Deformable sealing plug and method of plugging cavity using such sealing plug

Abstract

Deformable sealing plugs and methods of plugging cavities using such sealing plugs. A sealing plug (1) intended to be arranged inside a cavity in order to plug it without leakage comprises: an incompressively deformable envelope (3) delimiting a hollow inner space (7) and provided with at least one aperture (8); a rod (9) slidable through the envelope (3), a first end (10) of the rod (11) being provided with a head (12) capable of deforming the envelope (3) when a second end (11) of the rod (9) is pulled; and an adhesive seal (17) arranged in the inner space (7) of the envelope (3) to be discharged from the envelope (3) through one or more apertures (8) when the envelope (3) is deformed, said sealing plug (1), once positioned in the cavity, being able to easily and quickly block cavities of various shapes and / or sizes without leakage by deformation, and this can be accomplished by simply pulling the rod (9) from the outside of the cavity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a deformable sealing plug and a method of using such a sealing plug to block a cavity, in particular a cavity in a primary structure of an aircraft, such as a wing box section. Background Art

[0002] In many technical fields, the manufacture of structures involves the assembly of multiple components between which there may be spaces or cavities. These cavities may be problematic and may need to be plugged, particularly in the context of applications where a leak-proof structure is required.

[0003] For example, in the field of aviation, the wings of an aircraft have a main structure called a wing box, which comprises a complex assembly of a plurality of metal panels. In particular at the base of the wing, that is to say at the connection between the wing box and the central box of the aircraft, the overlap of certain panels creates relatively wide chimney-like cavities with irregular cross-sections. These cavities absolutely must be blocked leak-proof, since they provide a passage for communication between the inside and the outside of the wing box, which is used as a fuel tank.

[0004] One known method for plugging cavities of this type consists in injecting a sealing adhesive containing foam particles into the cavity. However, this method is not entirely satisfactory in terms of ergonomics and implementation. This is because it may require access on either side of the cavity, which is problematic in confined spaces, and also requires considerable injection pressures if the cavity to be plugged is very wide or very deep, and therefore requires cumbersome tools.

[0005] Furthermore, in the case of a specific application to a wing box segment, the sealing adhesive must be injected from the inside of said wing box segment in order to ensure that certain requirements are met. The interior space of the wing box segment is narrow and difficult to access, and this makes the operation tedious and awkward, especially due to the preparation steps (specifically blocking all auxiliary spaces to ensure that the sealing adhesive correctly penetrates the cavity).

[0006] Since the (vertical) size of the wing is a factor directly related to aircraft performance, it is intended to reduce this size in the future, resulting in even narrower wing box sections. It is therefore important to find new solutions to facilitate the operation involving the blockage of the aforementioned cavity. Summary of the invention

[0007] The object of the present invention is to remedy the drawbacks mentioned above.The present invention relates to a sealing plug intended to be arranged inside a cavity so as to block said cavity leak-tightly.

[0008] According to the present invention, the sealing plug at least comprises: - an envelope configured to be incompressibly deformable, delimiting a hollow internal space and provided with at least one orifice enabling communication of said internal space with the outside of the envelope; - a rod slidable through the envelope and extending on either side of said envelope, the rod comprising a first end provided with a head capable of exerting a compressive force on the envelope so as to deform the envelope when the second end of the rod is moved to pull the head against the envelope; and - an adhesive seal arranged in the inner space of the envelope, the sealing plug being configured such that when the envelope is deformed by the head of the rod, the adhesive seal is at least partially expelled from the envelope through the one or more orifices.

[0009] As a result, the present invention provides a sealing plug that can easily and quickly plug cavities of various shapes and / or sizes without leaking, the sealing plug being able to be very simply positioned in the cavity to be plugged and the sealing being obtained by simply pulling a rod that deforms the envelope and discharges the viscous sealant, the envelope so deformed and the viscous sealant so discharged filling the cavity to plug the cavity airtightly.

