Read these definitions and remember them

Longeron – a main longitudinal member of the fuselage

Rivet – a metal pin that is inserted into holes in larger parts to be joined, and then

compressed to produce a permanent fastening

Skin – a material which covers the structure of an airplane

Airframe– the basis structure of a plane, including fuselage, wings and so on .

Bulkhead – an upright partition that serves to divide the airplane into compartments

and to provide structural strength.

Stringer – a longitudinal member that shapes and strengthens the skin.

Vocabulary Focus

Give your own definitions for the words from the text.

Crew, fuel, payload, wheel well, assembly, to rivet, aerodynamic load.

A) Check if you know the meaning of the following verbs.

To space, to resist, to reinforce, to rely, to depend, to divide, to cover, to derive.

b) Think of other nouns they can go with. Make up your own sentences with the verbs from a).

3. Match the synonyms. Watch out! There is an extra word in the column B.

A B

cover pressure

derive strengthen

divide contain

reinforce split

resist frame

bulkhead shield

bay withstand

assembly obtain

stress compartment

house basis

unit

In the text, find the words with the meaning opposite to these words.

Started; flexible; different; broken; insufficient; weak; simplify; inner.

Choose the best alternative to fill the gaps in these sentences.

1. The main _______ members, longerons, provide the basis of the fuselage strength.

a) transverse b) longitudinal c) solid

2. Both the monocoque and semimonocoque fuselage structures are referred to as

_______ construction.

a) monolithic b) welded c) stressed-skin

3. The designer’s task is _____ by the presence doors, windows, wheel wells, etc.

a) complicated b) improved c) simplified

4. The _____ type fuselage consists of a welded tubular structure covered with skin.

a) monocoque b) girder c) truss

5. _____ are solid or semisolid members placed where greater stresses ocuur.

a) stringers b) bulkheads c) longerons

6. Longerons and stringers are _____ to the skin and they carry the main portion of the

load.

a) welded b) bolted c) riveted

Speaking

Work in group. Imagine that your team is to design a new business airplane for 10 passengers. What type of fuselage answers this purpose best of all? Give your reasons. Compare different types of fuselage structure and give pros and cons of using your choice.

Writing

1. Translate in a written form.

In aircraft, a V-tail (sometimes called a "butterfly tail") is an unconventional arrangement of the tail control surfaces that replaces the traditional fin and horizontal surfaces with two surfaces set in a V-shaped configuration when viewed from the front or rear of the aircraft. The rear of each surface is hinged, and these movable sections combine the tasks of the elevators and rudder. The V-tail has not been a popular choice for aircraft manufacturers.

With fewer surfaces than a conventional tail, the V-tail is lighter and produces less drag. The air flowing over the tail surfaces is also likely to be less turbulent. A V-tail tends to reflect radar at an angle that reduces the return signal, making the aircraft harder to detect. This is an advantage for military aircraft.

Combining the pitch and yaw controls is difficult and requires a more complex control system. The V-tail arrangement also places greater stress on the rear fuselage when pitching and yawing.

In aircraft a T-tail is an arrangement of the tail control surfaces with the horizontal surfaces (tailplane and elevators) mounted to the top of the fin, rather than the more common location on the fuselage at the base of the fin. The resulting arrangement looks like a T when viewed from the front or back, hence the name.

There are pros and cons to this arrangement.

The tailplane surfaces are kept well out of the airflow behind the wing, giving smoother flow, more predictable design characteristics.

The effective distance between wing and tailplane can be increased without a significant increase in the weight of the aircraft.

The tail surfaces are mounted well out of the way of the rear fuselage, permitting this site to be used for the aircraft's engines. This is why the T-tail arrangement is also commonly found on airliners with rear-mounted engines.

The fin must be made considerably stronger and stiffer to support the forces generated by the tailplane. Unless expensive composite materials are used, this inevitably makes it heavier as well.

UNIT 11

Preparing to Read

Power Plant

Work in pairs. Give a definition of a power plant. Suggest various areas of application for power plants.

Write down 10 words that may be related to the topic.

Reading

Read the text and match the English words with their Russian counterparts.

1. piston a. воздушный винт

2. connecting rod b. цилиндр

3. propeller c. транспортное средство

4. heat exchanger d. шатун

5. crankshaft e. ракетное топливо

6. exhaust f. поршень

7. vehicle g. коленчатый вал

8. cylinder h. теплообменник

9. propellant i. выхлоп

Power Plant

A. One of the most essential parts of any known airplane is its power plant. The aircraft power plant must be more reliable than a power plant used for any other purposes because heavier-than-air machines maintain flight only as long as the power plant functions properly.

B. For the first forty years of powered flight the piston engine was used almost exclusively as it could produce power enough to develop a higher speed compared with other types of engine then existing.

C. Nowadays there are many types of engines in use for various purposes. These engines have one thing in common. The energy is derived from a chemical reaction which takes place inside the engine itself. Therefore all the engines used in aircraft can be classed as internal combustion engines. In general, internal combustion engines may be divided into piston and jet engines.

D. The term "internal combustion piston engines" refers to engines in which air and gasoline are burnt inside the metal cylinders and which drive a rotating crankshaft by means of a piston and connecting rods. Since much heat is produced when the gasoline mixture burns or explodes, some means must be provided to carry away the excessive heat. According to the cooling system employed the piston engines may be classed as air-cooled and liquid-cooled engines.

E. The conventional piston engines are not suitable for speeds in excess of 500 miles per hour because of propeller limitations. It was necessary to develop power plants without propellers in order to drive airplanes at sonic and supersonic speeds. The modem trend in aircraft power plants is towards jet propulsion primarily because of the increased speeds and great heights possible with jet engines.

F. The term "jet engine" refers to any jet-propulsion device which utilizes air from the atmosphere and together with the combustion of a fuel produces the jet for propulsion. The operating principle is to induct air into the unit, to increase its pressure, to heat it to a high temperature by the combustion of a fuel and then eject the heated air with a high velocity.

G. Thermal jet engines may be classified into three main groups: the ramjet, the pulsejet, and the turbojet. A number of subdivisions and variations can be made to these main types. For example, jet engines may have a propeller. The combination of a turbine and a propeller is known as a turboprop. The combination of a turbine and a fan is a turbofan engine.

H. The other device that operates on jet principle is the rocket. Rocket engine is a device which is form jet engine in which all propellants forming the propulsive jet are within the vehicle itself. This is the essential difference between the rocket engine and the turbojets, which rely on atmospheric air to provide its exhaust mass. When used in a vacuum the rocket engine can maintain its thrust as well, and so provide a possible means of propulsion for interplanetary vehicles. Another characteristic of the rocket engine is its ability to provide very high thrust for the small size and weight of a vehicle.

I. The range of jet-propelled planes and rockets is limited by one thing - the weight of fuel that has to be carried. That limitation disappears when the fuel is atomic energy. The problem is to use atomic energy as a source of power. Two of the main problems connected with the use of atomic energy in aircraft are the design of efficient heat exchanger and the development of light shielding material to protect the crew from radiation.