ChezDaJez
Posts: 3436
Joined: 11/12/2004 From: Chehalis, WA Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: JWE quote:
ORIGINAL: Nikademus As did the P-38 (again for a different reason) Agreed. Going too fast for any airframe (insert reason) can cause structural failure. The Zero airframe itself however was not "weak" You know, it’s interesting that exactly the same thing happens to modern high-performance racing sailboats. Their keels don’t fall off – straight-line structural integrity is thousands of times more than an aircraft, but still … once you hit boundary separation, the stress goes up hyper velocity; and the Reynolds difference between water and air is pretty big. I’ve seen keels totally stripped down to the epoxy after a gnarly breezy ocean race. Next time you go sailing, and hear that sweet little huummm coming from down below when you are at hull speed for the conditions, just ask yourself – golly, instead of a bullet-proof brick of lead covered by epoxy, what would happen if it were just a skin on a frame? Fiziks is wicked cool stuff. Didn't Australia have one of their 10 meter boats sink during a race because the hull cracked in half? I think that was in the 90's. Chez
_____________________________
Ret Navy AWCS (1972-1998) VP-5, Jacksonville, Fl 1973-78 ASW Ops Center, Rota, Spain 1978-81 VP-40, Mt View, Ca 1981-87 Patrol Wing 10, Mt View, CA 1987-90 ASW Ops Center, Adak, Ak 1990-92 NRD Seattle 1992-96 VP-46, Whidbey Isl, Wa 1996-98
|