PaulvS
Well Known Member
Bulging Bulkheads and Alignment Details
The fuselage (in the jig) bulkheads bulge outward slightly, by about 1/8 inch, between the back of the baggage compartment and the tail end. This is causing some difficulty in getting the two main side skins to fit properly, because the outward bulge is causing waviness along the edge of the lower curved portion of the skin (the part of the skin that curves over the belly skin) and it won't sit flat.
Does anyone here recall having this problem in getting the side skins to fit? I've searched the forums without any result. The Matronics RV list has some old discussion which mentions that Vans changed bulkheads F-607 and F-608 to deliberately introduce a bulge to accommodate a slight bow in the skin that was caused in the manufacturing process. This was to reduce oil canning, but I have the opposite problem = waviness.
My inclination is to modify and reduce the width of the offending bulkheads so as to make the sides of the fuselage flat, but I don't want to do this if it is not necessary.
Thankyou if someone knows the answer!
The fuselage (in the jig) bulkheads bulge outward slightly, by about 1/8 inch, between the back of the baggage compartment and the tail end. This is causing some difficulty in getting the two main side skins to fit properly, because the outward bulge is causing waviness along the edge of the lower curved portion of the skin (the part of the skin that curves over the belly skin) and it won't sit flat.
Does anyone here recall having this problem in getting the side skins to fit? I've searched the forums without any result. The Matronics RV list has some old discussion which mentions that Vans changed bulkheads F-607 and F-608 to deliberately introduce a bulge to accommodate a slight bow in the skin that was caused in the manufacturing process. This was to reduce oil canning, but I have the opposite problem = waviness.
My inclination is to modify and reduce the width of the offending bulkheads so as to make the sides of the fuselage flat, but I don't want to do this if it is not necessary.
Thankyou if someone knows the answer!
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