Method for manufacturing leading edge panel of aircraft, corresponding leading edge panel, leading edge and aircraft

Abstract

Method for manufacturing a leading edge panel of an aircraft, a corresponding leading edge panel, a leading edge and an aircraft. A subject of the invention is a method for manufacturing a leading edge panel (38, 40) of an aircraft, characterised in that it comprises a step of overmolding a coating (54) onto a sheet (46) located in a cavity of a mould (62), said cavity being delimited by a shaped surface (64) presenting an optimised surface finish, said coating (54) comprising, after said overmolding step, an outer face (56) corresponding to the outer face of the panel (38, 40) to be obtained and presenting an optimised surface finish imparted by the shaped surface (64) of the mould (62). Another subject of the invention is a panel obtained using this method and a leading edge comprising at least one panel. The panel according to the invention contributes to the extension of the laminar flow zone due to the optimised surface finish of its outer face.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a method for manufacturing an aircraft leading edge panel making it possible to obtain an extended laminar flow, and to a leading edge comprising at least one panel obtained using said method. Background Art

[0002] An aircraft wing comprises a structure presenting two spars joined together by ribs, to which the panels forming the skin of the wing are attached and fixed. Thus, a wing generally comprises a first panel forming an outer camber (top skin), a second panel forming an inner camber (bottom skin) and one or more U-shaped panels forming the leading edge.

[0003] According to one embodiment, the panels attached to the wing structure are machined and formed sheet metal panels.

[0004] In order to reduce the drag of the wing, and therefore reduce the energy consumption of the aircraft, the flow of air in contact with the wing needs to be laminar over the largest possible extent of the wing surface, starting from the leading edge of the wing.

[0005] In order to extend the laminar flow area, the roughness of the panel surface in contact with the airflow needs to be as low as possible, and the dimensional and geometric tolerances of the panel need to be as small as possible.

[0006] Today, the tendency to reduce these dimensional and geometric tolerances and to reduce roughness has the effect of making the wing manufacturing process more complicated and significantly increasing production costs.

[0007] Document FR-2.932.106 proposes to improve the laminar flow at the leading edge of the aircraft nacelle air inlet by applying a coating on the area where two adjacent panels meet. Before applying the coating, the two panels positioned on and fixed to the nacelle structure are machined to produce a groove spanning the two panels. Next, the groove is filled with a silicone-based paint or coating. This solution makes it possible to improve the laminar flow in confined areas. Summary of the invention

[0008] The present invention seeks to overcome all or some of the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0009] To this end, a subject of the invention is a method for producing an aircraft leading edge panel, wherein said method comprises the following steps:

[0010] - placing the sheet in a cavity of a mould, said cavity being delimited by a shaping surface configured to shape the outer face of said panel to be obtained and presenting an optimised surface finish,

[0011] - overmoulding a coating onto the sheet by injecting material into the cavity of the mould, the coating comprising, after the overmoulding step, an outer face corresponding to the outer face of the panel to be obtained and presenting an optimized surface finish imparted by the shaped surface of the mould.

[0012] According to the invention, the optimized surface finish of the upper and / or lower front panels of the leading edge is obtained during overmolding of the coating rather than by machining, and this has a tendency to limit production costs relative to the prior art. Overmolding is a relatively straightforward production technology with respect to machining processes that make it possible to obtain an optimized surface finish.

[0013] According to another feature, the sheet has an inner face, an outer face at least partially coated with the coating and at least one through hole, the coating material being injected via at least one feed positioned on the inner face side of the sheet and aligned with the through hole.

[0014] According to one embodiment, at least two feed portions each comprise a nozzle having an end in the form of a projection relative to the contact surface of the mould against which the inner face of the sheet is pressed, the end of the nozzle having a shape complementary to that of the corresponding through hole so as to obtain a clearance-free fit between the end of the nozzle and the through hole.

