The application for this approach was narrow, dependent entirely on the radius of the Sphere needed, and Airframes are not conducive to "round". One needs a tube, a planform or two, and some cruciform slabs. The flatter the structure, the more strength was sacrificed by the shallow curve needed, and the material and intense labor needed to assemble became disqualifying. Each triangle needed to close itself with gusseting shared by its partner, and the edges of the tri were supposed to be mitred as "compound" surfaces. This is an enormous amount of work, and by the time methods caught up with demands, Howie was pressure cooking Birch trees and Phenolics into compund panels of immense strength.
One of my favorite a/c besides the Largest a/c ever made (The Birch Goose) is the Mosquito. If God had wanted Plastic airplanes, he would have made Carbon Fibre trees.
bear
Please don't use the word "Geodetic" here, it is an entirely different animal. Bucky would not approve.
If you think Hughes was no genius, walk through IKEA and see his brilliant application of Duramold with Baltic Birch (FinnPly) shapes made into nomadic furniture, wagons, and pieces that are their own shipping crates before they become Cabinets.
Phthallates, acrylates, and God's own laminates. Go bang on the skin of an F-16 where the wing blends into the Fuse. 'A' Sharp, if it passed QA. Geodesic construction was retro less than ten Years after the Wrights flew, imo.
Last edited by bearfoil; 28th February 2011 at 03:29.