Wing Failure Link

[Machinbird]

While looking for one thing, I found something else interesting. Someone has given some serious thought to Dr I and Nieuport 28 wing failures and come to interesting conclusions. See this link for the scoop (also known as "the gouge" in a certain community of aviators). http://www.aviation-history.com/theory/dr1wing.htmThere may be some useful nuggets here for current replica builders.
I only hope that this is new news to the forum.

[stephenl]

Thanks for the Article! It seems I have read that before. What it did was spark a question I have had in the back of my mind. I have seen photo's of 94th & 95th aero pilots standing next to their machines minus the fabric on the top wing. It is well documented that this was a problem, but it made me wonder. While researching the 27th Aero I did not run across any discussions and or issues with its Pilots having this problem. Since this was not the focus of my research I may have missed it. Surprisingly though, I never came across anything stating that it was an issue with this particular squadron. Since most of the N.28's were inherited from the 94th into the 27th I would suspect this to occur again or was this problem modified and corrected in the field before the 27th received the N.28's?

Maybe Stephen Skinner will have an answer?

Regards

Stephen L.

[jumpinjan]

The top leading edge failure of the top wing is well known, but he points to the next occurrence (which I never thought about) of the instant & adverse "ram-air" filling of the inside wing envelope (just like the parafoil parachutes). That would be a tremendous amount of stagnation pressure against the rest of the fabric & rib structure. That instant pressure spike would happen so fast, like in a dive, I could see the whole top wing just explode & fabric & ribs just ripped apart.
You replica builders & designers take note and possibly add a few top wing stringers to help transmit the load off the fabric (as an example).