[0015] According to another feature, the mold comprises at least one slider comprising a finger capable of moving in a hole of the mold between a retracted state in which the finger does not interfere with the sheet and an extended state in which the finger interferes with the sheet, and for each slider, the sheet comprises a perforation whose diameter is equal to the diameter of the finger and which is positioned in the continuation of the hole of the mold when the sheet is correctly positioned in the mold.

[0016] According to another feature, the sheet includes a continuation portion and a rear area, the continuation portion extends beyond the front edge surface of the sheet, and the rear area is adjacent to the rear edge surface of the sheet; the mold includes a first and a second movable part capable of moving between an open position and a closed position, the first and second parts having complementary shapes are configured to define the cavity in the closed position, the first part includes a contact surface configured to receive the inner surface of the sheet, and the second part includes the forming surface and a clamping side, the clamping side is positioned one at each end of the forming surface and is configured to clamp the continuation portion and the rear area of ​​the sheet against the contact surface of the first part in the closed position.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the continuation portion is positioned to at least partially clear the front edge face of the sheet.

[0018] According to another feature, after the overmolding step, the continuation of the sheet is removed.

[0019] According to another feature, the sheet, before being placed in the mould, is shaped in the same way as the panel to be obtained.

[0020] Further subjects of the invention are an aircraft leading edge panel obtained using this method and an aircraft leading edge comprising at least one panel according to the invention.

[0021] According to one configuration, the aircraft leading edge comprises two panels including front lateral edge faces that merge together in abutment at a joining plane located along an aerodynamic stagnation line, and for each panel the coating at least partially covers the front edge face of the sheet.

[0022] A final subject of the invention is an aircraft comprising at least one leading edge according to the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Other features and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the invention, given purely by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0024] - Figure 1 is a side view of the aircraft,

[0025] - Figure 2 is a perspective view of a wing showing an embodiment of the present invention,

[0026] - Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The cross section of the airfoil can be seen in

[0027] - Figure 4 yes Figure 2 An exploded view of the wing visible in the image.

[0028] - Figure 5 is a cross section showing an exploded view of Figure 2 The wings are visible in the

[0029] - Figure 6 is a section through a panel positioned in a mold during an overmolding step, illustrating a simplified embodiment of the invention,

[0030] - Figure 7 is a perspective view of an uncoated sheet illustrating one embodiment of the present invention,

[0031] - Figure 8 It passes through Figure 7 The cross section of the sheet visible in

[0032] - Fig. 9 is a section through the uncoated sheet between the two parts of the die in the open position,

[0033] - Fig.10 is through the closed position Fig. 9 The cross section of the mold visible in

[0034] - Fig.11 is a cross section through a slider showing one embodiment of the present invention,

[0035] - Fig.12 is through the filling moment Fig. 9 The cross section of the mold visible in

[0036] - Fig.13 is through at the end of filling Fig. 9 The cross section of the mold visible in

[0037] - Fig.14 is the section through the coated plate obtained after demoulding,

[0038] - Fig.15 is through the machining step after the Fig.14 A cross section of the coated panel obtained with the sheet visible in

[0039] - Fig.16 yes Fig.15 A perspective view of the panels visible in

[0040] - Fig.17 is a section through a wing comprising two coated panels, illustrating one embodiment of the invention,

[0041] - Fig.18 and Fig.19 is a cross section before and after assembly of the coated panels, showing in detail Fig.17 The front part of the wing is visible in

[0042] - Fig. 20 and Fig.21 is a cross section before and after assembly of the coated panels, showing in detail Fig.17 The middle part of the wing is visible in the

[0043] - Fig. 22 is a cross section showing in detail the rear portion of the assembled coated panel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] Figure 1An aircraft is depicted at 10 and includes a fuselage 12 , wings 14 , a nacelle 16 located beneath the wings 14 , and a tail assembly 18 .

