Book Description

Fairing compositions are applied to aircraft surfaces, welds and junctions of metal plates, and rivet depressions to improve aerodynamic efficiency of the airplane at high speeds. A critical problem involved in their use is the maintenance of satisfactory adhesion to the metal under the extremes of temperature, weathering, and vibration encountered in service. This report describes tests which were developed to evaluate fairing compositions and presents the results of measurements with experimental mixtures of various plastics, fillers, and solvents. Important factors in obtaining satisfactory performance are low moisture absorption, a softening temperature no higher than the temperature of application, and a coefficient of thermal expansion at low temperatures equal to that of the metal.