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View Full Version : What are the 737NG's fuel tanks constructed from?


CReed
2nd Apr 2012, 11:38
· Hello everyone,
having not even acquired a PPL yet (I'm nearly there now), I felt I wouldn't be welcome in the other forums, but I have searched high and low for an answer to this and I need one. Everywhere from the Ryanair FCOM to the KLM AMM (believe me, reading 150 pages in vein is annoying) but still nothing has turned up. The question's in the title, but just to reiterate, what are the fuel tanks in the 737NG made of?
Thanks a lot,
Charlie Reed

jamesferns
2nd Apr 2012, 12:16
I guess the NG is the same as most other civil aircraft ie the fuels stored in the wings, and the centre tank is part of the centre fuse structure so i suppose the answer is their made from whatever spec matl is used to construct the wings /centre fuse section

KBPsen
2nd Apr 2012, 12:43
The wing structure is the tank(s) including the centre tank. The wing structure is primarily constructed of aluminium alloys such as 7075, 2404 and so on.

CReed
2nd Apr 2012, 13:51
Thanks a lot, I probably should have said that I knew the main tanks (and surge tanks) were the wing but simply wasn't sure as to whether the centre tank had some kind of reinforcement.
Regards,
Charlie

barit1
3rd Apr 2012, 02:28
AFAIK, The first airliner to use the "wet wing" (integral tankage) was the Lockheed 14 "Super Electra" of 1937.

Photos (http://www.google.com/search?q=lockheed+14&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=al96T-CSFKjW0QGF453yBQ&ved=0CDUQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=709)

CReed
5th Apr 2012, 19:44
Thanks, good to know,
Charlie

KBPsen
5th Apr 2012, 20:57
If you are interested in further details of what materials an aircraft is constructed of you should get hold of the Structural Repair Manual or SRM.

jamesferns
5th Apr 2012, 21:37
Any idea where one can get hold of those sort of technical manuals?
AFAIK there only available to airline engineers/pilots