São Paulo Airplane: Model and Evaluation

Resumo

Dimitri Sensaud de Lavaud developed the first airplane designed, constructed and tested in Brazil. The
flight of the São Paulo airplane, as named, took place in 1910 in Osasco, nearby São Paulo. The design was
inspired in a monoplane of Louis Blériot. Dimitri himself was the pilot. The airplane construction, included
structural and mechanical components, the engine for example, used materials and shop machines available in
the country on those days. The plane flew a short, but certified distance, before it crashed with the soil due to an
engine stop. Little is known of the design of that important airplane however. Hence, in this work a model of the
airplane is created in computer to make an analysis. From drawings and a replica of the plane, a structural model
is developed using the finite element method. Based on its characteristics, some airplane parameters are also
estimated. An evaluation of the structure to some forms of failure is then conducted. Aside the simplicity of design,
materials and inherent technological difficulties, the design reveals being fit and robust