124. Causes, Effects, and Control of Weight Variation in Reinforced Plastics Aircraft Applications

Paper

Abstract

The utilization of reinforced plastics materials in aircraft and guided missile structures dates back to Neanderthal period of aviation, when wood used in the form of plywood became known as plastic plywood, and finally reinforced plastics plywood, so-named to indicate the plastic bonding materials used in laminating and impregnating the wood fibers and to erase the stigma of the term ‘wooden’. Other materials such as hemp, linen, cotton, and many other organic fibrous materials, bonded together by plastic resins, in some cases as inflammable as gunpowder, also found their way into aircraft.
All of these substances had inherent qualities that were objectionable when compared with the high standards required for aircraft production, operation, and maintenance. Among these objectionable qualities was a great variation in weight in the finished article used in aircraft. This variation in weight naturally created a great deal of consternation in the aircraft industry, particularly among weight engineers.