Airplane Design Manual

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Airplane Design Manual

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Introduction:

This book has been written to fill what appears to the author to be a gap in aeronautical literature, an introduction to the art of airplane design, with the needs of the student, the young engineer, the draftsman and the student working on his own especially in view. While aerodynamics, stress analysis and other aspects of airplane design have been covered many times, experience in dealing with senior aeronautical students has shown that such men experience considerable difficulty in coordinating their knowledge and efforts in approaching the difficult problem of actually beginning the design of a new machine, and carrying on the work systematically. From time to time notes have been prepared for student use and these have gradually evolved into the present work. In view of the rapid growth and complexity of the subject, it is too much to hope that the entire field has been adequately covered; still teaching experience indicates that such a manual is helpful to instructors and students alike.

It is of course expected that the student shall supplement the present text by investigations of his own, by studying the latest designs at the airport, or from descriptions in the technical press or by study of the numerous research publications published by the Government Printing Office and the great engineering societies
even though an attempt has been made to make each chapter of the book as complete in itself as possible.

Thanks are due to Mr. Robert Boyer and Mr. Leonard Mihalovsky, N.Y.U.’37, who kindly permitted the use of their class designs, and to Professor Alexander Klemin who established the course in airplane design in 1924, in a form which has stood the test of time, for many valuable suggestions and criticisms.
Frederick K. Teichmann

Daniel Guggenheim School of Aeronautics
College of Engineering
New York University

Introduction v
I. Procedure in Design
Type - Power Plant, Payload and Crew, Performance Requirements, Procedure in Design, Airplane Design, Specifications, Specification for Twin-Engine, Six-Place Cabin Monoplane
Factors Affecting Type of Airplane
II. Preliminary Weight Estimate
Estimating the Gross Weight, Estimation of Structural Weight, Recapitulations, Form for Preliminary Weight Estimate, Miscellaneous Weight Calculations
III. The Three-View
Steps in Assembling Data: Estimation of Wing Area; Aspect Ratio; Platform, Tail Surfaces, Landing Gear; Clearances, Center of Gravity Location, Recapitulation, Final Three-View
IV. The Balance Diagram
The Fuselage and Its Contents, Locating Wing and Landing Gear, Supplementary Calculations, Ballast, Centers of Gravity of Individual Items
V. The Pilot’s Cockpit
General Requirements, Windshields, Seating, Exits, Parachutes, Controls, Instrument Board, Drawings Required
VI. Instruments
Instrument Board, Location, Grouping, Variety of Instruments
VII. The Passenger Cabin
Cabin Dimensions, Passenger Seats, Sleeping Accommodation, Windows, Lighting, Furnishings, Provision for Airsickness, Flooring, Toilets, Refreshments, Baggage Compartment
VIII. Heating and Ventilating
Physical Conditions, Physiological and Psychological Considerations, Air Movement for Comfort, Air Inlets, Heat Sources, Air Requirements, Air Ducts, Boilers and Radiators, Calculations,Heating Surface, Typical Heating and Ventilating Systems
IX. Soundproofing, Measure of Noise, Sources of Noise, Effect of Frequency on Soundproofing, Soundproofing Materials, Application of Materials,
X. The Power Plant
Engine Selection , Engine Mount, Firewall, Cowling, Exhaust Manifolds, Fuel Systems, Lubricating System, Engine Controls, Electrical Equipment, Instruments, Propellers, Felt
XI. Design of the Wing .
Airfoil Construction, Airfoil Selection, Aspect Ratio Corrections, Mean Geometric Chord, Wing Platform, Dihedral, Angle of Incidence, Ailerons, Lift Increase Devices, Structure, Flutter Prevention
XII. The Landing Gear
Wheel and Tire Size, Size of Tail Wheel, Tread, Wheel Position, Shock Absorbers, Retraction of Landing Gear
XIII. Tail Surfaces
Airfoil Sections, Aerodynamic Balancer, Flutter Prevention, Horizontal Tail Surfaces, Vertical Tail Surfaces, Trailing Edge Tabs
XIV. The Fuselage
Shape of Fuselage, Location of Frames, Location of Longitudinal Members, Sections for Structural Members, Floor, Baggage Compartments, Access Doors
XV. Longitudinal Stability
Preliminary Calculations, Angle of Trim and Horizontal Tail Surface Setting, Formulae Required
XVI. Preliminary Performance Calculations
Horsepower Required, Altitude Calculations, Parasite Resistance Data, The Engine, Propeller Selection, Alternative Method of Determining Propeller Diameter , Horsepower Available , Maximum Speed, Rate of Climb, Absolute and Service Ceilings, Range
XVII. Airplane Data Sheets
Table 37: Form for Condensed Airplane Data Sheets
Table 38: Condensed Airplane Data. Group 1 , Small Commercial ; Group 2
Transport; Group 3, Private Type; Group 4, Foreign Transport;
Group 5, Miscellaneous—Table 39: Weight Breakdown
Appendix
Index