🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <37CACF0A.ABF2232C@bellsouth.net>, "M. W. Eglestone"
<smsmike@bellsouth.net> wrote:

> Ron Miller wrote:
> 
> > Wasn't it Boeing that did some kind of demo about the early 707 that
showed how
> > they could puncture the fuselage and they had a form of 'rip stop'
> > construction that prevented catastrophic propagation of the tear?
> > (direct design response to the Comet problems).
> > 
> > Mr. Eglestone has my undivided attention as to his answer. (he has
> > knowlege and is on MY side of the agenda so I tend to trust his
> > description of what might happen. I would not have guessed that
> > aircraft skinning was brittle).
> <=======================================>
> 
>  MWE: As for Boeing Aircraft, I have no idea what they did with the
> old Comet.

Nothing. The Comets were DeHavilland designs.

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...)