2007-02-21 14:13:10 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
The "ripples" are for strength.You can see the same thing on the side of your car,on the roof of a building, or on the sides of older RVs. As the first answerer said a creased piece of metal is much stronger than a flat one. ALOPILOT needs to go back to ground school before answering any more questions in this forum.
2007-02-22 03:09:06 · answer #1 · answered by txpilot 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Well a Cessna 172 holds the world record for the longest continuous flight. It was about 57 days. The aircraft was refuelled by passing up cans of fuel from a moving flatbed truck. So, if you position fast boats at the right places it could be done, at least in theory. Very dangerous but not actually impossible. Ian M
2016-03-29 06:30:06 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am going to agree with rayk469. The ripples on the 172 are front to back, therefore not offering any aerodynamic advantage other than possibly decreasing span-wise flow. I don't now much about the strengths of metals but rayk469's theory sound pretty good. I have had this question come up before and am interested in what others have to say.
2007-02-21 17:43:32 · answer #3 · answered by Pimpin 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
For strength. The folded metal, such as the ailerons, is much stronger than just flat metal. Since the 172 was never meant to be a speed demon, it really doesn't matter if there's a little extra drag.
2007-02-21 14:25:38 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
The small bumps or ripples on the ailerons, elevator, and some rudders of a small cessna or piper aircraft are there to increase the surface effectiveness in slow flight. The surfaces loose their ability to control the airplane effectively as airspeed decreases. These rippples are forced on by the air... forcing the wing down... with both wings having the equal downforce created by the air hitting the incline at the leading edge of the ripple, the control surfaces, when moved, can actually affect the air, even when in low airspeed situations...
2007-02-21 14:26:28 · answer #5 · answered by ALOPILOT 5 · 1⤊ 4⤋
Consensus is: Adds Strength.
Since planes are made of aluminum for light weight- corrugating the metal adds strength to withstand the stress load.
2007-02-22 19:37:25 · answer #6 · answered by cavu_13 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They are "corrugated" which add stiffness. Much like the walls of a metal building.
This is purely for structural reasons and has nothing to do with aerodynamics.
2007-02-22 06:42:51 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