Editing Monocoque (section)

{{Short description|Structural design that supports loads through an object's external skin}}
[[File:Deperdussin Monocoque (MAE).JPG|thumb|upright=1.14|[[Deperdussin Monocoque]], with wooden shell construction]]

'''Monocoque''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɒ|n|ə|k|ɒ|k|,_|-|k|oʊ|k}} {{respell|MON|ə|ko(h)k}}), also called '''structural skin''', is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a [[French language|French]] term for "single shell".<ref>Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2011</ref>

First used for boats,<ref name=french>{{cite web
|  url=https://www.motorcycleclassics.com/more-classic-motorcycles/1930-majestic-zm0z18mjzhur//
|  last=Garson
|  first= Paul
|  title=Art Deco on Wheels: 1930 Majestic
|  magazine=[[Motorcycle Classics]]
|  access-date=October 6, 2018
|  date= May–June 2018
}}</ref> a true monocoque carries both tensile and compressive forces within the skin and can be recognised by the absence of a load-carrying internal frame. Few metal aircraft other than those with milled skins can strictly be regarded as pure monocoques, as they use a metal shell or sheeting reinforced with frames riveted to the skin, but most wooden aircraft are described as monocoques, even though they also incorporate frames.

By contrast, a [[semi-monocoque]] is a hybrid combining a tensile [[stressed skin]] and a compressive structure made up of [[longeron|longerons and ribs or frames]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics Airframe Handbook (Publication AC65-15A) |year=1976 |publisher=US Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Standards Division |location=Washington, DC |page=4 |isbn=0-16-036209-1}}</ref> Other semi-monocoques, not to be confused with true monocoques, include vehicle [[Vehicle frame#Unibody|unibodies]], which tend to be composites, and [[inflatable|inflatable shells]] or [[balloon tank]]s, both of which are pressure stabilised.