Re: painted lozenge and ribs question

Don Rinker (drinker@fast.net)
Fri, 12 Jan 96 16:12 EST

On Fri, 12 Jan 1996, djones@iex.com (Douglas R. Jones) wrote:
>>Usually, the "rib tapes" were sown on to the fabric covering the ribs
>>to keep the lozenge "adheared". "Rib tapes" were also added to the
>>leading edge of the wing to "sew together" the upper and lower
>>fabric.
>
>I have to disagree here. In my experience the rib tapes and glued on. On a
>wing the fabric is sewn on. The stiches provide anchors for the fabric to
>the ribs. My guess is that this also could be a plce where the fabric could
>eventually tear from the pressure of the wind. So the rib tapes are applied
>by doping them down to preven the wind from catching in the fabric and
>ripping it. Tapes are applied anywhere there is a seam, generally. There are
>some exceptions to this. The fabric for fuselages generally on the sides or
>bottom isn't taped. By it appears to me that these places used a courser
>thread and the fabric is folded over and doubled for added strength. This
>provided easy access to the interior of the fuse to allow for maintenance of
>cables etc.

Doug is right on here. The rip tapes are for covering overlapping joints,
reinforcing at wear or stress areas, and covering the knots from fabric
being stiched to ribs. Im the stiched areas, it's mainly to streamline
and weatherproof that area.

>
>>I have not seen - nor do I know of any - planes with rib tapes
>>"stitched" between the "demarcation" of the strips of fabric - at
>>least not on the 45 degree. Chances are they were stitched on the
>>"parallel to the ribs" demarcation, only because the "demarcations"
>>sometimes (all the time?) landed on ribs.

This is one of those, sometimes, type answers. Many times the fabric
will be laid out, a sewn together on a machine, and have a "sail ' type
overlapping of the adjoining pieces. Then thi is double stiched with
a sail type stitch.

Very rarely, espcially on planes that had a long seam parallel to the
span, this would get a rib tape.

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