Fuselage Design

Contents
Fuselage Design...........................................................................................................................................................1
Introduction................................................................................................................................................................. 1
Fuselage Configuration Design and Internal Arrangement...........................................................................................1

Introduction
After the wing and tail, the fuselage is the third most important aircraft component.

The primary function of the fuselage is to accommodate the payload.

A major driving force in the design of the pilot cockpit and passenger cabin is human factors.

Safety is a theme beneath the surface in all activities connected with flying, including fuselage design.

For an aircraft to have a worldwide sales market, it is necessary that it is designed to meet the appropriate international
standards and regulations such as FAR and EASA CS.

Fuselage Configuration Design and Internal Arrangement

The first design step, after identification of the payload and design requirements, is to decide on the fuselage configuration
and determine the fuselage internal arrangement. This decision is very important and will influence all fuselage parameters.

Fuselage configuration design is a conceptual design but at the fuselage level, and does not involve detailed calculations.

Indeed, the configuration design of the fuselage requires several skills and long experience. At this point, the external shape
as well as the internal arrangement will be determined. Since this is a type of conceptual design, the designer may use a
hand drawing to present the selected configuration.

In some cases, a design may look desirable but may not be feasible. Thus, when a designer is deciding about the best seating
arrangement, or the best location for cargo, he/she must already be aware of the fundamental solutions.

For instance, a short fuselage with low weight and high drag is more desired, or a long fuselage with high weight and low
drag. This is a fundamental question of cost versus performance. For a home-build designer the first alternative is the best
option, while for a military aircraft designer the second alternative is the most desirable.

Therefore, the designer should have the priority list upfront prior to the fuselage configuration design.

A conventional fuselage may consist of the following sections: pilot and crew station (cockpit), passenger compartment
(cabin), luggage room, cargo compartment, nose section, doors, windows, rear section, fuel tanks, necessary flight carrying
items (e.g., food, water), internal systems (i.e., electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic), and engine(s).

Each section needs to be designed separately, since each has a unique design requirement. However, at this stage of design,
the locations of these sections relative to each other need to be determined. Figure 7.2 illustrates a side view of four generic
fuselage external shapes.
Although these external shapes have different aerodynamic characteristics, each one is optimum to serve for a particular
mission.

The fuselage configuration is also a function of the internal arrangements. In order to specify the location for each internal
item, one must first identify and decide what item/component is supposed to be accommodated.

Figure 7.3 illustrates a side view of the fuselage for two typical aircraft with their internal arrangements: a civil passenger and
a fighter aircraft. The volume and external shape of the fuselage are functions of what is desired to be stored inside.

In general, there are six basic rules for internal arrangement and to locate the allocated items inside the fuselage:

1. Keep the fuselage as small and compact as possible.

2. Arrangement to be symmetric from the top view as far as possible.

3. There must be sufficient space to accommodate all of the items.

4. Usable loads such as fuel must be close to the aircraft centre of gravity.

5. The pilot cockpit must be allocated the most forward location of the fuselage, to enable the pilot to view the runway
during take-off and landing.

6. Arrangements must be such that the aircraft centre of gravity is close to the wing/fuselage aerodynamic centre.