Aircraft Structures And

Flight Controls
 Aircraft Structures

• Truss-type Structures

• Had struts and wire-braced wings

• Occupants sat in open cockpits
• Cockpits fabric-covered

• Stressed-skin Structures

• All of the structural loads are carried by the

skin.
• Thin wood skin
• Or aluminum-alloy sheets
 Aircraft Structures

• Monocoque

• Virtually no internal framework

• Semi-monocoque

• Internal arrangement of formers and stringers

is used to provide additional rigidity and
strength to the skin.
Semi-monocoque
 Airframe Units:

• Fuselage

• Wings

• Stabilizers

• Flight control surfaces

• Landing gear
 Airframe Units:

Vertical
Horizontal Stabilizer
Stabilizer

Rudder

Elevator

Cowling

Flap

Aileron
 Structural Loads/Stress

• Five Types Of Stress

• Tension
• Compression
• Bending force
• Torsion
• Shear force
Structural Loads/Stress
 Structural Loads/Stress

• Deformation

• Nonpermanent Deformation

– Deformation disappears when the load is

removed.

• Permanent Deformation

– Wrinkles observed on top of wing and

bottom of horizontal stabilizer.
– Stretch marks on the bottom of the wing or
top o the stabilizer. (positive g’s)
 Materials For Aircraft Construction

• Wood

• Aluminum Alloys

• Honeycomb

• Magnesium

• Stainless Steel
Materials For Aircraft Construction
Structures
 Structures

• Wing Construction Truss-type

 Structures

• Stressed-skin Wing Construction

Cantilever Wing
Control Surface Construction
 Control Surface Construction

• Control Surface Flutter

• Control Surface must be mass balanced so that

their center of gravity does not fall behind their
hinge line.
 Fuselage Construction

• Truss Fuselage construction

• Pratt truss
• Warren truss

• Stressed-skin Structure
• Monocoque
• Semi - Monocoque

• Pressurized Structure
Flight Controls
Flight Controls
 Pitch Control

• Elevators

• Sole function is to change the angle of attack

of the airplane, which alters its speed, lift and
drag.
Pitch Control
 Pitch Control

• Stabilator

• All-movable tail
• Anti-servo tab

• Ruddervators

• Provides both longitudinal and directional

stabilization and control.
 Lateral Or Roll Control

• Ailerons

• Rolling action produced is the primary method

of lateral control on most aircraft.
Lateral Or Roll Control
 Directional Control

• Adverse aileron yaw

• The aileron that moves downward creates lift

and induced drag.

• Induced drag pulls the nose of the airplane

around in the direction opposite the way the
airplane should turn.
 Directional Control

• Rudder

• Rotates the airplane about its vertical axis

(Yawing)

• Also provides a form of roll control because

the application of rudder causes yaw which will
induce a roll.
Directional Control
Trim Controls
 Trim Controls

• Trim Tabs

• Balance Tab

• Anti-Servo Tab

• Servo Tab

• Spring Tab

• Adjustable Stabilizer
Trim Tabs
Balance Tab
Anti-Servo Tab
 Servo Tab

• Used on large aircraft when the control forces are

too great for the pilot to manually move.

• Flight control column moves the tab on the control

surface and this aerodynamically moves the main
control surface.
Adjustable Stabilizer
Fixed Trim Tab
 Aerodynamically Balanced Control
Surface

• Overhang deflects to the opposite side of the

fuselage from the main rudder surface to produce
an aerodynamic force that aids the pilot.
Stall Strip and Vortex Generators
Auxiliary Lift Devices
 Flaps

• Change the camber of the wing and increase both its

lift and drag for and given angle of attack

• Moved by cables form an electric motor driven

jackscrew.
Flaps
 Leading Edge Devices

• Delays the the airflow separation caused by a stall to

a higher angle of attack.

• Increases the energy of the air flowing over the

surface.
Fixed Slot
Movable Slat