Aircraft assembly and method for manufacturing the same

a technology for aircraft and parts, applied in the direction of electrostatic charges, electrical devices, etc., can solve the problems of affecting affecting the safety of the aircraft, so as to reduce the manufacturing cost, improve the durability of the lightning protection structure, and reduce the manufacturing time

Inactive Publication Date: 2013-01-29
MITSUBISHI HEAVY IND LTD
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017]The present invention is made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and it is an object thereof to provide an aircraft assembly having improved durability and capable of providing good lightning protection, as well as a method for manufacturing the same.
[0042]Moreover, since the insulator layer is disposed between the conductor layer and the fastener, even if lightning strikes against the conductor layer, the lightning stroke current can be safely dissipated to the conductor layer.

Problems solved by technology

The structure shown in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the structure of the fasteners is complicated, so that it takes much time to attach a large number of fasteners.
Therefore, to let a lightning stroke current due to a lightning strike flow along the surface of the outer panel, the lightning stroke current has to flow while detouring around these insulating caps, thus posing a problem in that the flow of the lightning stroke current is obstructed.
In the structure shown in Patent Document 2, the insulating layer is supported by a paint film, which causes insufficient mounting strength, thus posing a problem in durability.

Method used

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Examples

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first embodiment

[0055]A first embodiment of an aircraft assembly, for example, a main wing or a fuselage, provided with a lightning protection structure according to the present invention will be described hereinbelow with reference to FIG. 1.

[0056]FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an aircraft assembly 1, showing a state in which an outer panel 5 and a structural member 7 are joined with a fastener 3.

[0057]As shown in FIG. 1, the aircraft assembly (for example, a main wing assembly, a tail assembly, a fuselage assembly, etc.) 1 is assembled such that the outer panel 5 and the structural member (for example, a rib, a stringer, etc.) 7 are joined with the fasteners 3.

[0058]The main body 9 of the outer panel 5 is mainly formed of a resin material for the outer panel (first resin material) having electrical conductivity (an electrical conductivity of about 1 / 100 to 1 / 1,000 of that of aluminum).

[0059]The resin material for the outer panel is, for example, a carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP...

second embodiment

[0093]Next, an aircraft assembly 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG. 2.

[0094]This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in basic structure and differs only in the structure of the insulator layer 23. Thus, only the difference will be mainly described, and duplicated descriptions of the same parts as those of the first embodiment described above will be omitted here.

[0095]The same components as in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals.

[0096]In this embodiment, the insulator layer 23 is a disc-shaped member formed to have substantially the same outside diameter as that of the head 17 and is formed of, for example, a glass-fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) in which glass fibers are hardened with an epoxy resin etc.

[0097]The insulator layer 23 is created in such a manner that glass fibers before hardening (in a prepreg state) are stacked, and are then impregnated with an epoxy resin and are thereafter harde...

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PUM

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Abstract

An aircraft assembly having improved durability and capable of providing good lightning protection is provided. Provided is an aircraft assembly (1) equipped with an outer panel (5) that is constructed using an outer-panel resin material reinforced with fiber as a main element; a structural member (7) that supports the outer panel (5) from the inside; and a fastener (3) that joins the outer panel (5) and the structural member (7), the aircraft assembly including an insulator layer (23) having insulating properties and disposed so as to cover at least the head (17) of the fastener (3); and a conductor layer (25) disposed so as to cover at least the insulator layer (23) and formed of a conductor-layer resin material containing copper powder having electrical conductivity.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to an aircraft assembly and a method for manufacturing the same.BACKGROUND ART[0002]A lightweight, high-strength, and durable material is required for the material of the bodywork (outer panel) of an aircraft. Therefore, in recent years, resin materials (composite materials) reinforced with fiber have been increasingly used.[0003]As such composite materials, for example, carbon-fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) in which carbon fibers are hardened with an epoxy resin etc. and glass-fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) in which glass fibers are hardened with an epoxy resin etc. are often used.[0004]These composite materials have a problem in that resistance to a lightning strike is lower than that of metal. Furthermore, since fasteners for mounting an outer panel to an inner structural member are made of metal (for example, titanium alloy), there is a risk of a lightning strike passing through the fasteners to generate, for example, a spar...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Patents(United States)
IPC IPC(8): H05F3/00
Inventor OGURI, KAZUYUKISEKIGAWA, TAKAHIRO
Owner MITSUBISHI HEAVY IND LTD
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