As you all probably know, I hate flying. The long waits at the security checkpoint, the cramped seats in coach, the stale air--these are just some of the small nuisances involved in traveling by air these days. But what really bothers me about flying is the fact that I'm scared sh*tless everytime I'm in an airplane. Maybe it's my fear of heights, the roller coaster ride through bad turbulence, or the thought that the wings could just snap off in mid flight. I mean, if you've ever sat and watched the wings out the window as you fly, has anyone else noticed how much those things seem to bounce up and down? Frightening.
Then I watched a wing load test online done on the Boeing 777. I feel a little better now, although something seems flawed in the way they test wings like this. Seems like you'd need less force if you're making the wing flap up and down as it does in real flight and turbulence as opposed to just one force pulling up on it gradually. I know this isn't exactly civil engineering, but seems there should be some similar principle used in bridge making or something. Any of the engineers out there reading know?
Monday, January 22, 2007
If man was supposed to fly, we'd be born with wings...
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Intersting. If I recall the engineering principle that you are referring to it is fatigue. I can't remember if this is the same terminology that we learned, but it is like trying to break a piece of wire in half. You just keep bending it back and forth until it breaks. So Swany you are correct in that this experiment leaves that out.
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