I think everyone was amazed to see how well the Airbus 320 which crashed into the Hudson River stood up to the impact with the water. The pilot certainly demonstrated high levels of skill in bringing the plane onto the river with little or no power available to him. That the wings withstood the unusual and very high forces exerted on them by the water is testament to there careful structural design, clever use of materials and also a good dose of luck.
The aircraft was however brought down by a flock of geese. Whether these physically damaged the engines directly or simply swamped the jets with debris preventing operation will come out in the accident report. Whatever the cause, birds and aircraft will always try to share the same piece of sky - is there a solution to preventing future accidents of this type ?
Saturday, 24 January 2009
A picture study on early racing car wings.
The following images show a variety of products or devices encountered in everyday life and what sort of loading they experience.
This car shows an early version of the now common racing car rear wing. The wing is supported by two struts and as the wing operates a downward pressure is exerted on the wing and struts. The struts will therefore experience compressive loading. As long slender members they will also be vulnerable to buckling. In addition to simple compressive failure, drag on the wing will also exert a backward force putting an additional bending load on the struts.
The designers of these aerodynamic devices often struggled to make these wing supports strong enough and this resulted in sudden and dangerous failure. As a result the very real danger of such failings, high wings were banned.
Lotus 49, Graham Hill, 1968 : Autosport International, 12th January 2009, G Thomson
This car shows an early version of the now common racing car rear wing. The wing is supported by two struts and as the wing operates a downward pressure is exerted on the wing and struts. The struts will therefore experience compressive loading. As long slender members they will also be vulnerable to buckling. In addition to simple compressive failure, drag on the wing will also exert a backward force putting an additional bending load on the struts.
The designers of these aerodynamic devices often struggled to make these wing supports strong enough and this resulted in sudden and dangerous failure. As a result the very real danger of such failings, high wings were banned.
What is good design ?
Can we learn how products interact with users, society, the environment and other devices to ensure fitness for purpose ?
How do we design things so they will be strong enough and rigid enough to do the task asked of them ?
How can we use tools to help us design more efficient aircraft, better structures, more effective medical implants ?
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