[0010] Advantageously, the head of the rod has a trapezoidal shape, the head being arranged so that the small base of the trapezoidal shape comes into contact with the envelope when the second end of the rod is moved to draw the head against said envelope.

[0011] Furthermore, advantageously, the envelope is provided with an opening for access to the inner space, and the sealing plug comprises a rigid cover configured to close said opening.

[0012] In a particular embodiment, the sealing plug includes a check member arranged on a rod in the internal space of the sleeve and extending transversely relative to the rod, the check member being configured to guide the adhesive seal toward one or more orifices in the sleeve when the sleeve is deformed and to prevent the adhesive seal from retreating into the internal space.

[0013] The viscous seal preferably corresponds to a sealing adhesive which is polymerizable at ambient temperature.

[0014] In a particular embodiment, the envelope has an elongated parallelepiped shape comprising lateral walls in which one or more orifices are made and comprising a wall at each of its longitudinal ends between which a rod extends and through which the rod passes, the head of the rod being able to come into contact with one of the walls in order to deform the envelope.

[0015] The invention also relates to a structure provided with at least one cavity. According to the invention, the structure comprises at least one sealing plug as described above, which is arranged in the cavity to plug said cavity in a leak-tight manner.

[0016] The invention also relates to a method of plugging a cavity using a sealing plug as described above.

[0017] According to the present invention, the method comprises at least the following steps which are implemented continuously: - a positioning step for inserting the sealing plug into the cavity to be blocked so that the second end of the rod is accessible from the outside of the cavity; a deformation step for moving the second end of the rod to draw the head against the envelope and apply a compressive force to deform the envelope until the envelope at least partially blocks the cavity and at least some of the adhesive sealant is expelled from the envelope through the one or more orifices; and - a polymerization step for allowing the viscous seal expelled from the envelope during the deformation step to polymerize in order to obtain complete sealing of the cavity.

[0018] Furthermore, advantageously, the method comprises a preliminary step for injecting an adhesive sealant into the inner space of the envelope, carried out before the positioning step.

[0019] In a particular embodiment, during the deforming step, the second end of the rod is moved by pulling using a pulling tool capable of providing a predefined pulling force.

[0020] In addition, advantageously, the method includes an intermediate step implemented after the positioning step and before the deformation step, for placing at least one intermediate component in the cavity so that the first end of the intermediate component contacts the sealing plug inside the cavity and the second end of the intermediate component protrudes out of the cavity, and the second end of the rod is pulled by contacting the second end of the intermediate component. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The accompanying drawings will make it easy to understand how the invention can be implemented.In the drawings, the same reference numerals represent similar elements.

[0022] Figure 1 is a view of a section through a preferred embodiment of a sealing plug.

[0023] Figure 2A During the preparation step for injecting the adhesive sealant into the sealing plug, Figure 1 View of a cross section of the sealing plug.

[0024] Figure 2B Once the preparation steps are completed, Figure 2A View of a cross section of the sealing plug.

[0025] Figure 2C is through Figure 2B A cross-sectional view of a sealing plug positioned in a cavity.

[0026] Figure 2D is through Figure 2C A cross-sectional view of a sealing plug in FIG. 2 which is deformed to block the cavity.

[0027] Figure 3 is a partial exploded view of an aircraft showing the assembly of the wing box sections onto the center box section.

[0028] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 An enlarged perspective view of the connecting area between the wing box section and the center box section in FIG. 1 , which connecting area includes the cavity to be blocked.

[0029] Figure 5 is located in Figure 4 Perspective view of a sealing plug in a cavity to be blocked.

[0030] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A perspective view of a sealing plug in FIG. 1 , on which an intermediate part for the step of deforming the sealing plug is arranged.

[0031] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a method for plugging a cavity using a sealing plug. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In a preferred embodiment, Figure 1 A sealing plug 1 (hereinafter referred to as plug 1) for illustrating the present invention is schematically shown in the figure. It is a deformable plug intended to be positioned in a cavity and deformed there so as to closely match the shape of the cavity so as to seal it. The features of the plug 1 described in the description below allow it to remain in place in the cavity in its deformed shape and thus ensure sealing.

