This document is intended to provide general structural engineering guidance for the development of metallic and fiber composite aircraft parts.
This book is not an academic textbook and does not show the mathematical theory used to derive the methods unless they add utility to the method shown. There are many fine books that provide that information. This book is a collection of practical stress analysis methods and tools; the aim is to give useful numerical methods for basic sizing that will give an engineer the means to carry out an analysis with confidence.
All methods in this document have been either cited from public domain sources or derived from first principles. Every effort has been made to cite sources and the reader is encouraged to use the links to examine the sources for a broader understanding and potential limitations of the particular method.
There are direct links to spreadsheet analysis files throughout the text. The spreadsheets have been developed by myself and others who work for and with me. Special thanks are due to Jerzy Krolikowski. Jerzy developed a set of analysis sheets for me while we both worked at Diamond Aircraft in London, Ontario, Canada. Jerzy’s approach to analysis spreadsheets provided some of the inspiration for the analysis tools we produce. Sometimes the best teaching method is just to show that something can be done.