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38-619: The RT1 used a monocoque chassis, covered in a fiberglass body. This meant it was very light, weighing only 1,100 lb (500 kg). It was powered by a 1.6 L (98 cu in) four-cylinder engine , generating 230 hp (170 kW), which droves the rear wheels via a Hewland F.T.200 5-speed manual The first chassis produced by Ralt was the RT1, a simple and versatile car used in Formula 2 , Formula 3 , and Formula Atlantic between 1975 and 1978. In 1975, it won its first success:

76-538: A semi-monocoque is a hybrid combining a tensile stressed skin and a compressive structure made up of longerons and ribs or frames . Other semi-monocoques, not to be confused with true monocoques, include vehicle unibodies , which tend to be composites, and inflatable shells or balloon tanks , both of which are pressure stabilised. Early aircraft were constructed using frames, typically of wood or steel tubing, which could then be covered (or skinned ) with fabric such as Irish linen or cotton . The fabric made

114-661: A triplane adaptation as the D.VI (also known as the Dr.I). The next major design from Roland were parasol monoplane designs, the D.XVI with the Siemens-Halske Sh.III or 170 hp Goebel Goe.IIIa rotary piston engines , and the otherwise similar D.XVII with the inline 185 hp BMW IIIa . Both were entered into the Second Fighter Competition at Adlershof, but lost to the Fokker D.VIII . After

152-514: A combination of castings and sheet-metal stampings". Single-piece carbon fiber bicycle frames are sometimes described as monocoques; however as most use components to form a frame structure (even if molded in a single piece), these are frames not monocoques, and the pedal-cycle industry continues to refer to them as framesets. The P40DC, P42DC and P32ACDM all utilize a monocoque shell. Various rockets have used pressure-stabilized monocoque designs, such as Atlas and Falcon 1 . The Atlas

190-494: A frame. This reduces weight for a given amount of armour. Examples include the German TPz Fuchs and RG-33 . French industrialist and engineer Georges Roy attempted in the 1920s to improve on the bicycle-inspired motorcycle frames of the day, which lacked rigidity. This limited their handling and therefore performance. He applied for a patent in 1926, and at the 1929 Paris Automotive Show unveiled his new motorcycle,

228-406: A fuel tank incorporated into the frame. A monocoque-framed motorcycle was developed by Spanish manufacturer Ossa for the 1967 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season . Although the single-cylinder Ossa had 20 horsepower (15 kW) less than its rivals, it was 45 pounds (20 kg) lighter and its monocoque frame was much stiffer than conventional motorcycle frames , giving it superior agility on

266-413: 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;

304-399: A solid frame. This becomes obvious when internal pressure is lost and the structure collapses. Monocoque tanks can also be cheaper to manufacture than more traditional orthogrids . Blue Origin's upcoming New Glenn launch vehicle will use monocoque construction on its second stage despite the mass penalty in order to reduce the cost of production. This is especially important when the stage

342-556: A supporting framework of wooden formers and longerons . The "wrapping" technique of the long plywood strips for the outer fuselage surface led to this particular technique of manufacture being described in German as the Wickelrumpf (wrapped body) style of construction, and was subsequently patented by the firm, licensing the construction method to Pfalz in 1917 for construction of their own single-seat fighter designs. Although it

380-515: 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. 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. This style of construction

418-563: A uniform material. 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. In parallel to Dornier, Zeppelin also employed Adolf Rohrbach , who built

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456-611: Is expendable , as with the New Glenn second stage. Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft , also referred to as LFG , was a German aircraft manufacturer during World War I . They are best known for their various "Roland" designs, notably the Roland C.II Walfisch (whale), Roland D.II haifisch (Shark) and Roland D.VI , although they also produced a number of airships and many experimental designs. Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft formed on April 30, 1908, from

494-505: Is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, 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,