[0033] Without limitation, the cavity 2 may correspond to an orifice or hole made in a structure comprising one or more components. For example, such a structure may correspond to an assembly of a plurality of subunits between which there is a space forming the cavity 2.

[0034] exist FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D An example embodiment of a plug 1 for blocking a cavity 2 is schematically shown in FIG. Figures 3 to 6 In the preferred non-limiting application shown in , cavity 2 corresponds to the chimney-like cavity between the wing box 34 and the center box 35 of an aircraft AC. However, plug 1 is very flexible in use, allowing its adaptation to many fields of application and in particular to cavities of various shapes and sizes.

[0035] exist Figure 1In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the plug 1 comprises a sleeve 3 having a substantially elongated parallelepiped shape. The sleeve 3 comprises lateral walls 4 and walls 5 and 6 at its longitudinal ends. The sleeve 3 corresponds to a deformable body, whose walls 4, 5 and 6 delimit a closed chamber forming a hollow inner space 7.

[0036] "Deformable body" is understood to mean a body that is rigid enough to maintain a well-defined shape at rest, while still being elastic enough to be able to deform under the action of external forces. It is worth noting that the envelope 3 is configured to be able to deform so as to match the shape of the cavity 2 intended to be blocked by the plug 1. Moreover, the envelope 3 is configured to deform incompressibly. Preferably, the envelope 3 corresponds to a vulcanized elastomer having functional characteristics (elasticity, strength, etc.) that are stable in the temperature range to which the wings of an aircraft are usually exposed.

[0037] Furthermore, the envelope 3 is provided with an orifice 8 made in the lateral wall 4. The orifice 8 corresponds to a through hole of reduced size which enables the internal space 7 to communicate with the outside of the envelope 3. Figure 1 In the embodiment of FIG. 3 , the envelope 3 is provided with two orifices 8 . However, in other embodiments, it may have a single orifice 8 or more than two orifices 8 .

[0038] Furthermore, the plug 1 has a rod 9 that is slidable through the envelope 3. More specifically, the rod 9 is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the envelope 3 and extends through the walls 5 and 6 on either side of the envelope 3. The rod 9 comprises a first end 10 that passes through the wall 5 and a second end 11 that passes through the wall 6. The end 10 of the rod 9 is provided with a head 12 that can come into contact with an external face 13 of the wall 5. The end 11 of the rod 9 is intended to be moved to pull the head 12 against the face 13 so as to exert a compressive force on the wall 5 of the envelope 3. To this end, the plug 1 is configured so that once it is positioned in the cavity 2, the end 11 of the rod 9 can be accessed from outside the cavity 2. The end 11 of the rod 9 preferably has a length designed to protrude outside the cavity 2.

[0039] Thus, acting on the rod 9 (by pulling it) makes it possible to compress the envelope 3 so as to deform it so as to block the cavity 2, as explained in the example embodiment below. Since the envelope 3 consists of an incompressible material, it deforms until it occupies most of the lateral space between the head 12 and the wall of the cavity 2. Furthermore, the head 12 of the rod 9 has a shape designed to help keep the envelope 3 in place in the cavity 2 once it has been deformed.

[0040] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment of the present invention, the head 12 corresponds to an additional component firmly fixed to the end 10 of the rod 9. In this non-limiting embodiment, the head 12 is Figure 1The head 12 has a cross section of a trapezoidal shape in a section plane in . The head 12 is arranged on the rod 9 so that when the head 12 is pulled against the wall 5, one face 14 corresponding to the small base of the trapezoidal shape comes into contact with a face 13 of the envelope 3. The head 12 thus arranged has inclined faces 15 and 16 corresponding to the non-parallel sides of the trapezoidal shape, which are oriented to facilitate keeping the envelope 3 in place in the cavity 2 once the envelope 3 is deformed.