[0045] For the remainder of this description, front and rear refer to the direction in which air flows around an aircraft in flight. Thus, the nose cone 20 of the fuselage corresponds to the end of the fuselage 12 that pierces the air in flight, and the tail cone 22 of the fuselage corresponds to the end of the fuselage 12 opposite the nose cone 20.

[0046] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, from a geometric perspective, each wing 14 includes a leading edge 24 located at the front of the wing 14, a trailing edge 26 located at the rear, an upper surface 28 (also called an outer camber) connecting the leading edge 24 and the trailing edge 26, and a lower surface 30 (also called an inner camber) also connecting the leading edge 24 and the trailing edge 26.

[0047] For the remainder of this description, the longitudinal direction is parallel to the leading edge 24 and the transverse plane is a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

[0048] according to Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Fig.17 In one embodiment shown, each wing 14 includes:

[0049] a structure 32 consisting of a front spar 34.1, a rear spar 34.2, the spars being parallel to the longitudinal direction, and ribs 36 connecting the front spar 34.1 and the rear spar 34.2 and being arranged in a transverse plane,

[0050] at least one upper front panel 38 extending from the leading edge 24 up to the vertical median plane PMV of the wing 14 (this plane being positioned between the leading edge 24 and the trailing edge 26 ),

[0051] at least one lower front panel 40 extending from the front edge 24 up to the vertical median plane PMV,

[0052] at least one upper rear panel 42 extending from the vertical median plane to the rear edge 26, and

[0053] At least one lower rear panel 44 extending from the vertical median plane as far as the trailing edge 26 .

[0054] The panels 38 , 40 , 42 , and 44 are connected to the structure 32 by any suitable means.

[0055] The upper front panel 38 and the lower front panel 40 can extend to a plane located before or after the vertical median plane PMV. In one configuration, the upper front panel 38 and the lower front panel 40 extend to a plane located after the vertical median plane PMV and at a distance from the corresponding leading edge 24, the distance corresponding to 60% of the chord length between the leading edge 24 and the trailing edge 26.

[0056] according to Figure 4 In the illustrated example, the wing 14 includes a single upper front panel 38 and a single lower front panel 40 extending along the entire length of the wing 14. In other examples (not depicted), the wing 14 includes several upper front panels 38 and / or several lower front panels 40 juxtaposed and distributed along the length of the wing 14.

[0057] like Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Fig.17 , Fig.18 and Fig.19 As shown, each upper front panel 38 includes a lateral front edge 38a and a lateral rear edge 38b, and each lower front panel 40 includes a lateral front edge 40a and a lateral rear edge 40b. The lateral front edge 38a of the upper front panel 38 and the lateral front edge 40a of the lower front panel 40 are parallel and merge together at a joint plane PJ located at the leading edge 24, more specifically at the aerodynamic stagnation line, which corresponds to the area where the air flow splits into a first airflow and a second airflow, the first airflow flowing over the top of the wing and the second airflow flowing over the underside of the wing, and the flow speed in this area is zero or almost zero.

[0058] like Figures 15 to 22 As shown in detail in the accompanying drawings, each upper front panel 38 or lower front panel 40 includes a sheet 46 having an inner surface 46int facing the inside of the wing 14, an outer surface 46ext facing the outside of the wing 14, a front edge surface 48 and a rear edge surface 52, and a coating 54, which coats almost all of the outer surface 46ext of the sheet 46 and at least partially coats the front edge surface 48, and has an outer surface 56 that contacts the air flow during operation.

[0059] According to a first embodiment, the sheet 46 is made of sheet metal. According to a second embodiment, the sheet 46 is made of a composite material.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the coating 54 is made of silicone, polyolefin, polyoxymethylene (polyacetal), or polyester.

[0061] The thickness of the sheet 46 is between 3 mm and 10 mm and is preferably equal to 5 mm.

[0062] The thickness of the coating 54 is between 3 mm and 10 mm and is preferably equal to 3 mm.

