of the total aircraft weight. Evaluation of the importance of this effect requires a quantitative
evaluation and this is what is presented here in a simple form.

Aircraft Design
BY: Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment (Massachusetts Institute of
Technology)

Aircraft design is an essential element in the effort to reduce aviations environmental

impact. Researchers, designers, and manufacturers are advancing aerodynamics, structures and
materials, control systems and propulsion in order to make planes cleaner, quieter, and more
efficient. In the last 50 years, these advancements have been successfully
achieved predominantly by evolutionary improvements in aircraft designs, but there are also
solutions around which would radically change aircraft configurations

Integrated Aircraft Design

BY: Dipl.-Ing. Bjrn Nagel
Head of Department
German Aerospace Center
Air Transportation Systems, Integrated Aircraft Design
Hamburg

 The performance of aircraft is not equivalent to flight performance only but to the aircrafts
impact on the efficiency of the entire transportation chain. Thus; the simulation of the
transportation system constitutes the necessary basis for the derivation of technical
requirements and targets for the design of novel aircraft. The selection and weighting of the
different economic and ecologic targets depends on the particular future scenario
considered.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

INPUT

OUTPUT

PROCESS

An Appraisal on the aircraft

structure in terms of:

Aircraft Design

Strength and
Durability of the parts

Quality and
effectiveness of
materials used

High- grade materials

By means of researching.

Aircraft Specially
Designed for better
performance

Interviewing key persons

like Aircraft Mechanics

Parts that are enhanced

for practicality and
convenience

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Is it significant to assess the aircrafts structure in relation to aircraft performance? NULL
It is significant to assess the aircrafts structure in relation to aircraft performance.- VOID
Can essential parts of an aircraft be optimized for practicality, durability/resilience and for
economical purposes?- NULL
Essential parts of an aircraft can be optimized for practicality, durability/resilience and for
economical purposes. VOID

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The primordial purpose of this study is to provide the students with a complete and
balanced education about aircraft structure relating to performance itself. Thus, the results
of this study will benefit the students, the teachers and the school administrators. This
study is significant because it will provide the indispensable facts about the existing
behaviors of an aircraft.

Furthermore, this study will serve as a theoretical model for future studies of the same
nature if ever the existing problem has penetrated in this case will exist in the future.
Future researchers will benefit from this study, and it will provide them the facts needed
to compare their study during their respective time and usability.

SCOPE & LIMITATION

The scope of this study are the different parts, structures, materials used and design of
training aircrafts mainly Cessna 152, Cessna 172, & Piper Seneca planes.

The limitation of our study is only limited to the training planes used in WCC
Aeronautical & Technological College.

DEFENITION OF TERMS
Aerofoil
a curved part on an aircrafts wing that helps it to rise in the air. The American word is airfoil.
Aileron
a part on the back edge of an aircrafts wing that is used in making one side of the aircraft move h
igher than the other.
Altimeter
a piece of equipment in an aircraft that tells you the height of the aircraft above sea level .
Avionics
electronic equipment used in planes, or the practice of designing such equipment.
Cabin
the part of a plane where the passengers sit.
Cockpit
the part of a plane where the pilot sits..

Controls
the instruments used for operating a large vehicle, especially an aircraft.
Cowling
a metal cover for the engine of an aircraft.
Flap
a part of the wing of a plane that moves up and down to help to control the plane.
Fuselage
the main part of an aircraft that the wings are fixed to.
Joystick
an upright handle that a pilot uses to control the direction of a plane.
Landing gear
the equipment and wheels that a plane uses when it lands.
Propeller
a piece of equipment with blades that spin, used for moving a ship or aircraft.
Rudder
a flat piece of wood or other material at the back of a boat or plane that is moved to change the di
rection of travel.
Wing
one of the long flat parts on both sides of a plane that allow it to fly.

CHAPTER 1: RESEARCH

A STUDY ON:

THE APPRAISAL OF AN

AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE

&

ITS RELATION TO PERFORMANCE

By: TAMPOA, Van Leroy T.

ESCOSA, Israelito A.