Reference: Abbott, Richard. Analysis and Design of Composite and Metallic Flight Vehicle Structures 3 Edition, 2019

In writing this text I am standing on the shoulders of giants. Very little of the original theory in this document originates with the author. This document is a collection of the best public domain sources regarding analysis and design of composite and metallic structures that I have found over the last 25 years.

Note on source material: Attribution: Where I have lifted passages from source material directly I have given attribution. I have also tried to give reference to the origin of the methodology. In some circumstances, I have lifted some explanations from internet miscellanea which cannot be attributed to any author. If you recognize any of your work in this text please let me know, provide me with a copy of your original work and I will gladly give you attribution.

Note on source material: Copyright: I have made every effort to ensure that all the referenced material or direct use material is in the public domain. If this is not the case and I have used copyrighted or restricted materials, please contact me to resolve any copyright issue.

Note on source material: Credits: I have had correspondence with many engineers over the years and been given some extremely useful pointers and derivations. If you recognize any of the methods in this text as something you assisted me with and I have not credited you, please contact me and I will gladly give you credit.

We are all lucky to work in an environment where so much great material is in the public domain, by far the largest contributors to this store of public knowledge are the US state-funded aerospace bodies, NASA and (now defunct) NACA and the UK ARC organization. Credit and thanks are due to the generosity and public spirit of the American and the British peoples. It is a privilege to have access to this body of knowledge that stretches back almost 100 years. All the errors in this document and the accompanying products are mine and mine alone and if the reader finds any errors please contact me: textbook@abbottaerospace.com.

I would like to especially thank my wife Anna and progeny Sophia and Carl, my reasons for getting up in the morning. I would also like to thank my parents Margaret and Barrie Abbott who gave me the engineering genes and an interest in engineering that – as much as I tried to avoid it in early life – has ended up bringing me much pleasure and satisfaction.

Much gratitude for mentoring and inspiration is due to (in no particular order): Ken Whitworth, Dominique Zeoli, Paul Barrow, Paul Carter, Paul Whittle, Graham Woolley, Clayton Fox, John Vieger, Peter Maurer, Johnny Doo, Sjoerd Verhof, Hasib Nematpoor, Phil Gent, Jerzy Krolikowski, the Otto family of Otto Aviation, Carsten Sundin of Stratos Aircraft and my trusty cohorts at Abbott Aerospace, Past and Present, Knut Gjelsvik, Nirav Shukla, Peter Lebeidowicz, Santiago Perez, Tomas Chlumecky, Anthony Barr, Andrew Leibrecht and Nikola Kozina. Gratitude is also due to all the companies I have worked for as well as all the engineers I have worked with over the years. Engineering is a continual process of learning on the job and that experience comes thanks to the intelligence and patience of our co-workers.

A question I am commonly asked is ‘Am I allowed to print out this document’. The answer to this question is ‘Yes’.