Toobuilder
Well Known Member
Just doing some pondering, and the lower horizontal member between the two lower engine mount ears is in the way of something I want to do. In considering a redesign of this member I cracked open some text on truss analysis and quickly came to the possibility that once the mount is attached to the fuselage it becomes a "statically indeterminate" structure, and this particular member is actually under no load. The mount ears and the tops of the gear leg sockets seem to resolve to the structure without this tube - therefore the "redesign" is irrelevant - removal is the prudent action.
I have not done the math on this yet, but before I do (or break out the sawzall), has anyone done the numbers on this mount? The RV-4 mount does not feature this cross tube and the load paths are the same (different magnitude, of course).
Is this tube a holdover from fabrication, perhaps required to keep the dynafocal ring true during welding?
Any thoughts on the purpose of this single tube and the load path it satisfies?
I have not done the math on this yet, but before I do (or break out the sawzall), has anyone done the numbers on this mount? The RV-4 mount does not feature this cross tube and the load paths are the same (different magnitude, of course).
Is this tube a holdover from fabrication, perhaps required to keep the dynafocal ring true during welding?
Any thoughts on the purpose of this single tube and the load path it satisfies?
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