[0063] like Fig.16 and Fig. 22 As shown, the outer face 46ext of the sheet 46 includes a rear region 58 in the form of a strip that adjoins the rear edge face 52 and is not coated with the coating 54 but is configured to receive another panel (notably, the upper rear panel 42 or the lower rear panel 44).

[0064] The coating 54 at least partially covers the front edge face 48 of the sheet 46 starting from the outer face 46ext. Fig.15 In one embodiment as can be seen in FIG. 4 , the coating 54 covers the entire front edge face 48 of the sheet 46. Fig.18 and Fig.19 In another embodiment, as can be seen in FIG. 4 , the coating 54 covers approximately half of the front edge face 48 of the sheet 46 starting from the outer side 46 ext .

[0065] According to one feature of the invention, the upper front panel 38 or the lower front panel 40 is obtained by overmolding by positioning the sheet 46 in a cavity 60 of a mold 62 having a shaping surface 64 configured to shape the outer face 56 of the coating 54 and to be spaced apart from the sheet 46 .

[0066] According to one process, the sheet 46 is formed in the same manner as the upper front panel 38 or the lower front panel 40 prior to placement into the mold 62 .

[0067] The forming surface 64 of the mould 62 is produced in such a way that it has as low a roughness as possible and as tight a geometrical and dimensional tolerance as possible. Low roughness means that the roughness Ra and Rt are of the order of 0.2 μm.

[0068] For the remainder of this specification, an optimized surface finish corresponds to the lowest possible roughness and the tightest possible dimensional and geometric tolerances.

[0069] According to one particular feature of the invention, during the overmolding step, the optimized surface finish of the shaped surface 64 of the mold 62 is transferred to the upper front panel 38 or to the lower front panel 40 .

[0070] Thus, after the overmolding step, the outer face 56 of the coating 54 has an optimized surface finish with roughness Ra and Rt in the order of 0.2 μm and very good geometrical or dimensional accuracy.

[0071] As a result, according to the invention, only one component, namely the mold 62 and more specifically its forming surface 64, is produced by machining with an optimized surface finish. The optimized surface finish of the upper front panel 38 or the lower front panel 40 is obtained during the overmolding process of the coating 54 and not by machining, and this has a tendency to limit production costs relative to the prior art. Overmolding is a relatively straightforward production technology with respect to machining methods that make it possible to obtain an optimized surface finish.

[0072] According to another characteristic of the invention, the sheet 46 comprises at least one through hole 66, which opens onto the inner face 46int and onto the outer face 46ext, and the overmolding of the coating 54 is obtained by injecting material from the inner face 46int of the sheet 46. Therefore, the mold 62 comprises at least one feed 68, which is positioned on the inner face 46int side of the sheet 46 and opens in alignment with each through hole 66.

[0073] This feature makes it possible to have no roughness on the outer face 56 of the coating 54 caused by the feed material.

[0074] The number of through holes 66 is determined in such a way as to optimize the filling of the injected material. By way of indication, each through hole 66 is cylindrical and has a diameter of the order of 20 mm.

[0075] according to Figures 7 to 13 In a configuration visible in FIG. 4 , the sheet 46 comprises at least one pair of through holes 66, 66' located in the same transverse plane. Depending on its length, the sheet 46 comprises several pairs of through holes 66, 66' distributed along the length of the sheet 46.

[0076] In parallel thereto, the mold 62 comprises as many feeds 68 as through-openings 66 , 66 ′, which are arranged on the mold 62 in the same manner as the through-openings 66 , 66 ′.

[0077] According to one characteristic of the invention, the mold 62 comprises at least one slide 70 to hold the sheet 46 during the injection of the material and thus ensure very good dimensional and / or geometrical accuracy. This slide 70 also allows to locally protect the area from any intrusion of the molding material, leaving an opening for the subsequent installation of any device.

[0078] according to Fig.10 and Fig.11 In one embodiment visible in FIG. 1 , each slider 70 includes a finger 72 that can move in a hole 74 of the mold 62 between a retracted state in which the finger 72 does not interfere with the sheet 46 and an extended state in which the finger interferes with the sheet 46 .

