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Wood is fragile material and under overpressure it breaking. Metal is a viscous material and it was deformed, but not breaking.
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This simply isn't true, Adwark. Or at least, it isn't true in the context of aircraft construction. If you overstress an airframe it may deform, or it may break up, depending on the particular circumstances, but there is nothing inherent in the properties of a properly-designed wooden structure that makes break-up more likely. In fact a properly-bonded wooden structure may do better than a rivited metal airframe in this context.
Modern aircraft construction is making increasing use of composites, which have more in common with wood in terms of structural properties than they do with metals - wood is a 'natural composite', the result of millions of years of natural selection.
As for wood being 'a fragile material', have you ever seen what happens if you drive a car into a tree?
04-29-2010, 04:09 PM
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