Bulkhead

Bulkhead
A former within the fuselage used as internal support for longerons, sheet sides, stringers and so on.

Bulkhead. A solid partition which is used to isolate one part of a structure from another. Used particularly with regard to the Fireproof Bulkhead behind an aero engine.

BULKHEAD SEATS: A bulkhead is a dividing wall in an airplane that separates one section from another. The bulkhead seats are those placed immediately behind this divider.

Once you have your hull shape you have to select to provide inner strength to your craft by ribs ( as well known in boat building as bulkheads) or just wooden supports.

MONOCOQUE - Type of fuselage design with little or no internal bracing other than bulkheads, where the outer skin bears the main stresses; usually round or oval in cross-section.

The rigid airship, because of its bulkhead system, in which the lifting gas is carried in 16 to 20 cells, has a much greater safety factor than the types in which the gas is carried in only one or two containers.

For a good look at the PA-28's semi-monocoque construction, remove the panel on the rear bulkhead that separates the baggage compartment from the aft fuselage.

Interior rear-end of the main passenger level on an Airbus A340, showing the rear bulkhead as well as a doorway opening
Rough Boeing 747 interior airframe
The fuselage can be short, and seemingly unaerodynamic, as in this Christen Eagle ...

With most kit aircraft the large airfoils will be partially completed and you will simply be required to construct ribs, bulkheads, etc. and glue them in place. These foams are easily cut with a knife or saw. DO NOT HOT-WIRE URETHANE FOAMS.

Bay - Any specific compartment in the body of the aircraft. It may also refer to a portion of a truss, or fuselage, between adjacent bulkheads, struts or frame positions.

Semi-monocoque literally means half a single shell. Here, internal braces as well as the skin itself carry the stress (see figure 1-4). The internal braces include longitudinal (lengthwise) members called stringers and vertical bulkhead.

For this reason, aluminum alloys are used for cowl rings, fuselage and wing skin, and formed or extruded parts, such as ribs, spars, and bulkheads. Chrome-molybdenum steel is also easily formed into desired shapes.

See also: Flight, Aircraft, Structure, Aviation, Fuselage