[0041] The rod 9 may correspond to any type of elongated element that can be pulled so as to press and pull the head 12 against the envelope 3 in order to deform this envelope 3. It is worth noting that the rod 9 may have a roughened portion (not shown) at its end 11 to make it easier to pull. The rod 9 preferably corresponds to a flexible tab, in particular to a tab having at least one flexible end 11. Such a flexible tab makes it easier to insert the plug 1 into the cavity 2 and to pull the end 11. In particular, by means of the elasticity of the envelope 3 and the flexibility of the rod 9, the plug 1 can be more easily inserted into cavities that are difficult to access, such as in Figure 5 and Figure 6 In the example shown in ). In addition, the flexible end portion 11 may be bent so as to protrude out of the cavity 2 at an angle suitable for the pull rod 9 (e.g. Figure 6 ).

[0042] Furthermore, the plug 1 has a viscous seal 17 arranged in the internal space 7 of the envelope 3. The viscous seal 17 corresponds to a product based on at least one polymer capable of polymerizing in contact with oxygen at ambient temperature to form an element of the elastomeric type, making it possible to ensure tightness. "Viscous" is understood to mean that the viscous seal 17 has a relatively fluid or pasty texture in its non-polymerized form, making it possible to spread or disperse without being liquid in other ways. For example, the viscous seal 17 may correspond to a filler adhesive of the "PR" type, which is conventional in the aerospace field. It preferably adheres firmly to metal.

[0043] The plug 1 is configured so that when the envelope 3 is deformed due to the compressive force obtained by pulling the rod 9, the adhesive seal 17 is at least partially expelled from the envelope 3 through the orifice 8. Since the adhesive seal 17 is relatively fluid, it can expand in the cavity 2 when it is expelled and when the envelope 3 is deformed by pulling the rod 9.

[0044] Thus, not only does the envelope 3 conform to the shape of the cavity 2 by deformation, but the adhesive seal 17 expands through the lateral walls 4 of the envelope 3 (via the orifices 8) to fill the cavity 2. Notably, the adhesive seal 17 is able to fill gaps and small cavities that may form between the cavity 2 and the walls of the envelope 3 when the envelope 3 is deformed. In this way, the envelope 3 and the adhesive seal 17 completely fill the cavity 2 to completely and leak-tightly block the cavity 2.

[0045] Furthermore, by polymerizing in the cavity 2 , the adhesive seal 17 makes possible the consolidation of the plug 1 by helping to keep the envelope 3 in place in its deformed shape.

[0046] Thus, the plug 1 makes it possible to easily and quickly plug cavities of various shapes and sizes without leaking. On the one hand, the plug 1 can be positioned very simply in the cavity 2 to be plugged. On the other hand, the tightness can be obtained by simply pulling the rod 9 from outside the cavity 2, making it possible to deform the envelope 3 and to expel the adhesive seal 17 outside the envelope 3. The envelope 3 thus deformed and the adhesive seal 17 thus expelled fill the cavity 2 completely and tightly.

[0047] Furthermore, in a particular embodiment, the envelope 3 is provided with an opening 18 for access to the inner space 7. Figure 1 In the embodiment of the invention, the opening 18 is arranged at the wall 6 at the longitudinal end of the envelope 3, extending over the entire surface area of ​​said wall 6. Furthermore, the plug 1 has a rigid cover 19, which is arranged on the longitudinal end of the envelope 3 including the opening 18, to close said opening 18. The rigid cover 19 may be removably or firmly fixed to the envelope 3, for example by adhesive bonding. The envelope 3 and the rigid cover 19 may have matching shapes for assembling them.

[0048] Furthermore, the rigid cover 19 has a hole 20 through which the end 11 of the rod 9 passes. It also has an outer surface 21 oriented towards the outside of the envelope 3 and capable of serving as a (direct or indirect) contact surface for pulling the rod 9 .

[0049] The opening 18 thus makes it possible to easily inject the adhesive seal 17 into the internal space 7 , after which the rigid cover 19 can be mounted on the envelope 3 so as to close the envelope and retain the adhesive seal in the internal space 7 .

