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Old 11th Sep 2010, 15:32
  #317 (permalink)  
ChristiaanJ
 
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Originally Posted by Landroger
One of my Scout Leaders, back in the sixties, was involved in (I think) programming the milling machines that milled Concorde wing panels from solid alloy billets. Dural I assume, I didn't think there was much Titanium in Concorde?
There was some titanium, such as in the engine nacelles, but only in critical locations.
The first production Concorde (204, G-BOAC) was about a ton heavier than the last on (216, G-BOAF). IIRC most of that was achieved by judicious use of titanium in certain locations.
The aluminium alloy was not Dural, but a special alloy called RR58, AU2GN or hiduminium which was used because of its superior 'creep' properties ('creep' = slow permanent deformation under a combination of mechanical stress and high temperatures).

How much of the Lady's structure was machined from the solid like this?
Nearly all of the primary load-bearing structures and a non-negliable amount of the secondary ones.
(As an example of the latter, ever looked at a photo of the top of the wing of a Concorde with all those oval-shaped access panels? They were all machined.
In one sense, it seems extremely wasteful, but in another it is the most perfect way of "knocking off everything that doesn't look like a wing panel." To paraphrase someone.
It may look wasteful at first sight, but the resulting panels were lighter than a conventional 'sheet and ribs' structure, and that weight gain remained a gain during the life of the aircraft.
It also made for greater precision and repeatablity, more consistent quality, etc.
And the scrap from the milling operation was recovered and recycled....

CJ
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