If black boxes are made of indestructible material, why cant they build the whole plane out of the same stuff?

Answer 1

IS ANYONE ELSE SICK AND TIRED OF THIS QUESTION????

CAN PEOPLE NOT READ ANSWERS TO FIND OUT IF SOMETHING HAS BEEN ANSWERED BEFORE? THIS QUESTION HAS BEEN ASKED HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF TIMES.

IT'S NOT CUTE OR CLEVER ANYMORE, AND IT'S JUST CLOGGING UP THE BANDWIDTH FOR A STUPID QUESTION.

Answer 2

Do you see the 'Search for questions:' box near the top of the page? Type your question in the box and you will get every answer you'll ever need because people have asked this question so much. Technically, nothing is indestructible, including black boxes. They survive partly due to their location in the rear of the aircraft which is usually the least likely to suffer a lot of damage in a crash. Also, they are cushioned by the aircraft around them. The aircraft absorbs most of the shock. Now to answer your question, the main reason aircraft are not made of black box material (ex. steel) is beacuse they would be too heavy to ever fly. Secondly, even if it was made of steel and flew, it would get destroyed if it crashed because the more surface area a material has the easier it is to dent or break. Try taking a small thin piece of aluminum bending it. Now take a large sheet of aluminum of the same thickness as the little piece. The sheet will be much easier to bend. So, in order to make an aircraft indestructible like a blackbox, not only would it have to be made of the same material, but the material would have to be as many times thicker as the plane is larger than the black box, in order for it to have the same indestructibility. I hope I didn't confuse you, but that's the answer. Hope it helps.

Answer 3

If the black box in an aircraft can survive a crash, why isn't the plane made out of the same material? For people that are not involved in the aviation industry or in fact have never actually seen a black box, it is a very valid question. Thereare a couple of factors that contribute to the survival of the ere is usually at the very least two black boxes on the aircraft; the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR).
The CVR works on a loop where it records for a certain amount of time and then starts over; I believe most are on thirty minute loop. You will hear pilots speak about a sterile cockpit, this is a term referring to keeping the cockpit quiet and only speaking about what needs to be said, i.e. reading a checklist or talking with air traffic controller. This allows the CVR to pickup both the pilots voices as well as any noises that may be made in the cockpit, i.e. thud, bang, or switches going on and off.

The FDR similar to the CVR works on a loop, but covers a larger amount of time. The FDR stores all different types of specific aircraft parameters. Some of the items that the FDR records are engine temperatures and controls of the aircraft (ex: flaps).



Both recorders are equipped with their specific recording devices, memory boards, etc… the main guts of the black box. Most of the boards are surrounded by a thin layer of aluminum. Surrounding the aluminum is a form of high-temperature insulation. This layer protects the memory board in case there is a fire on board the aircraft or resulting from the crash. The outside of the “black box” is made of usually stainless steel, although sometimes titanium can be used. This shell is designed to be the armor of the black box.



Each FDR and CVR is constructed in such ways that they can withstand large amounts of pressure, fire and water damage. The companies that build the black boxes put each unit through many tests that reenact they events that can occur during a crash of an aircraft.



Lastly one of the major reasons that the black boxes can withstand the impact of the crash is where they are located in the aircraft. Most are located in the back of the aircraft. This allows the rest of the plane to take the impact of the crash – be it the crash zone. Some black boxes are even equipped with self ejecting units, which allow the black box to separate itself from the rest of the aircraft.

Answer 4

First, black boxes aren't black. Both the Cockpit Voice Recorder CVR and the Flight Data Recorder FDR are painted International Orange with a stripe of reflective tape located at different places on the box. Second, the boxes are not indestructible. The boxes can be and have been damaged during impact, sometimes beyond recovery. The recording devices inside the boxes are very well insulated to lessen the severity of a crash on the recording device. Because of all the insulation surrounding the recording devices, the size to weight ratio of one of these boxes is excessive. One of these small boxes can be very heavy. This ratio of weight to size if projected to the larger size of an aircraft would keep that aircraft from ever getting off the ground.

Answer 5

The choice of material depend on sevaral qualities. Being strong is not the only requirement. It must still be light and flexible enough to counter deadly metal fatigue that may be caused by the pressurisation and depressurisation of the cabin. That was the problem with the 1949 British de Havilland Comet. Anyway, I doubt even black box material can survive a 500 knots crash.

Answer 6

Black boxes are very costly. The price of the black boxes are $10,000 to $15,000. That's why, the planes are not making this kind of material.

Answer 7

Because it would be too expensive to make and the plane would be to heavy to fly. Different materials have to be used. Its all about the engineering.

Answer 8

Armor is heavy. If you armor the entire airplane with the same stuff that protects the black boxes, the airplane will be so heavy it will never get off the ground.

Answer 9

It would never get of the ground. Imagine making every vehicle as strong as a tank. Too impracticle

Answer 10

They're not indestructable. Some have been destroyed. When you decelerate suddenly enough, it is deadly no matter what you are in.

Answer 11

Too heavy