[0079] The finger 72 takes the form of a cylinder including a chamfer at a first end 76 that is configured to pass through the sheet 46 .

[0080] The hole 74 has a diameter equal to (within the clearance required for sliding) the diameter of the finger 72 and opens into the cavity 60 of the mold 62. Advantageously, the hole 74 comprises a first portion 74.1, which is positioned on one side of the cavity 60 of the mold 62, opens onto the forming surface 64 and is long enough to contain the entire finger 72 in the retracted state, and a second portion 74.2, which is positioned on the other side of the cavity 60 of the mold 62, in the continuation of the first portion 74.1 and is configured to receive the first end 76 of the finger 72 in the extended state.

[0081] For each slider 70 , the sheet 46 includes a perforation 78 , the diameter of which is equal to the diameter of the finger 72 (within the clearance required for sliding) and which is positioned in the continuation of the hole 74 of the mold 62 when the sheet 46 is correctly positioned in the mold 62 .

[0082] The mold 62 generally includes a plurality of slides 70 .

[0083] The mold 62 includes a mold capable of Fig. 9 The visible open position is the same as Fig.10 A first moving part 62.1 and a second moving part 62.2 moving between a closed position can be seen in FIG. 1 , the first moving part 62.1 and the second moving part 62.2 having complementary shapes configured to delimit the cavity 60 in the closed position.

[0084] The first portion 62 . 1 comprises a feed 68 and a contact surface 80 configured in the same way as the inner face 46 int of the sheet 46 and configured to receive said inner face 46 int during the overmolding step.

[0085] The second portion 62 . 2 comprises the one or more slides 70 and the shaped surface 64 .

[0086] In order to ensure that the sheet 46 is held in place during the overmolding process, the sheet 46 comprises a continuation 82 which extends beyond the front edge face 48 and is positioned so as to at least partially clear the front edge face 48. This continuation 82 takes the form of a strip of material having the same thickness as the rest of the sheet 46 and having a first surface 82.1 lying in the same plane as the inner face 46int of the sheet 46 and a second surface 82.2 offset relative to the inner face 46int of the sheet 46 so that the continuation 82 completely clears the front edge face 48.

[0087] This continuation 82 and the rear region 58 are configured to be captured by the first and second parts 62 . 1 , 62 . 2 of the mould in said closed position.

[0088] To complement this, the second part 62.2 of the mold 62 includes clamping sides 84, which are arranged one at each end of the forming surface 64 and are configured to clamp the continuation 82 and the rear area 58 of the sheet 46 against the contact surface 80 of the first part 62.1 of the mold in the closed position.

[0089] According to another feature, the mold 62 comprises at least two centering points 86 in raised form relative to the contact surface 80 of the mold 62 , so as to make it easier to place the sheet 46 in the mold.

[0090] According to one embodiment, at least two feed portions 68 each comprise a nozzle 88 having a tip 88.1 in the form of a projection relative to the contact surface 80, such as Fig. 9 As shown, the shape of the tip of the nozzle is complementary to the shape of the corresponding through hole 66 so that a clearance-free fit is obtained between the tip 88 . 1 of the nozzle 88 and the through hole 66 , 66 ′.

[0091] In order to ensure optimal filling of the cavity 60 during the overmolding process, the mold 62 comprises a system for promoting the extraction or evacuation of the air contained in the cavity 60 .

[0092] According to one embodiment, mold 62 includes an evacuation system that evacuates air from cavity 60 prior to and / or while injecting material.

[0093] According to another embodiment, a gap of the order of 0.05 mm is left around the first portion 62.1 and the second portion 62.2 of the mold 62 to facilitate the escape of air while preventing the injected material from penetrating into this space.

[0094] To inject the material, the mold 62 may be positioned on an injection molding press.

[0095] Now, refer to Figures 7 to 16 A method for manufacturing a leading edge panel is described.

