GESchwarz
Well-Known Member
I understand the advantage of being able to remove a tank from the wing in order to maximize access to all surfaces and joints in the event of a leak. My question is, how likely am I to need to repair a fuel leak on an all-aluminum wing tank, if I do a good job of sealing during the original assembly, is it possible that I will never have a leak thereafter?
I want to make a "wet-wing" beginning a couple feet outboard of the wing root, between the two spars, extending outboard through about 4 or 5 ribs. What problems might I have during the life of the airplane with this design? A "wet-wing" is defined as a fuel tank that is composed of the structural airframe members themselves; it is an integral part of the airframe. This type of tank is lighter than having a separate tank assembly that is not part of the structural airframe.
One advantage of the separate tank assembly is that it is somewhat isolated from the distortion of an integral tank, and thus is less likey to develop a leak due to such flexing or distortion.
Also, what do we know about the danger or incidences associated wth fuel stored forward of the main wing spar, in the event of a crash or other encounter with objects impacting the leading edge?
I want to make a "wet-wing" beginning a couple feet outboard of the wing root, between the two spars, extending outboard through about 4 or 5 ribs. What problems might I have during the life of the airplane with this design? A "wet-wing" is defined as a fuel tank that is composed of the structural airframe members themselves; it is an integral part of the airframe. This type of tank is lighter than having a separate tank assembly that is not part of the structural airframe.
One advantage of the separate tank assembly is that it is somewhat isolated from the distortion of an integral tank, and thus is less likey to develop a leak due to such flexing or distortion.
Also, what do we know about the danger or incidences associated wth fuel stored forward of the main wing spar, in the event of a crash or other encounter with objects impacting the leading edge?
