Author Topic: question for a&p/engineer types (Read 660 times)

mrfish · « **on:** July 29, 2001, 02:27:00 PM »

what is a wing stringer?

they seem to stretch from the fuselage to the ends of the wings. i can't tell if they are rigid from the diagrams. i am wondering if they are meant to help the wing be flexible but it seems like and odd construction choice. thanks.

AKHog · « **Reply #1 on:** July 29, 2001, 04:15:00 PM »

If you are talking about the lines that are attached from the spars of wings and tails to hard points on the fues then they are used to stiffen it up. They are more commenly called struts. One example is the Cessna 172, because it has a very small spar connecting the two wings together above the fues it uses these struts. In this case they are made out of alluminum.
I think the 109 e had struts on the tails. In this case they would simply be cables attached to the spar of the tails by fitings. the fitings would have threds to allow them to be pulled tight.
Many WW1 biplanes had struts all over connecting the 2 wings. This just adds huge amounts of stiffness in bending and twisting loads without the weight of just building a stronger wing.

mrfish · « **Reply #2 on:** July 29, 2001, 05:36:00 PM »

no....not struts. though they may serve a similar purpose they are internal structures.

Starbird · « **Reply #3 on:** July 29, 2001, 07:14:00 PM »

Hve a picture of what your trying to describe?

wells · « **Reply #4 on:** July 29, 2001, 07:45:00 PM »

They are like mini-spars, mostly used on fabric covered surfaces to take the load that a stressed skin would normally take and to give the fabric lots of surface to attach to, while preventing it from sagging in between ribs.

mrfish · « **Reply #5 on:** July 29, 2001, 07:47:00 PM »

good idea'r

look at the left wing. there is a main flat section of the wing where it meets the fuselage and then it appears to gain a slight dihedral about a third of the way through. the part i am taking about is in the outer part of the wing, the part slanting up.

it can then be divided into 3 longitudinal sections.
- the leading edge
- the center
- the trailing edge

the part i am talking about is in the center section and it looks like 4 cords running lengthwise. see em? there are also a few just in front of the left aileron.

they don't look like solid metal - like a spar or box section - they look like metal cords?? seems like an odd choice unless their function is to stretch somehow. thanks for your help!

mrfish · « **Reply #6 on:** July 29, 2001, 07:49:00 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by wells:
They are like mini-spars, mostly used on fabric covered surfaces to take the load that a stressed skin would normally take and to give the fabric lots of surface to attach to, while preventing it from sagging in between ribs.

you must have responded while i was still posting my diagram! ah - thanks that makes sense.