A combined assembly of an outer wing box and a central wing box and an aircraft having the combined assembly

Abstract

The present invention relates to a combination assembly for combining an outer wing box with a central wing box and an aircraft having the combination assembly. The combination assembly comprises: a central wing box; an outer wing box, the outer wing box comprising a beam facing the heading direction and an outer wing box wall panel facing the vertical direction; and a first rib, the first rib comprising a first rib edge strip, a first portion of the first rib edge strip is parallel to and fittedly connected with the outer wing box wall panel of the outer wing box to connect the first rib to the outer wing box wall panel of the outer wing box, and a second portion of the first rib edge strip is parallel to and fittedly connected with the central wing box wall panel of the central wing box to connect the first rib to the central wing box wall panel of the central wing box, so that the outer wing box is connected to the central wing box, wherein the beam edge strip of the beam is cut off a predetermined length toward the end of the central wing box, so that the end of the beam edge strip of the beam is farther away from the central wing box than the end of the beam web of the beam. The present invention also relates to an aircraft having a combination assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a combination assembly of an outer wing box and a central wing box, in particular, to a combination of a wall plate and a beam cap and a rib of a wing box, belonging to the field of aircraft structure design. The present invention also relates to an aircraft having the combination assembly. Background Art

[0002] In the manufacturing and assembly process of large aircraft, the assembly of the wing box part is an important part of the general assembly. When the outer wing box is assembled to the central wing box, the structure of the wing box joint part has an important influence on the assembly efficiency.

[0003] Usually, the outer wing box is assembled to the central wing box through the No. 1 rib, wherein a portion of the No. 1 rib's edge strip is connected to the outer wing box, and the other portion is connected to the central wing box. When the outer wing box is assembled to the corresponding position of the central wing box, due to the accumulation of manufacturing and assembly errors, a gap will be generated between the ends of the upper and lower wall panels of the outer wing box and the No. 1 rib edge strip. If a gasket is used to fill the gap, the gasket has a complex shape and needs to be processed on site, which seriously reduces the efficiency of aircraft wing box assembly.

[0004] In the prior art, there are related structures such as the outer wing box end of a Boeing 737 aircraft, such as Figure 1 As shown, the beam 20' includes a beam cap 21' and a beam web 22', and the beam web 22' is thickened at the bottom, i.e., at the junction with the beam cap 21', to provide greater rigidity. When the outer wing box is combined with the central wing box, there is a height difference between the lower wall plate 30' of the outer wing box and the beam cap 21', so there is a gap when the No. 1 rib used to combine the outer wing box with the central wing box is fixed to the lower wall plate 30'. Usually, gaskets are added according to the gaps during the assembly process, and the thickness and shape of the gaskets also need to be processed on site according to the actual situation, which seriously reduces the assembly efficiency.

[0005] Therefore, there is still a need to further improve the existing structure of combining the outer wing box with the central wing box. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a coupling assembly for coupling an outer wing box to a central wing box, an aircraft using the coupling assembly, and a coupling method, so as to significantly improve the assembly efficiency of coupling the outer wing box to the central wing box, and ensure that the structural stiffness distribution is not abrupt and the load transfer is smooth.