[0050] exist Figure 1 In the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the plug 1 has a return stop 22 arranged on the rod 9 in the inner space 7 of the envelope 3. The return stop 22 is configured to guide the adhesive seal 17 out of the envelope 3 when the envelope 3 is deformed. It also makes it possible to prevent the adhesive seal 17 from retreating into the inner space 7.

[0051] The non-return member 22 corresponds to a member of reduced thickness such as a blade or a washer. It is arranged to extend radially relative to the rod 9, preferably substantially perpendicularly relative to the rod 9. Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 3 , the non-return member 22 can be arranged so as to leave a free space between it and the wall 5 of the envelope 3 .

[0052] The adhesive seal 17 is arranged in a portion of the internal space 7 comprised between a face 23 of the non-return member 22 facing the wall 6 and said wall 6 of the envelope 3. The face 23 comprises, at its radially outer end, a bevel 24 having a shape designed to guide the adhesive seal 17 towards the orifice 8 when the envelope 3 is deformed.

[0053] Furthermore, the non-return member 22 is configured such that the face 23 covers substantially the entirety of the radial cross section of the interior space 7. As a result, the non-return member prevents the adhesive seal 17 from retreating into the interior space 7 (that is to say between the non-return member 22 and the wall 5) when the envelope 3 is deformed. This prevents a portion of the adhesive seal 17 from being caught in a possible bead formed by the deformed envelope 3.

[0054] In the context of the present invention, the plug 1 as described above can be used to block the cavity 2 by a method P, which is Figure 7 The steps are shown schematically in FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D To this end, method P comprises at least steps E0, E1, E2 and E3, which are described below and are performed successively.

[0055] Step E0 is a preliminary step for assembling the plug 1 before it is inserted into the cavity 2. The adhesive sealant 17 is first prepared before being injected into the inner space 7 of the envelope 3 through the opening 18. Figure 2A As shown in FIG. 2 , the non-return component 22 is positioned in the inner space 7 , and then the adhesive sealant 17 is injected onto the top of the non-return component 22 using a tool 25 , such as a syringe or an injection gun.

[0056] Once the adhesive sealant 17 has been injected, the opening 18 is closed by a rigid cover 19, such as Figure 2B The rigid cover 19 is firmly and leak-tightly fixed to the envelope 3 , sufficient to withstand the compressive forces exerted by the rods 9 intended to deform the envelope 3 , and so that the adhesive seal 17 does not escape through the opening 18 .

[0057] Once the plug 1 has been prepared, Figure 2B As shown in FIG. 1 , a positioning step E1 is performed to insert the plug 1 into the cavity 2. Figure 2C As shown in , the plug 1 is inserted so that the end 11 of the rod 9 is accessible from the outside of the cavity 2 , so that said rod 9 can be pulled.

[0058] In the particular embodiment discussed (in FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D ), the cavity 2 corresponds to a through passage having a substantially rectangular cross section (that is to say, it is open at its two ends). Figure 2C and Figure 2DOnly two walls 26 and 27 of the cavity 2 are shown. In other embodiments, the cavity 2 may have other configurations; it may be blind, include multiple passages, or have a cross-section with different shapes and / or variations over the length of the cavity 2 (e.g., a tapered cavity).

[0059] The plug 1 can be inserted via the most feasible end of the cavity 2 for pulling the rod 9. Furthermore, it can be positioned anywhere desired along the cavity 2, as long as its shape allows.

[0060] To this end, the plug 1 is configured to have a shape intended to cooperate with the walls of the cavity 2. "Cooperation" is understood to mean that the overall shape of the plug 1 (in particular the shape of the envelope 3) generally corresponds to the shape of the cavity 2 and is slightly smaller than the shape of the cavity 2. As a result, the plug 1 can be inserted into the cavity 2 by sliding it in by hand. The shape of the plug 1 is preferably provided so that it fits into the cavity 2 by contact with the walls 26 and 27. For the sake of clarity, in Figure 2C and Figure 2D The gap between the undeformed lateral wall 4 of the envelope 3 and the walls 26 and 27 of the cavity 2 is shown in a deliberately enlarged view.

