video record
Media not available in the Digital Archive
Description
This programme is concerned with the background to Concorde, in particular some of the problems that occur when designing and building an airliner for supersonic flight.
Metadata describing this Open University video programme
Module code and title: TS251, An introduction to materials
Item code: TS251; 15
First transmission date: 08-09-1973
Published: 1973
Rights Statement:
Restrictions on use:
Duration: 00:24:00
+ Show more...
Producer: Barrie Whatley
Contributors: Julian Amery; George Edwards; Nick Reid
Publisher: BBC Open University
Keyword(s): Airframe stress; Assembly; Concorde; Kinetic heating; Pioneering design; Stress and fatigue; Wing design
Footage description: Several shots of Concorde taking off, in flight and landing. Several shots of the de Havilland Comet airliner in flight. Cornmentary discusses the design and building problems it ran into. Shot of Frank Whittle discussing the merits of Comet. More shots of Comet on ground and in flight. Shot of a Boeing 707 in flight. Shots of several supersonic British fighter aircraft. Shots of British V-Bombers in flight. The cornmentary discusses the experience needed to produce a large civil supersonic aircraft. Shot of Concorde in flight. Shot of the American B-70 Valkerie supersonic bomber in flight. Shot of Vickers VC-10 airliner landing. Shot of model of Concorde in wind tunnel. Sir George Edwards, chairman of BAC, discusses the problems of designing a supersonic transport aircraft without much experience in the field. Several shots of BAC testing machinery. Airframe stress problem introduced. Shot of a fighter aircraft making a low level pass. Drawing of Concorde. The forces acting on the airframe are shown. Problem of drag introduced and the resultant shock-waves shown in an animated diagram. Windtunnel shots of a model aircraft show the formation of shock waves created by drag. An animated diagram of aircraft passing over ground shows the Shockwave and sonic boom at supersonic speed. Animated diagram of axipnolecules moving across the shock wave shows the reason for sonic boom. Shot of RAF Lightning with afterburner cut in. Shots of Concorde in flight. Commentary discusses the effect of altitude on drag. Shot of Concorde landing. Shot of Concorde taking off. Commentary discusses the payload to fuel to aircraft weight ratio. Shots of Concorde, then the Fairy Delta in flight. Shot of B-70 Valkerie landing. Shot of Handley-Page 115 delta wing research aircraft. Commentary discusses the design characteristics of a supersonic airliner. Shot of wind tunnel test of delta wing mock-up. Shots of BAC 221 research aircraft (Delta wing) taking off and in flight. Commentary explains how the delta wing concept was tested in these research aircraft. Shot of an all steel and titanium research aircraft the 188. Commentary explains the problems of using steel and titanium for the airframe. Shot of Concorde on ground. Commentary begins discussion of the temperature problems in the Concorde airframe. Shots of Concorde taking off. A graph plots distance and altitude of a typical Concorde trip from London to New York. Temperatures of the airframe due to friction are shown. Diagram of the Concorde airframe shows distribution of temperature during supersonic flight. Animated diagram of fuselage cross-section shows the effect of high skin temperature on the internal structure. Shots of internal fuselage showing how the stress problems there are overcome. Commentary explains. Shots of metal, sheets for the forward fuselage skin being formed by stretching to the desired shape. Shot of stiffners being rivetted to the skin sheets and sheets being rivetted into place. Commentary explains the drawbacks of rivetting in airframes. Shots of machined plate, an alternative to a rivetted skin. Commentary explains the advantages of machined plate. Shots of machined plate manufacturing process. Tape controlled milling machines are used. Shots of machined plate being bent in a press to conform to fuselage shape. Shots of the roughly shaped section being shot-beamed to achieve fine shaping. Commentary and animated diagram explain the process. Shots of hot fuselage plates being quenched in water. Commentary does not give reason for this process. Shots of quenched plates being stretched. Commentary does not give reason. Shots of Concorde being assembled as sections made in France are joined to British made section and vice-versa. Commentary by Julian Amery, ex-minister for Aerospace, discusses this achievement in Anglo-French co-operation and tells why it was important to go ahead with Concorde. Shots of Concorde taxi-ing and then taking off.
Master spool number: 6HT/71160
Production number: 00525_5041
Videofinder number: 1567
Available to public: no