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a combination assembly for combining an outer wing box with a central wing box, the combination assembly comprising: a central wing box; an outer wing box, the outer wing box comprising a beam facing in the heading direction and an outer wing box wall panel facing in the vertical direction; and a first rib, the first rib comprising a first rib edge strip, a first portion of the first rib edge strip is parallel to and fits with the outer wing box wall panel of the outer wing box to connect the first rib to the outer wing box wall panel of the outer wing box, and a second portion of the first rib edge strip is parallel to and fits with the central wing box wall panel of the central wing box to connect the first rib to the central wing box wall panel of the central wing box, so that the outer wing box is connected to the central wing box, wherein the beam edge strip of the beam is cut off by a predetermined length toward the end of the central wing box, so that the end of the beam edge strip of the beam is farther away from the central wing box than the end of the beam web of the beam.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is a discontinuity between the end of the beam web and the end of the beam cap, the discontinuity is groove-shaped, and the discontinuity extends a first length from the end of the beam web in a direction away from the center wing box, and the end of the beam cap of the beam is cut off by a second length, and the second length is less than the first length.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is a discontinuity between the end of the beam web and the end of the beam cap, the discontinuity extends a first length from the end of the beam web in a direction away from the center wing box, and the end of the beam cap of the beam is cut off by the first length.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, it also includes a corner box having a corner box edge strip parallel to the outer wing box wall panel, and a part of the first part of the first rib edge strip and a part of the end of the beam edge strip of the beam are sandwiched between the corner box edge strip and the outer wing box wall panel.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, the corner box has a corner box boss which protrudes from the corner box cap toward the outer wing box panel and is filled between the first rib cap and the beam cap.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, it also includes a first rib gasket, a first portion of the first rib gasket is sandwiched between a first portion of the first rib flange and an outer wing box wall panel of the outer wing box, and a second portion of the first rib gasket is sandwiched between a second portion of the first rib flange and a central wing box wall panel of the central wing box.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, the outer wing box panel is further provided with a long stringer, the long stringer includes a long stringer edge strip parallel to the outer wing box panel, and the first part of the first rib gasket is flush with the long stringer edge strip, so that the first part of the first rib gasket and the long stringer edge strip are sandwiched between the first part of the first rib edge strip and the outer wing box panel.

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, the long stringer includes a long stringer web perpendicular to the outer wing box wall panel, and the long stringer web is cut off a portion obliquely toward the end of the central wing box, so that the long stringer web is away from the central wing box as it is away from the outer wing box wall panel.

[0015] The present invention provides an aircraft having a combined assembly according to one aspect of the present invention.

[0016] The outer wing box wall panel according to the present invention has a certain degree of flexibility. When the gap is too large due to the accumulation of errors, the corner box, the first rib edge strip and the wall panel are allowed to be tightly connected by fasteners to eliminate or reduce the gap, so that the corner box and the first rib compact the outer wing box wall panel; when the gap is too small due to the accumulation of errors, the first rib edge strip is allowed to push the outer wing box wall panel to a certain extent to avoid interference of corresponding components. The outer wing box combination structure is minimized to reduce the gap and the need for padding, thereby improving assembly efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference may be made to the following description of exemplary embodiments considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The proportions of the accompanying drawings are schematic and not necessarily drawn to scale, but are intended to provide a clearer illustration. In the drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a prior art outer wing box;

[0019] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a combined assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a combined assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a portion of a combined assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A perspective view of a corner box of the combined assembly;

[0023] Figure 6 yes Figure 4 A perspective view of a portion of the combined assembly with rib No. 1 removed; and

[0024] Figure 7 yes Figure 4 A side cross-sectional view of the combined assembly at the corner box.

[0025] List of reference numerals:

[0026] 1 Outer wing box

[0027] 10 First rib

[0028] 11 First costal margin

[0029] 12 First rib rib

[0030] 20, 20' beam

[0031] 21, 21' beam flange

[0032] 22, 22' beam web

[0033] 23 Discontinuity

[0034] 30,30' Outer Wing Box Siding

[0035] 40 Corner Box

[0036] 41 Corner box edge strip

[0037] 42 Corner Box Web

[0038] 43 Corner Box Boss

[0039] 50 First rib gasket

[0040] 60 Long Stringer

[0041] 61 Long stringer cap

[0042] 62 Long Stringer Web DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and drawings. More details are elaborated in the following description to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can obviously be implemented in a variety of other ways different from the description herein. Those skilled in the art can make similar generalizations and deductions based on actual application situations without violating the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should not be limited by the content of this specific embodiment.

[0044] Figure 2 A part of a combined assembly in which an outer wing box is combined to a central wing box according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown, the combined assembly comprising a central wing box (not shown), an outer wing box 1 and a first rib 10 (i.e., rib No. 1, not shown), wherein the outer wing box 1 comprises a beam 20 facing in the heading direction and an outer wing box wall panel 30 facing in the vertical direction.