[0096] The first step involves producing the sheet 46 and shaping it to the contours of the panels 38, 40 to be obtained, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown. Sheet 46 may be a machined sheet metal plate or may be produced from a composite material. Unlike prior art panels, sheet 46 may have a high roughness to the extent that sheet 46 will subsequently be coated with coating 54 and may be manufactured to wide dimensional and geometric tolerances.

[0097] Next, the sheet 46 is positioned on the contact surface 80 of the first part 62.1 of the mould 62. The centering tip 86 makes it easier to position the sheet 46 in the correct position.

[0098] like Fig.10 As shown, the mold 62 is closed. The continuation 82 of the sheet 46 and the rear region 58 are clamped between the first part 62.1 and the second part 62.2 of the mold 62, and the one or more slides 70 are in an extended state. Once achieved, it can be as shown. Fig.12 The material is injected until the cavity 60 is completely filled. Fig.13 What is shown.

[0099] After cooling, the coated sheet 46 is removed from the mold, as Fig.14 Finally, the continuation 82 of the sheet 46 is removed, for example by machining, so as to obtain a coated upper front panel 38 or lower front panel 40, as shown. Fig.15 and Fig.16 What is shown.

[0100] At the end of this manufacturing process, the upper front panel 38 or the lower front panel 40 includes a face that comes into contact with the air flow during operation (which corresponds to the outer face 56 of the coating 54) and has a small roughness and a high dimensional and geometric accuracy imparted to it by the forming surface 64 of the mold 62 during the overmolding process.

[0101] According to another embodiment, the sheet 46 does not comprise the through-holes 66 and the overmolding of the coating 54 is obtained by injecting material from the outer face 46ext of the sheet 46. Therefore, the mold 62 comprises at least one feed 68 positioned on the same side as the outer face 46ext of the sheet 46 and opening onto the forming surface 64. The end 88.1 of the nozzle 88 may protrude relative to the forming surface 64. With this embodiment, perforations for the fixings used to connect the upper front panel 38 or the lower front panel 40 to the structure 32 are produced by back drilling, aligned with the recess left by the end 88.1 of the nozzle 88 during the injection. Once the upper front panel 38 or the lower front panel 40 has been fixed to the structure 32, the perforations are filled.

[0102] This manufacturing process is repeatable and stable and does not involve any potential manual corrective actions when shaping the leading edge as in the prior art.

[0103] The upper front panel 38 or lower front panel 40 is then attached and secured to the structure 32 of the wing 14. Preferably, securing lugs are provided on the inner face 46int of the sheet 46 to allow the upper front panel 38 or lower front panel 40 to be attached without the aid of securing members passing therethrough.

[0104] When securing the upper front panel 38 or the lower front panel 40 to the structure 32, unlike the prior art, the outer face 56 is used as a reference surface. Fig. 20 and Fig. 22 As illustrated, a shim 90 may be inserted between the upper front panel 38 or the lower front panel 40 and the structure 32 such that the exterior surface 56 is properly positioned.

[0105] At the leading edge, the upper front panel 38 and the lower front panel 40 are joined in abutment. Fig.19 Finally, the upper rear panel 42 and the lower rear panel 44 are positioned and secured to the structure 32 of the wing 14, these panels 42 and 44 covering the rear region 58 of the upper front panel 38 and the lower front panel 40, as shown. Fig. 22 What is shown.

[0106] according to Figure 6 In the simplified embodiment shown, the leading edge includes a U-shaped panel which, during a step of overmolding in a mold 62, is presented as a U-shaped sheet 46 coated with a coating 54, the mold being presented as a forming surface 64 having an optimized surface finish which imparts an optimized surface finish on an outer surface 56 having the coating 54.

[0107] The leading edge thus obtained makes it possible to extend the laminar flow towards the rear of the wing, thus having a tendency to reduce drag by the order of 8% and aviation fuel consumption by the order of 4 to 5% at cruising speed.