532-623: The British Secret Service . Their first project was an airship design by August von Parseval , a German airship designer. This entered service as the PL.II in 1910. During World War I , four were delivered to the German Army and Navy. In total some 25 "PL" airships were built, flown and delivered to various customers. The PL-26, one of the last, crashed on landing and burnt inside hangar Luftschiffhalle 2 with no fatalities. For

570-464: 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. 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

608-729: The Zeppelin-Staaken E-4/20 , which when it flew in 1920 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 flying boat showing its monocoque construction. In the UK, Oswald Short built a number of experimental aircraft with metal monocoque fuselages starting with

646-427: 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

684-494: The Aero-D One, featuring a composite monocoque chassis that weighed only 12 kg (26 lb). An aluminium monocoque frame was used for the first time on a mass-produced motorcycle from 2000 on Kawasaki's ZX-12R , their flagship production sportbike aimed at being the fastest production motorcycle . It was described by Cycle World in 2000 as a "monocoque backbone ... a single large diameter beam" and "Fabricated from

722-514: The Art-Deco styled 1930 Majestic. Its new type of monocoque body solved the problems he had addressed, and along with better rigidity it did double-duty, as frame and bodywork provided some protection from the elements. Strictly considered, it was more of a semi-monocoque, as it used a box-section, pressed-steel frame with twin side rails riveted together via crossmembers, along with floor pans and rear and front bulkheads. A Piatti light scooter

760-748: The Formula 3 European Cup, at the hands of Australian racing driver Larry Perkins . In 1976, it won in Formula 2 at the hands of the German-Swedish driver Freddy Kottulinsky at the Nurburgring. She also won the German Formula 3 championship at the hands of Bertram Schäfer . In 1977, it won, with Elio De Angelis , the Italian Formula 3 championship and that of Sweden. In 1978, it won, with Derek Warwick and Nelson Piquet ,

798-537: The assets of an experimental airship engine company located in Bitterfeld , Motorluftschiff Studiengesellscaft (MStG). Additional funding for the new enterprise was provided primarily by Krupp , AEG , and a local chemical company. The company's offices were located in Berlin along with the factory at Adlershof . Manufacture was transferred to Charlottenburg following a fire on 6 September 1916, allegedly caused by

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836-701: The eastern front and in Macedonia. The fuselage to wing gap was further increased in the D.III, but the temperamental 180 hp Argus As.III limited production to only a handful. Six D.IIs were delivered in July 1917 to the Bulgarian Air Force, and six D.IIIs were delivered in May 1918. Although the Wickelrumpf style of wood-structure monocoque fuselage was extremely strong, it was also very difficult and time-consuming to build. A new method of construction

874-424: The poor forward view proved to be a problem. A fire at the factory severely constrained production, and only 20 were built. A newer version with a more conventional layout, the Roland D.II , followed, whose fuselage was reduced in height to leave a gap with the upper wing but was otherwise similar overall. The competing Albatros D.I was preferred, and only about 230 examples were built, which were then mostly used on

912-467: The racetrack. Ossa won four Grands Prix races with the monocoque bike before their rider died after a crash during the 250 cc event at the 1970 Isle of Man TT , causing the Ossa factory to withdraw from Grand Prix competition. Notable designers such as Eric Offenstadt and Dan Hanebrink created unique monocoque designs for racing in the early 1970s. The F750 event at the 1973 Isle of Man TT races

950-713: The rest of the war the hangars were used mostly for repairs of observation balloons . In 1913 LFG started producing new designs under the trade name Roland to avoid confusion with the Luftverkehrsgesellschaft (L.V.G.) firm. In 1916 the company developed a floatplane version of the Albatros C.Ia as the LFG W. Some parts were built in Bitterfeld , but final assembly and checkout was carried out in new factories in Stralsund . Their first successful design

988-417: The revived Can-Am series, where it only managed 1 win, at Mid-Ohio in 1979, and achieved 4 class wins and 2 podium finishes in the series. Monocoque Monocoque ( / ˈ m ɒ n ə k ɒ k , - k oʊ k / 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

