Fuselage
The fuselage is the main body section of an aircraft.
The fuselage, whose name comes from the French word *fuselé* meaning "spindle-shaped," is the central body of an aircraft. It carries the crew, passengers, and cargo. In a single-engine plane, the engine is typically housed inside the fuselage as well, though some amphibious designs mount the engine on a pylon above the fuselage, which then doubles as a floating hull. Beyond carrying loads, the fuselage also keeps the control surfaces and stabilizers properly aligned with the wings, a key factor for stability and maneuverability. Several structural types exist. The **truss structure**, common in lightweight aircraft, uses welded steel tube frames. A box truss can also be built from wood and covered with plywood; adding lightweight stringers allows a fabric covering to be shaped more aerodynamically or attractively. In **geodesic construction**, developed by Barnes Wallis for Vickers, flat strip stringers are wound in opposite spirals around formers, creating a basket-like frame. This method is light, strong, and rigid, and was often made almost entirely of wood. A similar construction using aluminum alloy was used in the Vickers Warwick with less material than would be required for other structural types. The geodesic structure is also redundant and so can survive localized damage without catastrophic failure. A fabric covering completes the aerodynamic shell, as seen in the Vickers Wellington. This approach evolved into molded plywood fuselages, where layers are laid with grain in different directions, leading to the monocoque type. **Monocoque shell** construction makes the exterior surface the primary structure. Early examples, like the Lockheed Vega, used molded plywood formed over a plug or mold. Later versions use fiberglass cloth with polyester or epoxy resin instead of plywood. Some amateur-built aircraft use rigid foam plastic as a core, covered with fiberglass, avoiding molds but requiring more finishing work—as in the Rutan VariEze. The de Havilland Mosquito is a larger molded plywood example. No plywood-skin fuselage is truly monocoque, as stiffeners are needed to prevent buckling under concentrated loads. Modern sailplanes are often series-produced using negative fiberglass molds for a near-finished product, and large passenger jets like the Boeing 787 use molded composites with pressure-molding on female molds.
- Boeing 787 weight saving vs all-aluminum
- 1,500 lb (680 kg)
- Airbus a320 windshield weight per panel
- 35 kg (77 lb)
- Airbus a320 windshield bird strike resis
- up to 350 kn (650 km/h)
- Cabin window outer pane pressure rating
- four times maximum cabin pressure
- Cabin window scratch pane polishing inte
- every 2–3 years for uncoated windows
Lore & Background
Early aircraft were constructed of wood frames covered in fabric. As monoplanes became popular, metal frames improved strength, eventually leading to all-metal-structure aircraft with metal covering for all exterior surfaces, first pioneered in the second half of 1915. Truss structures, using welded steel tube or wood with plywood covering, are still used in many lightweight aircraft. Geodesic construction, used by Barnes Wallis for British Vickers between the wars and into World War II, employed multiple flat strip stringers wound in opposite spiral directions, forming a light, strong, rigid basket-like structure made almost entirely of wood; a similar aluminum alloy construction was used in the Vickers Warwick. Monocoque shell fuselages, such as the Lockheed Vega, were built using molded plywood, while later forms use fiberglass cloth impregnated with polyester or epoxy resin. Semi-monocoque construction, the preferred method for all-aluminum fuselages, uses formers, stringers, and a riveted or bonded aluminum skin; most modern large aircraft are built using this technique, with several large sections joined with fasteners.
Reader's Guide
The fuselage is notable for its structural evolution from wood and fabric to all-metal and composite materials. The article describes several structural types: truss, geodesic, monocoque, and semi-monocoque. Geodesic construction proved light, strong, and rigid, and could survive localized damage without catastrophic failure due to its redundant structure. Monocoque and semi-monocoque are referred to as 'stressed skin' structures, where all or a portion of external load is taken by the surface covering, and all load from internal pressurization is carried as skin tension. The choice between these types is dictated by dimensions, strength, elasticity of available components, and whether a design is intended to be 'self jigging'. Modern composite fuselages, such as on the Boeing 787, enable higher pressurization levels and larger windows for passenger comfort, as well as lower weight to reduce operating costs. The article also notes that some aircraft, like flying wings, have no separate fuselage, while others use the fuselage to generate lift, as in lifting body designs or the blended wing body approach.
Did You Know?
- The word 'fuselage' comes from the French fuselé, meaning 'spindle-shaped'.
- The Boeing 787 fuselage weighs 1,500 lb (680 kg) less than if it were all-aluminum.
- Cockpit windshields on the Airbus A320 must withstand bird strikes up to 350 kn (650 km/h).
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