Wet wing
Encyclopedia
A wet wing is an aerospace engineering
technique where an aircraft's wing
structure is sealed and used as a fuel tank
. By eliminating the need for fuel bladder
s, aircraft can weigh less and the wing root bending moment caused by the lift generated by the wings in flight is decreased. This offers further reduction in weight by allowing structural components to be designed lighter as the components do not need to support larger forces.
Wet wings are common among most civilian designs, from large transport aircraft, such as airliner
s, to small general aviation
aircraft. Because the tanks are an integral part of the structure, they cannot be removed, and require access panels for routine maintenance and visual inspections.
A disadvantage of the wet wing is that every rivet, bolt and nutplate, hose and/or tubing that penetrates the wing must be sealed to prevent fuel leaking or seeping around these hardware components. This sealant must allow for expansion and contraction due to rapid temperature changes (i.e when cold fuel is pumped into a warm wing tank) and must retain its sealing properties when submerged in fuel and when left dry for long periods of time. Working with this sealant can be difficult and replacing old sealant inside a small wing tank can be even worse if the old sealant needs to be removed as well before new sealant can be applied.
Aerospace engineering
Aerospace engineering is the primary branch of engineering concerned with the design, construction and science of aircraft and spacecraft. It is divided into two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering...
technique where an aircraft's wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
structure is sealed and used as a fuel tank
Fuel tank
A fuel tank is safe container for flammable fluids. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine system in which the fuel is stored and propelled or released into an engine...
. By eliminating the need for fuel bladder
Fuel bladder
Fuel bladders or fuel storage bladders are collapsible, flexible storage bladders that provide temporary or long term storage for industrial liquids . These pillow shaped tanks are designed for large volume liquid transport, industrial chemicals, potable water, sludge, and fuel storage...
s, aircraft can weigh less and the wing root bending moment caused by the lift generated by the wings in flight is decreased. This offers further reduction in weight by allowing structural components to be designed lighter as the components do not need to support larger forces.
Wet wings are common among most civilian designs, from large transport aircraft, such as airliner
Airliner
An airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft for transporting passengers and cargo. Such aircraft are operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an aircraft intended for carrying multiple passengers in commercial...
s, to small general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
aircraft. Because the tanks are an integral part of the structure, they cannot be removed, and require access panels for routine maintenance and visual inspections.
A disadvantage of the wet wing is that every rivet, bolt and nutplate, hose and/or tubing that penetrates the wing must be sealed to prevent fuel leaking or seeping around these hardware components. This sealant must allow for expansion and contraction due to rapid temperature changes (i.e when cold fuel is pumped into a warm wing tank) and must retain its sealing properties when submerged in fuel and when left dry for long periods of time. Working with this sealant can be difficult and replacing old sealant inside a small wing tank can be even worse if the old sealant needs to be removed as well before new sealant can be applied.
See also
- Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101Chalk's Ocean Airways flight 101Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 was an aircraft crash that occurred off Miami Beach, Florida, in the United States on December 19, 2005. All 20 passengers and crew on board the 1947 Grumman G-73T Turbine Mallard died in the crash, which was attributed to metal fatigue on the starboard wing...