Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 July 2016
The temperature distribution and thermal stresses are calculated in a configuration consisting of a cylindrical fuselage shell with bulkheads or frames. It is shown that at supersonic speeds thermal stresses are set up in a conventional fuselage structure as a result of the bulkhead restraint against circumferential expansion of the fuselage skin. The thermal stresses due to restraint by fuselage frames are usually less severe. The relative merits of various combinations of materials for the skin and the bulkhead diaphragm are discussed. Furthermore, the possibility of the use of light alloy bulkheads to alleviate thermal stresses is investigated. Diagrams are given for calculating maximum thermal stresses and stress-time variation for various rates of heat input in the fuselage skin due to aerodynamic heating.