I photographed two Condor Boeing 757-300 during nightlanding some days ago at DUS/EDDL.
D-ABOC, D-ABOG.
There were a lot of huge bumps visible at the fuselage in the front cargo area on both planes.
Has anybody an idea?
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They aren’t bumps, but dents. They aren’t as severe as they look because they are being highlighted by the landing lights. It’s called post-local buckling and happens as a result of the loads that are carried in the fuselage skin. The reason for the regular pattern is that the skin is constrained by the frames and stringers which make up the internal supporting structure of the aircraft. It’s common where there is a thin load bearing shell which is supported by a stiffening structure.
The buckling can be elastic, which means it is temporary and will disappear when the skin is unloaded, or it could be plastic which means the skin is permanently distorted. Generally it’s not a problem when generated through normal loads and will have been accounted for in the design of the aircraft.
The 757 does seem particularly prone to it happening in that area. The B-52 is another aircraft that can often be seen with buckled fuselage plating:
You can sometimes see a similar looking effect in ships as well, though that can have a different cause.
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Thank you very much for your comprehensive and precise answer.
I made a lot of pictures of various airplane in the same situation but this effect was only at 757-300 visible so strong.
Perhaps the reason for this is the long fuselage of the 757-300 and the forces that act on during the take off and landing.
I bet there are similar undulations in the rear portion, not visible because they are not lighted in that way.
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