1026-439: The two British Formula 3 championships as well as, with Bertram Schäfer, the German, Swedish and European championships in the discipline. Other championships were won by Ralt drivers in 1979 and 1980, in Formula 3, Formula Atlantic, and Formula Super Vee . In Formula Atlantic, the RT1 managed to amass 15 different championships. It was later converted into an enclosed-wheel sports prototype -style car with bodywork, and used in

1064-410: The unibody system (also referred to as unitary construction, unitary body–chassis or body–frame integral construction), in which the body of the vehicle, its floor pan, and chassis form a single structure, while the skin adds relatively little strength or stiffness. Some armoured fighting vehicles use a monocoque structure with a body shell built up from armour plates, rather than attaching them to

1102-528: 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 . In motor racing, the safety of the driver depends on the car body, which must meet stringent regulations, and only a few cars have been built with monocoque structures. An aluminum alloy monocoque chassis

1140-596: Was also patented by the firm. A further adaptation of the D.IV with the 185 hp Benz Bz. III resulted in the Roland D.VI , which was entered in the First Fighter Competition trials at Adlershof in early 1918. Although the Fokker D.VII won that contest, the D.VI was also ordered into production as it used a different engine, and by the end of the war about 350 had been delivered. A large number of different versions using various engines were built as prototypes without entering production, as well as

1178-472: Was first used in the 1962 Lotus 25 Formula 1 race car and McLaren was the first to use carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers to construct the monocoque of the 1981 McLaren MP4/1 . In 1990 the Jaguar XJR-15 became the first production car with a carbon-fiber monocoque. The term monocoque is frequently misapplied to unibody cars. Commercial car bodies are almost never true monocoques but instead use

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1216-486: Was further developed in Germany by 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. While all-metal aircraft such as

1254-444: Was introduced that used spruce planking running the length of the aircraft in place of the formed plywood, and the D.III was adapted using this technique to produce D.IV triplane and D.V biplane, both powered by the D.III's 160 hp Mercedes. The fuselage shell's construction technique for these aircraft resembled a clinker-planked boat hull in appearance when finished, and was named Klinkerrumpf (clinker body) construction, and

1292-426: Was produced in the 1950s using a monocoque hollow shell of sheet-steel pressings welded together, into which the engine and transmission were installed from underneath. The machine could be tipped onto its side, resting on the bolt-on footboards for mechanical access. A monocoque framed scooter was produced by Yamaha from 1960–1962. Model MF-1 was powered by a 50 cc engine with a three-speed transmission and

1330-478: Was said to have tricky handling, the Roland C.II had excellent performance, and was also used on long-range missions as a bomber escort. A version with the 200 hp Benz Bz.IV engine and new wing struts was built as the D.III, but only one prototype was ever built, as was the case for the 160 hp Mercedes D.III -powered C.V. The C.II was adapted to the pure fighter role as the Roland D.I , but in this role

1368-451: Was the Roland C.II Walfisch (whale), a two-seat reconnaissance biplane . It had a semi-monocoque fuselage, skinned with two layers of long plywood strips glued at opposing diagonal angles around a mold and skinned with fabric both inside and outside. The fuselage filled the full gap between the wings, leaving the pilot and observer/gunner over the top wings with an excellent view upward. The fuselage "half-shells" were each fitted onto

1406-436: Was very light since a major portion of its structural support was provided by its single-wall steel balloon fuel tanks , which hold their shape while under acceleration by internal pressure. Balloon tanks are not true monocoques but act in the same way as inflatable shells . A balloon tank skin only handles tensile forces while compression is resisted by internal liquid pressure in a way similar to semi-monocoques braced by

1444-509: Was won by Peter Williams on the monocoque-framed John Player Special that he helped to design based on Norton Commando . Honda also experimented with the NR500 , a monocoque Grand Prix racing motorcycle in 1979 . The bike had other innovative features, including an engine with oval shaped cylinders, and eventually succumbed to the problems associated with attempting to develop too many new technologies at once. In 1987 John Britten developed

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