Why are geodesic airframes no longer produced?
Geodesic (sometimes also spelled geodetic) designs were used in aviation as early as 1909, in the Schütte-Lanz SL1 airship. It had a wooden structure with fabric covering, and Professor Johann Schütte, the scientific head of this design, used the most efficient method conceivable. However, planning the shape of all structural members was an enormous amount of work, and stretching an existing ship by inserting a new section was almost impossible. For those reasons, the late Schütte-Lanz airships used aluminum frames with conventional design, just like Zeppelin did from the beginning. Diagonal wire bracing was used to take up shear loads.



Geodesic frames are good in transferring both bending and shear loads. This is helpful when the aerodynamic covering is not stiff enough to contribute any shear stiffness, as in the case of fabric covering. However, when the skin is made from the same material as the frame, it can carry shear loads and a geodesic frame would not improve matters. Now it is better to carry longitudinal loads in longerons and shear in the skin.

But geodesic constructions are not dead. CAD makes the design effort manageable, and in some cases they give a weight advantage. Look at the casing of the EJ200 engine: It uses a geodesic reinforcement to make the casing light and strong and to prevent harmful vibrations. In the end, a jet engine casing is a big pressure vessel and needs to be strong, stiff and light.


photo by Julian Herzog, CC-BY