Frame7

Next frame back is frame 7 which is the rearmost support for the bottom fuel tank.Virtually the same type of frame as per 6 but a bit deeper due to the drop in the fuselage profile.The top curve is exactly the same as frame 6 due to the mounting of said fuel tank.Also this is the start of the Spitfires cockpit as the diafragms for the rudderbar bracing start here.Just behind frame7 is the cockpit front fireproof bulkhead.A 3D design of the frame and placeholder bottom fuel tank to see if it here...all will fit.

frame 6

Working back is the start of the front fuel tank area.Here we have the first frame which is frame6.This is a web at the bottom along with hatsection side members that terminate at the datum longeron.The top curve of the web matches the profile of the bottom skin of the bottom fuel tank.Triangular gussets strengthen the web.

Anatomy of the Spitfire

Starting with Frame5 which is the Spitfires engine firewall assembly and wing front attachment point.The lower assembly is made up of a front and rear web,spaced out with aluminium spacers and C section brackets.On the front and back are the wing main spar attach spars.There are two upper and two lower spars.
Up the top is the engine firewall which is a sandwich of two thin sheets of .022" aluminium and a 3mm sheet of asbestos or fireproof board..Mounted to the firewall are the various parts and brackets like the hydraulic tank,filters and other fittings for the Merlin.

Winging it

One of the most amazing structures or frustrating is the Spitfires wing.A genius of his time,Mitchell created an engineering marvel.This is due to the complexities of it,s internal structure,from it,s D section leading edge to it,s different main spar fabrication.Today a man I think who is doing some marvelous work reverse engineering the wing is Justin Adams from Europe.Working off original drawings,especially the Supermarine drawing for the chord offsets and reverse engineering an original wing Justin is slowly creating a 3D model of the wing and it,s internals.He is using a design program called Rhino and here are some screenshots of his work so far..

Up the front...

Another set of WIP pics this time by a friend in Japan named Fumiyuki (Aka Shinpachi).He works in a brilliant 3D program called "Shade".This is to recreate a Rolls Royce Merlin for the project in different ways.all the work has been researched off various factory manuals,photos and some original drawings.Pics shown are the bottom end and some of the top end.

Start off.

Here is some beautiful Solidworks screenshots done by good friend Tony and his students at John Swett High School Cad Class at Crockett,California USA.
His work is a conjunction using the Morningford MkIX book and original Supermarine Drawings..

Welcome

Well this is sort of new to me but starting off a project like this is something I,ve been wanting to do for a while.Well you all know of the Reproduction Spitfire we are building but this blog is for the designwork going into the project.
This is not a reimagined,or teched up/modernised Spitfire.This is as faithful as we can get it to Mitchells genius as we can get.All measurements,shapes,materials are Spitfire down as close as we can get it.Tracing is being used in some instances but all scaled off known measurements.
Things will go through gradual updating as more info comes aboard as parts become available.The problem..I doubt of the odd 22,000 Spitfires built that any two are the same..Why?Even though they came off an assembly line everyone of them was virtually a handbuilt creation.Oh yes some jigs were used but the majoritory of the structure was drilled off the part next to it.Also having multiple factories using multiple subcontractors added to the problem.
So the idea is to try 'Standardise" a Spitfire in 3D using the worlds design software.These include CAD,ProDesktop,Solidworks,Shade,Rhino and maybe a couple of others.
All in all this will be a showcase of as much of the internals of the Spitfire as we can get.And no I am not alone.There are quite a few guys that I will try get (blackmail,bribe,beg) to contribute to the cause..
Till I get all the screenies sorted..Here,s to a wonderful dream of having these girls flying forever..