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Re:Why Airplane Wings Oscillate in Turbulence by qbrass on Sunday November 15, 2015 @11:19AM (#10569983)
If the wings were stiff, the forces that would normally deflect the wings would be transferred into the cabin.
Re:Why Airplane Wings Oscillate in Turbulence by zwiteof on Sunday November 15, 2015 @12:00PM (#10570155)
No, the forces are transferred to the fuselage in any case. If they weren't, the wing wouldn't be bending relative to the cabin, it would just experience rigid body motion instead.
Re:Why Airplane Wings Oscillate in Turbulence by cmsmith on Sunday November 15, 2015 @11:05PM (#10572559)
Not quite true. As long as the frequency of the dynamic load isn't too slow relative to the natural period of the wing, then not all of that force has to be resisted by the wing connection. That's why wings are flexible, why we put shock absorbers in cars, and why flexible buildings can be designed for lower seismic loads.