Skin gaps in aluminum aircraft
Skin gaps in aluminum aircraft
(OP)
I normally do all composite aircraft, but I'm currently helping a coworker with his design on an aluminum skinned aircraft so I don't have a lot of experience with metal. What are typical gap thicknesses between skin sheets for butt splices?
Thanks for the help!
Thanks for the help!





RE: Skin gaps in aluminum aircraft
are you planning to file the gap with PRC, or are you going to leave it ?
RE: Skin gaps in aluminum aircraft
RE: Skin gaps in aluminum aircraft
We are planning to fill the gap so the finished assembly will be smooth when painted.
RE: Skin gaps in aluminum aircraft
practically, i don't think i'd dimension as 0.032" ... do you need to control the gap that closely (standard drawing tolerance would be +- 0.01")
RE: Skin gaps in aluminum aircraft
RE: Skin gaps in aluminum aircraft
RE: Skin gaps in aluminum aircraft
The smaller the gap you want the tighter the tolerance will be and hence the difficulty/cost will go up.
Within reason I'd go for a larger gap to allow relaxed tolerances. Remember it's not just the size tolerance of the panels & structure but also the hole size & location. I'm guessing you may be match drilling or using a jig which will reduce the hole size/location issues but keep it in mind.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Skin gaps in aluminum aircraft
Just a reference. If this is unmanned and high altitude and high speed this would probably be a fair rule of thumb. If it is lower speed I think the tolerance could be even looser.
-Kirby
Kirby Wilkerson
Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.
RE: Skin gaps in aluminum aircraft