VC10: Icon of the Skies: BOAC, Boeing and a Jet Age Battle by Lance Cole

Author:Lance Cole [Cole, Lance]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2017-03-30T04:00:00+00:00

The flight deck was also spacious, well laid out, deeply windowed, and, as even admitted by Boeing 707 pilots, much easier to sit in and manage than their cramped, narrow, control post.

Fuselage and Wing Strength

The VC10 was a monocoque type fuselage structure, but was one that featured extra reinforcements in critical areas. Like a Saab, Volvo, or Mercedes car of the era, the VC10 body was a self-supporting monocoque type, yet one which benefited from over-engineered, extra stiff, localised reinforcements and strengthening to a degree not seen in simpler or cheaper (and lighter) mainstream structures. Of note, the VC10 design was the first time large jet engines had been paired at the rear of an airframe – requiring novel engineering solutions. Overall, throughout the VC10, a multiple load path network was built in – so if a part failed, other elements could absorb the failure and defuse any local fractures or cracks. The central cabin wing box and tail were incredibly strong, cabin and body apertures reinforced – milled from solid panels – and that central keel rail ran forwards to a nose/cockpit section of heavy duty formers, frames, and castings. The door frames were also heavily over-gauged and built up with massive support frames. The more usual practice of multi riveted, multi-welded, multi-panel work was avoided where possible. Huge chunks cut from solid metal alloys, and large machined skins, engendered high torsional rigidity. The wing was multi-spar with four main spar units and a massively strong centre box. This was a wing and hull without compromise. And it paid the price in weight – being several tonnes heavier than the 707 – for the VC10 was built like a proverbial (Vickers) battleship! Such construction saved the day and many lives in service.

Copper rich aluminium alloys and titanium alloys were used – at great expense. Panels were larger than those used by Boeing – so were stiffer and had fewer rivets and joints. The Vickers designers reduced the traditionally deployed numbers of lap joints, splices and seams along the window line – instead, using a machined from solid panel along the entire length of the window belt line. The window line panels were 34ft by 6ft and ¾ in thick. There were fewer crack-raising points and stiffening was integral – not add-on. Diagonally located load support beams, torque boxes, and massive cleating, all created a really strong structure. The additional skin cleats at each frame station would restrict any failure to one frame bay. Channel frames were doubled up with overlapping edges and the fuselage panels were laid transversely over their frames and with circumferential straps over them.

The crucial wing box and centre section, leading back to the very heavily reinforced tail area, was where the VC10s real heavy metal and strength was to be found. All this was new and required much design and testing, but it produced a very strong fuselage with no issues relating to potential pressurisation-cycle induced fatigue, and few of load and impact distress. With

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