🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <7qh67h$rpf@dfw-ixnews10.ix.netcom.com>, Merlin Dorfman
<dorfman@netcom9.netcom.com> wrote:

> In ca.general Steve Hix <sehix@macol.net> wrote:
> 
> : The problem model suffered from metal fatigue, with cracks concentrating
> : at the corners of (squarish) passenger windows. Eventual failure
> : led to massive depressurization, as there was nothing to stop cracks
> : once they began propogation.
> 
> : Took a while to figure out why they were dropping from the sky.
> : I seems that no previous airliner went through so many pressure
> : cycles in such a short period of time. (One of the problems of
> : being a pioneer...)
> 
>      And also because, in order to reduce structural weight to the
> point where the very early jet engines (DeHavallind Ghost?) could
> provide enough thrust to get the airplane off the ground, a very
> light and strong, but brittle, aluminum alloy was used.  This alloy
> propagated cracks that began, IIRC, around the little window that
> was used for star sightings.

And they failed to provide any structure to stop cracks once formed
from propogating.

As mentioned before, it was not a problem that had come up before

If you read about the development of the Bristol Brabazon, if it
had gone into service, it might have failed in the same way before
the Comet...assuming the wings had stayed on. (They designed it
assuming that the lower stratosphere was extremely calm, so very
light structure to improve range/payload...fatigue cracks early
on the prototype.)