Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
No both were watered down versions of...Everybody should know the A6M was inspirated by the Bloch MB 151 as evidenced by the Nakajima Sakae being a by product of the Gnome & Rhone R 14 engine...
Bloch MB151-L'Aéronautique-decembre 38
View attachment 761343
Everybody should know the A6M was inspirated by the Bloch MB 151 as evidenced by the Nakajima Sakae being a by product of the Gnome & Rhone R 14 engine...
Bloch MB151-L'Aéronautique-decembre 38
View attachment 761343
The alloy had little to do with it other than being broadly similar in characteristics to what became 2024. The Japanese added Zinc to produce "Extra Super Duralumin." It was strong, to be sure, but they used thinner skins primarily to reduce weight. The design had to take in the strength of the skin, yes, but had they used standard aircraft aluminum, all it would have required was additional internal structure (ribs, bulkheads, stringers, and spars) to make it as strong, albeit slightly heavier.Metallurgy?
The Japanese used very advanced alloys for the A6M that were similar to 7075. It allowed the skin to be much thinner than contemporary designs.
Build technology?
The A6M was flush riveted at a time when most western companies were still getting their head around mushroom headed rivets
Construction techniques?
Any place he could, Hirokoshi built in lightness - the A6M airframe was a series of lightening holes held together with the minimum amount of aluminum sheet. In fact, the airframe was so light and flimsy, any Western Air Force would have rejected the design out of hand.
It was an incredibly light aircraft for its time, with plenty of power, but it was the end of an era.
It was a transitional design, the ultimate dogfighter, but it was at the crossroads between traditional dogfighters, and their eclipsing by the emerging energy fighters. Against the fighter designs of the 30's, it was a top dog, but come the energy fighters entering from1943, its days were quickly numbered.
The alloy had little to do with it other than being broadly similar in characteristics to what became 2024. . .
So just curious:
Which American fighter did Horikoshi copy when he designed the A5M?
Asking for a friend.
The SBD was developed from Northrop's BT.I always wondered if the SBD Dauntless had a litte Northrop 3A in it.
Yes. The alloy that the Japanese developed was called (back then) 75ST and now is called 7075. It's somewhat lighter than 202x alloys but significantly stronger. It was known in the "West" (which is why it had a name) but was considered too brittle for use in aircraft. The Japanese developed a sophisticated heat treatment that allowed their version of the alloy to be much less brittle and quite suitable for aircraft. This allowed for thinner (lighter) skin as well as lightening some larger components. The U.S. "reverse engineered" the treatment process during the war and, late in the war, began using the alloy, also. It was used extensively in the B-50, which was the improved B-29 which had the R-4360 engines and which was under development when the war ended.The alloy had little to do with it other than being broadly similar in characteristics to what became 2024. The Japanese added Zinc to produce "Extra Super Duralumin." It was strong, to be sure, but they used thinner skins primarily to reduce weight. The design had to take in the strength of the skin, yes, but had they used standard aircraft aluminum, all it would have required was additional internal structure (ribs, bulkheads, stringers, and spars) to make it as strong, albeit slightly heavier.
Horikosji designed the A6M for +6 gs with a 100% safety factor instead of the +8 gs and 50% safety factor the U.S.A. used in many cases. Some US fighter were designed to be +7 / +7.5 g airplanes. The F4U Corsair comes to mind immediately.
Yes. The alloy that the Japanese developed was called (back then) 75ST and now is called 7075. It's somewhat lighter than 202x alloys but significantly stronger. It was known in the "West" (which is why it had a name) but was considered too brittle for use in aircraft. The Japanese developed a sophisticated heat treatment that allowed their version of the alloy to be much less brittle and quite suitable for aircraft. This allowed for thinner (lighter) skin as well as lightening some larger components. The U.S. "reverse engineered" the treatment process during the war and, late in the war, began using the alloy, also. It was used extensively in the B-50, which was the improved B-29 which had the R-4360 engines and which was under development when the war ended.
It's too bad the DEI didn't get a few dozen Koolhoven FK58 to reinforce their Fokkers.
I was going to say something but decided against it.Correction to my above post.
The B-29 may not have been (was probably not?) the first US aircraft to incorporate 75S(7075) aluminum alloy to any significant degree/benefit.
The war-time produced B-29 did not use 75S(7075) aluminum alloy. At some point in its post-war production the main wing was redesigned in order to handle heavier loads and higher TOGWs. I do not know when/if this design change started being implemented on the B-29. The B-50 had a similar design change for its main spars using 75S from the start of production.
What have you got against the Dutch Pilots?It's too bad the DEI didn't get a few dozen Koolhoven FK58 to reinforce their Fokkers.
Same here. "Necessity is the mother of invention." The A6M designers had stringent and difficult requirements to meet. And they met them.Thanks for this post, Sam. So, rather than Japan copying US technology for the Zero, it seems the US reverse-engineered Japanese technology that was used in the Zero. I find the irony more than a little amusing.