Editing Former

{{Short description|Manufacturing tools used to give form to a malleable object}}

A '''former''' is an object, such as a template, [[Gauge block|gauge]] or [[cutting]] [[Die (manufacturing)|die]], which is used to form something such as a [[boat]]'s [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]].  Typically, a former gives shape to a structure that may have complex [[curvature]].

A former may become an integral part of the finished structure, as in an aircraft [[fuselage]], or it may be removable, being used in the construction process and then discarded or re-used.

==Aircraft formers==
[[File:f16 frames small.jpg|thumb|Interior of an F-16B with the engine removed showing frames or formers]]
Formers are used in the construction of aircraft [[fuselage]], of which a typical fuselage has a series from the [[nose cone]] to the [[empennage]], typically perpendicular to the [[Flight control surfaces#Longitudinal_axis|longitudinal axis]] of the aircraft.  The primary purpose of formers is to establish the shape of the fuselage and reduce the column length of stringers to prevent instability.<ref>Michael C. Y. Niu (1988). ''Airframe Structural Design''. Conmilit Press LTD. pp. 376.</ref>  Formers are typically attached to [[longeron]]s, which support the skin of the aircraft.

The "former-and-longeron" technique (also called stations and stringers) was adopted from [[boat building|boat construction]],<ref>[https://timwestonboats.com Boat builder site]</ref> and was typical of [[light aircraft]] built until the advent of [[structural skin]]s, such as [[fiberglass]] and other [[composite material]]s. Many of today's light aircraft, and [[homebuilt aircraft]]<ref> ... such as the [[ARV Super2]]</ref> in particular, are still designed in this way.

==Disposable formers==
[[File:Brady 45' catamaran - formers.jpg|thumb|Plywood formers awaiting the application of strip planks on a strip-built catamaran.]]
A former may instead be a temporary shape over which a structure is built, the former subsequently being discarded in whole or part, as follows:
*[[Strip-built]] boat construction uses formers over which thin plank strips are applied and glued.<ref>[https://www.glen-l.com/methods/methdstr.html Boat building with strip planking]</ref> In some cases, some of the formers may be incorporated as structural ribs.
* In [[civil engineering]], [[Bridge|bridge building]], and [[architecture]], arches may be built upon a wooden former, which is removed once the [[Keystone (architecture)|keystone]] is securely in place.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Boat building]]
[[Category:Aircraft components]]


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