Editing Monocoque (section)

== Aircraft ==
[[File:LFG Roland C.II LRQ.jpg|thumb|LFG Roland C.II with wooden ''Wickelrumpf'' monocoque fuselage]]
[[File:Zeppelin-Lindau (Do) D.I.jpg|thumb|Zeppelin D.I, the first production all-metal monocoque aircraft]]
Early aircraft were constructed using frames, typically of [[wood]] or [[steel]] tubing, which could then be covered (or ''skinned'') with fabric<ref>Megson, 1972, p.198</ref> such as [[Irish linen]] or [[cotton]].<ref name="WWI Brit">Robertson, 1996, pp. 1–2</ref> The fabric made a minor structural contribution in tension but none in compression and was there for aerodynamic reasons only. By considering the structure as a whole and not just the sum of its parts, monocoque construction integrated the skin and frame into a single load-bearing shell with significant improvements to strength and weight.

To make the shell, thin strips of wood were laminated into a three dimensional shape; a technique adopted from boat hull construction. One of the earliest examples was the [[Deperdussin Monocoque]] racer in 1912, which used a laminated fuselage made up of three layers of glued poplar veneer, which provided both the external skin and the main load-bearing structure.<ref name="ReferenceA">Aeronautics, 1912, p. 112</ref> This also produced a smoother surface and reduced drag so effectively that it was able to win most of the races it was entered into.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

This style of construction was further developed in Germany by [[Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft|LFG Roland]] using the patented ''Wickelrumpf'' (wrapped hull) form later licensed by them to [[Pfalz Flugzeugwerke]] who used it on several fighter aircraft. Each half of the fuselage shell was formed over a male mold using two layers of plywood strips with fabric wrapping between them. The early plywood used was prone to damage from moisture and delamination.<ref>FAA, 2001, p. 1.2</ref>

While all-metal aircraft such as the [[Junkers J 1]] had appeared as early as 1915, these were not monocoques but added a metal skin to an underlying framework.

The first metal monocoques were built by [[Claudius Dornier]], while working for Zeppelin-Lindau.<ref name="Terry, 1981, pp.97–117">Terry, 1981, pp. 97–117</ref> He had to overcome a number of problems, not least was the quality of aluminium alloys strong enough to use as structural materials, which frequently formed layers instead of presenting a uniform material.<ref name="Terry, 1981, pp.97–117"/> After failed attempts with several large flying boats in which a few components were monocoques, he built the [[Zeppelin-Lindau V1]] to test out a monocoque fuselage. Although it crashed, he learned a lot from its construction. The [[Dornier-Zeppelin D.I]] was built in 1918 and although too late for operational service during the war was the first all metal monocoque aircraft to enter production.<ref name="Terry, 1981, pp.97–117"/><ref>Grosz, 1998</ref>

In parallel to Dornier, Zeppelin also employed [[Rohrbach Metall-Flugzeugbau|Adolf Rohrbach]], who built the [[Zeppelin-Staaken E-4/20]], which when it flew in 1920<ref>Haddow, Grosz, 1988 pp. 289–293</ref> became the first multi-engined monocoque airliner, before being destroyed under orders of the Inter-Allied Commission. At the end of WWI, the Inter-Allied Technical Commission published details of the last [[Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.IV|Zeppelin-Lindau flying boat]] showing its monocoque construction. In the UK, [[Oswald Short]] built a number of experimental aircraft with metal monocoque fuselages starting with the 1920 [[Short Silver Streak]] in an attempt to convince the air ministry of its superiority over wood. Despite advantages, aluminium alloy monocoques would not become common until the mid 1930s as a result of a number of factors, including design conservatism and production setup costs. Short would eventually prove the merits of the construction method with a series of flying boats, whose metal hulls didn't absorb water as the wooden hulls did, greatly improving performance. In the United States, Northrop was a major pioneer, introducing techniques used by his own company and Douglas with the [[Northrop Alpha]].