Description

While this book concentrates on the construction and repair of sheet metal and welded tube type aircraft, it will be useful to anyone fabricating components from metal. Materials, measurements, metalworking, welding, riveting, lathing, milling, and machining are all covered. Fasteners and fittings are presented in tables, including information about material strength and properties. Designing and building for improved fatigue life, corrosion resistance, and metal bonding are covered. Simple repairs are covered, as are examples of integrating systems into aircraft. Welding tanks, sealing integral fuel tanks, and cutting, bending and flaring tubes are described. Many descriptions of metalworking tools and equipment are given. This book will be useful no matter what kind of aircraft you are working on, as even wood and composite aircraft have metal components to some degree.

Written by Sonja Englert. Copyright 2003. ISBN 0-9752984-3-7. 125 Pages, 129 illustrations. Softcover.

Chapters include:

 

Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Materials
(Aluminum, Non-Heat Treatable Alloys, Heat Treatable Alloys, Steel, Heat Treatments, Strength, Effect of Temperature)
2. Measuring and Marking
3. Fasteners
(Rivets, Bolts, Threads, Pipe Threads)
4. Drilling
(Edge Distance, Bearing Strength)
5. Cutting Metal
6. Corrosion Protection
7. Fatigue
8. Welding
(Definition of Soldering and Brazing, Preparation, TIG Welding, Torch Welding, Welding Practice, Testing the Welds, Filler Materials, Welding Aluminum, Welding Steel, Welding Engine Mounts, Other Tube Structures, Slip Joints, T-Joints, Cluster Joints)
9. Welded Aluminum Fuel Tanks
 10. Bonding Metal
11. Bending
12. Forming Metal
(Basic Forming Operations, Tools, Forms, Annealing)
13. Using a Lathe
(Turning, Facing)
14. Machining
15. Riveting
(Drilling out Rivets, Example of Skinning a Fuselage, Blind Rivets, Assembly)
16. Repairs
(Assessing Damage, Scratches, Dents and small Cracks, Corroded Sheet Metal, Damaged Holes, Repair of Tube Structures)
17. Systems Integration
(Fluid Carrying Lines and Tubes, Wires and Clamps, Ventilation, Access Panels, Sealing Integral Fuel Tanks)
References
Appendix A: List of Useful Tools for Building a Sheet Metal Airplane