[0045] The accompanying drawings show a first rib 10, a beam 20 (here the front beam of the outer wing box) and an outer wing box panel 30 (here the lower panel of the outer wing box), but it can be understood that the combined assembly of the present invention is not only applied here, but can be applied to similar positions of various outer wing boxes, such as the beam at the rear, the outer wing box panel at the top, ribs at other connection positions, etc., and is not even limited to the first outer wing box connected to the central wing box.

[0046] The wall panels of the outer wing box of an aircraft are generally thin-walled structures with a certain degree of flexibility. During assembly, they can be conveniently combined with corresponding components through a certain degree of deformation, compensating for manufacturing errors to a certain extent. However, the wall panels of the existing outer wing boxes are reinforced by beam flanges and beam webs in the front and rear beam areas, which reduces flexibility. How to reasonably design the wall panels to maintain the overall strength of the combined components while retaining the flexibility of the wall panels is of great significance to improving assembly efficiency.

[0047] like Figure 2 It can be seen that according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the end of the beam cap 21 of the beam 20 facing the central wing box can be cut off by a predetermined length, so that the end of the beam cap 21 of the beam 20 is farther away from the central wing box than the end of the beam web 22, so that the end of the skin of the outer wing box wall panel 30 facing the central wing box can be left or exposed by a predetermined distance. The end of the outer wing box wall panel 30 retains its original flexibility because there is no reinforcement of the beam cap 21. The length of the beam cap 21 cut off can be determined based on the flexibility analysis of the end of the outer wing box wall panel 30 and actual needs. The skin of the outer wing box wall panel 30 does not need to be additionally thickened to increase the strength of the overall combined assembly, which will be described in detail below.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment, there is a discontinuity 23 between the end of the beam web 22 and the end of the beam cap 21. Figure 2 As shown, the discontinuous portion 23 is groove-shaped and extends a first length from the end of the beam web 22 in a direction away from the central wing box. In addition, the end of the beam cap 21 of the beam 20 is cut off by a predetermined length, which is a second length, and the second length is less than the first length, so that the groove has a greater depth, which can reduce the rigidity of the end of the outer wing box wall panel 30 at the end of the beam cap 21, which is conducive to improving the flexibility of the end of the outer wing box wall panel 30.

[0049] Figure 3 A combined assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown, and previously introduced components are similarly numbered in subsequent figures and will not be reintroduced for the sake of brevity. Figure 3 and Figure 2 The difference is that the predetermined length of the end of the beam cap strip 21 of the beam 20 is cut off as the first length, that is, a larger portion of the end of the beam cap strip 21 is cut off, and the flexibility of the end of the outer wing box wall panel 30 is further improved according to actual needs.

[0050] Figure 4 A part of a combined assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown, wherein it can be envisaged that the central wing box is located at Figure 4 The first rib 10 includes a first rib flange 11 and a first rib web 12, a first portion of the first rib flange 11 may be parallel to and fit with the outer wing box wall panel 30 of the outer wing box 1 to connect the first rib 10 to the outer wing box wall panel 30 of the outer wing box 1, and a second portion of the first rib flange 11 may be parallel to and fit with the central wing box wall panel of the central wing box to connect the first rib 10 to the central wing box wall panel of the central wing box, so that the outer wing box 1 is connected to the central wing box.

[0051] According to the present invention, a certain distance is left between the beam cap 21 of the beam 20 and the first rib cap 11 of the first rib 10, so that the wall panel has a certain flexibility at the end, but this design makes the strength of the combined assembly insufficient at this location. In a preferred embodiment, the combined assembly further includes a corner box 40, which is used to connect the beam cap 21 and the first part of the first rib cap 11.

