Is Spruce Lighter than Aluminum?

[RotBaron]

The British following elemental naming conventions, shame on them.

Always wondered why y'alls pronounced it wrong.

[zack1234]

Bounder!

[GScholz]

As prasied by the great designers and builders, the best material is Unatainium.


Few have been able to acquire it. 

Is that how Americans spell Unobtainium? 

[SirNuke]

around here is its Aluminium.

[nrshida]

I think Colonials are very cute when they say 'aloominum'. Also 'polymeer', 'sodder' and 'ambidextrious' 

All semantic fun-poking aside the question isn't as simple as it first appears. The Mosquito's fuselage for instance is a perfect application for composites, natural or otherwise, because it is a very rare thing: a true monocoque structure. The loads are distributed in the most elegant manner possible. Composites are very well disposed to monocoque construction while aluminium alloy is not.

If you were going to replace an alloy brake pedal, say, with a composite one then you would be smart to redesign a boxy-shaped version to exploit the attributes of the new material and not copy the obvious design when using alloy. This is why the original question is difficult to answer.

What was the purpose of the question by the way, was it over a dispute about aircraft construction?

[bozon]

The mosquito construction made a very smart use of the fiber direction in the wood, matching it to the forces expected to apply on each section.

[Karnak]

One advantage of wood that de Haviland pointed out was that due to the larger size of the wing spar on the Mosquito, a chunk taken out of it by a bullet or a shell would represent a smaller percentage of the spar, and thus a smaller percentage of its strength, than the same chunk being taken out of an aluminum spar.

[SirNuke]

oops 

[DREDIOCK]

Could use the "Witch logic" to find out

BEDEVERE: Tell me, what do you do with witches?
VILLAGER #2: Burn!
VILLAGER #1: Burn!
CROWD: Burn! Burn them up! Burn!…
BEDEVERE: And what do you burn apart from witches?
VILLAGER #1: More witches!
VILLAGER #3: Shh!
VILLAGER #2: Wood!
BEDEVERE: So, why do witches burn? [pause]
VILLAGER #3: B–… ’cause they’re made of… wood?
BEDEVERE: Good! Heh heh.
CROWD: Oh yeah. Oh.
BEDEVERE: So, how do we tell whether she is made of wood?
VILLAGER #1: Build a bridge out of her.
BEDEVERE: Ah, but can you not also make bridges out of stone?
VILLAGER #1: Oh, yeah.
RANDOM: Oh, yeah. True. Uhh…
BEDEVERE: Does wood sink in water?
VILLAGER #1: No. No.
VILLAGER #2: No, it floats! It floats!
VILLAGER #1: Throw her into the pond!
CROWD: The pond! Throw her into the pond!
BEDEVERE: What also floats in water?
VILLAGER #1: Bread!
VILLAGER #2: Apples!
VILLAGER #3: Uh, very small rocks!
VILLAGER #1: Cider!
VILLAGER #2: Uh, gra– gravy!
VILLAGER #1: Cherries!
VILLAGER #2: Mud!
VILLAGER #3: Churches! Churches!
VILLAGER #2: Lead! Lead!
ARTHUR: A duck!
CROWD: Oooh.
BEDEVERE: Exactly. So, logically…
VILLAGER #1: If… she… weighs… the same as a duck,… she’s made of wood.
BEDEVERE: And therefore?
VILLAGER #2: A witch!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrzMhU_4m-g

[shotgunneeley]

Spruce is lighter than Aluminium. Aluminum is lighter than Spruce.

End of discussion.