[0108] Although described in the context of an application to a wing leading edge, it is also possible to use the panel obtained according to the manufacturing method of the invention on other leading edges of an aircraft.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an aircraft leading edge panel (38, 40), characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: - placing the sheet (46) in a cavity (60) of a mould (62), said cavity being delimited by a shaping surface (64) configured to shape the outer face of the aircraft leading edge panel (38, 40) to be obtained and presenting an optimised surface finish, - overmolding a coating (54) onto the sheet (46) by injecting material into the cavity (60) of the mold (62), the coating (54) comprising, after the overmolding step, an outer face (56) corresponding to the outer face of the aircraft leading edge panel (38, 40) to be obtained and presenting an optimized surface finish imparted by the shaped surface (64) of the mold (62); The sheet (46) has an inner face (46int), an outer face (46ext) at least partially coated with the coating (54), and at least two through holes (66, 66'), and the coating (54) material is injected via at least two feed parts (68), the at least two feed parts are positioned on the inner face (46int) side of the sheet (46) and aligned with the through holes (66, 66'); Furthermore, the at least two feed portions (68) each comprise a nozzle (88) having an end (88.1) in the form of a projection relative to a contact surface (80) of the die (62) against which the inner face (46int) of the sheet (46) is pressed, the end (88.1) of the nozzle (88) having a shape complementary to that of the corresponding through hole (66) so as to obtain a clearance-free fit between the end (88.1) of the nozzle (88) and the through hole (66).

2. The method for manufacturing an aircraft leading edge panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mold (62) includes at least one slider (70), the slider including a finger (72) capable of moving in a hole (74) of the mold (62) between a retracted state and an extended state, wherein the finger (72) does not interfere with the sheet (46) in the retracted state and interferes with the sheet (46) in the extended state; Furthermore, for each slider (70), the sheet (46) comprises a perforation (78) whose diameter is equal to the diameter of the finger (72) and which is positioned in the continuation of the hole (74) of the die (62) when the sheet (46) is correctly positioned in the die (62).

3. The method for manufacturing an aircraft leading edge panel according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The sheet (46) comprises a continuation portion (82) and a rear region (58), wherein the continuation portion extends beyond the front edge surface (48) of the sheet (46), and the rear region is adjacent to the rear edge surface (52) of the sheet (46); and the mold (62) comprises a first portion (62.1) and a second portion (62.2) movable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the first portion (62.1) and the second portion (62.2) having complementary shapes are configured to define the cavity ( 60), the first part (62.1) includes a contact surface (80) configured to receive the inner surface (46int) of the sheet (46), and the second part (62.2) includes the forming surface (64) and clamping sides (84), the clamping sides are positioned so that there is one clamping side at each end of the forming surface (64) and are configured to clamp the continuation (82) and the rear area (58) of the sheet (46) against the contact surface (80) of the first part (62.1) in the closed position.

4. The method for manufacturing an aircraft leading edge panel according to claim 3, characterized in that: The continuation portion (82) is positioned to at least partially clear the front edge surface (48) of the sheet (46).

5. The method for manufacturing an aircraft leading edge panel according to claim 3, characterized in that: After the overmolding step, the continuation (82) of the sheet (46) is removed.

6. The method for manufacturing an aircraft leading edge panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sheet (46) is shaped in the same way as the aircraft leading edge panel (38, 40) to be obtained before being placed in the mould (62).

7. An aircraft leading edge panel obtained using a method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. An aircraft leading edge, comprising two aircraft leading edge panels (38, 40) according to claim 7, both aircraft leading edge panels comprising a front lateral edge surface (38a, 40a) which are joined together at a joint plane located along an aerodynamic stagnation line, and for each aircraft leading edge panel (38, 40), a coating (54) at least partially covers the front edge surface (48) of the sheet (46).

9. An aircraft comprising at least one aircraft leading edge according to claim 8.

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