[0052] like Figure 4 As shown, the corner box 40 has a corner box edge strip 41 parallel to the outer wing box wall panel 30 and a corner box web 42 parallel to the first rib web 12. A portion of the corner box edge strip 41 is parallel to, overlaps with, and connected by fasteners to a portion of the first portion of the first rib edge strip 11, so as to connect the corner box 40 and the first rib edge strip 11 together to the outer wing box wall panel 30 of the outer wing box 1. Another portion of the corner box edge strip 41 is parallel to, overlaps with, and connected by fasteners to a portion of the end of the beam edge strip 21 of the beam 20, so as to connect the corner box 40 and the beam edge strip 21 together to the outer wing box wall panel 30 of the outer wing box 1.

[0053] Therefore, a part of the first portion of the first rib cap 11 and a part of the end of the beam cap 21 of the beam 20 are sandwiched between the corner box cap 41 and the outer wing box panel 30. When there is a tearing tendency between the skin of the panel 30 and the beam cap, this tearing tendency and the disadvantages caused are greatly reduced.

[0054] In addition, the corner box 40 may have a corner box boss 43, which protrudes from the corner box edge strip 41 toward the outer wing box wall panel 30 and fills between the first rib edge strip 11 and the beam edge strip 21, and the corner box boss 43 and the skin may be connected by fasteners. The corner box boss 43 reduces the gap between the first rib edge strip 11 and the beam edge strip 21 to meet the sealing requirements. The three-dimensional view of the corner box 40 is shown in FIG. Figure 5 shown.

[0055] Figure 6 and Figure 4Basically the same, but the first rib 10 is removed to clearly show its obscured structure. The combined assembly according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention further includes a first rib gasket 50, a first portion of the first rib gasket 50 can be sandwiched between a first portion of the first rib edge strip and the outer wing box wall panel 30 of the outer wing box 1, and a second portion of the first rib gasket 50 can be sandwiched between a second portion of the first rib edge strip and the center wing box wall panel of the center wing box.

[0056] Figure 7 The side cross-sectional view of the combined assembly at the corner box according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown. Preferably, the total thickness of the first rib gasket 50 and the first rib flange 11 is substantially the same as the beam flange, allowing the corner box 40 to be stably fixed and compacted, so that the first rib flange 11 can compact the outer wing box wall panel 30.

[0057] return Figure 6 According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the outer wing box panel 30 is further provided with a plurality of long stringers 60 , and the long stringers 60 include long stringer edge strips 61 parallel to the outer wing box panel 30 and long stringer webs 62 substantially perpendicular to the outer wing box panel 30 .

[0058] Preferably, the first portion of the first rib gasket 50 and the long stringer edge strip 61 can be substantially flush (i.e., have substantially the same thickness), so that when the first rib edge strip 11 of the first rib 10 is fitted and fastened in place, the first portion of the first rib gasket 50 is allowed to be sandwiched together with the long stringer edge strip 61 between the first portion of the first rib edge strip 11 and the outer wing box wall panel 30, so as to facilitate the first rib edge strip 11 of the first rib 10 to press the outer wing box wall panel 30.

[0059] Preferably, the end of the stringer web 62 toward the central wing box is away from the end of the skin of the outer wing box panel 30 by a certain distance, so as to allow the outer wing box panel 30 to have a certain degree of flexibility at the end toward the central wing box.

[0060] Preferably, a portion of the end of the long stringer web 62 toward the central wing box can be cut off obliquely, so that the long stringer web 62 moves away from the central wing box as it moves away from the outer wing box wall panel 30, so as to allow the outer wing box wall panel 30 to have a certain degree of flexibility at the end toward the central wing box.

