82. Structural Weight Estimation for the Initial Stage of Preliminary Design

Paper

Abstract

With the recent advancements in propulsion and the attendant changes in structural configuration and environment for flight near and above the speed of sound, much of the knowledge from which structural weight estimates have been made in the past is of limited value. While the estimation of structural weight has become more and more difficult, the need for accuracy has increased in proportion to the swiftly rising cost and complexity of recent aircraft.
Attention has therefore been directed by the Bell Aircraft Corporation toward meeting this problem, and a preliminary investigation has been conducted to reveal some of its more fundamental aspects (see reference 1). The following remarks represent a continuation of this work.