[0061] According to the present invention, the outer wing box wall panel 30 has a certain degree of flexibility. A compensating gasket is added at the position where the first rib edge strip connects the wall panels on both sides, so that the edge strip of the first rib can compact the lower wall panels of the outer wing box and the central wing box. When the gap is too large due to the accumulation of errors, the corner box 40, the first rib edge strip 11 and the wall panel 30 are allowed to be tightly connected by fasteners to eliminate or reduce the gap, so that the corner box 40 and the first rib 10 compact the outer wing box wall panel 30; when the gap is too small due to the accumulation of errors, the first rib edge strip 11 is allowed to push the outer wing box wall panel 30 to a certain extent to avoid interference of the corresponding components, thereby improving assembly efficiency. And by compacting the various components of the combined assembly, the stiffness distribution of the regional structure is not abrupt, and the load transmission is smooth.

[0062] Although various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented in an illustrative and non-limiting manner. It will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that the disclosed subject matter may be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit and essential features. Therefore, the embodiments described above are considered in all respects to be illustrative and non-restrictive, and are not intended to be a basis for any limitation of the present invention.

Claims

1. A combination assembly for combining an outer wing box with a central wing box, the combination assembly comprising: center wing box; An outer wing box (1), the outer wing box (1) comprising a beam (20) facing in the heading direction and an outer wing box wall panel (30) facing in the vertical direction; and a first rib (10), the first rib (10) comprising a first rib edge strip (11), a first portion of the first rib edge strip (11) being parallel to and closely connected with the outer wing box wall panel (30) of the outer wing box (1) so as to connect the first rib (10) to the outer wing box wall panel (30) of the outer wing box (1), and a second portion of the first rib edge strip (11) being parallel to and closely connected with the central wing box wall panel of the central wing box so as to connect the first rib (10) to the central wing box wall panel of the central wing box, so that the outer wing box (1) is connected to the central wing box, It is characterized in that The beam cap (21) of the beam (20) is cut off by a predetermined length toward the end of the central wing box, so that the end of the beam cap (21) of the beam (20) is farther away from the central wing box than the end of the beam web (22) of the beam (20), The combined assembly further comprises a corner box (40), the corner box (40) having a corner box edge strip (41) parallel to the outer wing box wall panel (30), and a portion of the first portion of the first rib edge strip (11) and a portion of the end of the beam edge strip (21) of the beam (20) are sandwiched between the corner box edge strip (41) and the outer wing box wall panel (30). The corner box (40) has a corner box boss (43), the corner box boss (43) protrudes from the corner box edge strip (41) toward the outer wing box wall panel (30), and is filled between the first rib edge strip (11) and the beam edge strip (21).

2. The combination assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: A discontinuity (23) is present between the end of the beam web (22) and the end of the beam cap (21), the discontinuity (23) is groove-shaped, and the discontinuity (23) extends a first length from the end of the beam web (22) in a direction away from the central wing box, and The end of the beam cap (21) of the beam (20) is cut off by a second length, and the second length is smaller than the first length.

3. The combination assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: A discontinuity (23) is present between the end of the beam web (22) and the end of the beam cap (21), the discontinuity (23) extending from the end of the beam web (22) to a first length in a direction away from the central wing box, and The end of the beam flange (21) of the beam (20) is cut off by the first length.

4. The combination assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a first rib gasket (50), wherein a first portion of the first rib gasket (50) is sandwiched between a first portion of the first rib edge strip and an outer wing box wall panel (30) of the outer wing box (1), and a second portion of the first rib gasket (50) is sandwiched between a second portion of the first rib edge strip and a central wing box wall panel of the central wing box.

5. The combination assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The outer wing box wall panel (30) is further provided with a long stringer (60), wherein the long stringer (60) comprises a long stringer edge strip (61) parallel to the outer wing box wall panel (30), and The first portion of the first rib gasket is flush with the long stringer cap (61), so that the first portion of the first rib gasket and the long stringer cap (61) are sandwiched between the first portion of the first rib cap and the outer wing box wall panel (30).

6. The coupling assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that: The long stringer (60) comprises a long stringer web (62) perpendicular to the outer wing box wall panel (30), and a portion of the long stringer web (62) is cut off obliquely toward the end of the central wing box, so that the long stringer web (62) is away from the central wing box as it moves away from the outer wing box wall panel (30).

7. An aircraft having a bonding assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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