[0061] Once the plug 1 has been positioned in the cavity 2, a deformation step E2 is performed in order to deform the envelope 3. To this end, as described by Figure 2D As shown by the arrow D in FIG. 1 , the rod 9 is moved by pulling it from the outside of the cavity 2 by the end 11. The rod 9 can be pulled manually or using a pulling tool (not shown) with a predefined pulling force. The rod 9 is preferably pulled while in contact with the contact surface 21 of the rigid cover 19 to avoid the plug 1 from moving in the cavity 2 during step E2.

[0062] The end 11 can be pulled in the longitudinal direction of the rod 9. However, it can also be pulled in the other direction. This may be the case in particular if the cavity 2 is not straight or if there is an obstacle directly opposite the cavity 2 which requires the end 11 of the rod 9 to be curved.

[0063] The movement of the rod 9 causes the head 12 to move, and the head then exerts a compressive force on the envelope 3, as caused by Figure 2D 12. As shown by the arrow E in FIG. Under the effect of this compressive force, the envelope 3 is deformed and its walls are pushed back to either side of the head 12 while being pressed against the walls 26 and 27 of the cavity 2. The predefined tensile force is configured to deform the envelope 3 to a sufficient degree that it blocks all or at least a large part of the cavity 2. Once it has been deformed around the head 12, the envelope 3 holds itself in place in the cavity 2.

[0064] Furthermore, during step E2, the deformation of the envelope 3 and / or the movement of the non-return member 22 (caused by the movement of the rod 9) discharges the adhesive seal 17 from the envelope 3 through the orifice 8, as caused by Figure 2D The adhesive seal 17 is then pressed between the walls of the envelope 3 and the walls of the cavity 2, allowing it to expand throughout the space remaining between the plug 1 and the walls of the cavity 2, and in particular into the small space that may have formed between the envelope 3 and the walls of the cavity 2 during step E2.

[0065] Once the envelope 3 has been deformed so as to completely obstruct the cavity 2 with the adhesive seal 17, a polymerization step E3 is carried out so as to allow polymerization of said adhesive seal 17. The polymerization of the adhesive seal 17 at ambient temperature makes it possible to complete the sealing of the cavity 2. In particular, it makes it possible to improve the quality of the sealing and helps to keep the plug 1 in place in the cavity 2.

[0066] As a result, a careful choice of the shape of the plug 1 (and especially of the shape of the envelope 3) and its positioning in the cavity 2 makes it possible to obtain excellent tightness with less effort than that involved in conventional sealing methods. This is because the installation of the plug 1 requires access only on one side of the cavity and therefore makes it possible to completely externalize the installation method. In addition, this sealing solution does not require any cleaning after installation and therefore reduces the associated workload.

[0067] In a particular embodiment, method P comprises an intermediate step E4 implemented after step E1 and before step E2. This step E4 consists in placing intermediate component 28 in cavity 2, such as Figure 6 The intermediate part 28 comprises a first end 29 configured to be in contact with the plug 1 and a second end 30 configured to protrude outside the cavity 2. The end 29 of the intermediate part 28 is preferably placed in contact with the contact surface 21 of the rigid cover 19. In addition, the end 30 of the intermediate part 28 is provided with a surface 31 that can be used as a contact surface for the pull rod 9.

[0068] With the face 31 protruding outside the cavity 2, the intermediate part 28 thus arranged makes it possible to obtain an easily accessible contact surface for the pulling rod 9. This is particularly advantageous in configurations where access to the cavity 2 is limited and / or when a pulling tool cannot be introduced as far as the plug 1 to make direct contact with the contact surface 21 of the rigid cover 19. It is worth noting that the intermediate part 28 can have a specific shape, such as a curved shape, so that the face 31 protrudes outside the cavity 2 with a suitable orientation for the pulling rod 9.

[0069] The preferred application of plug 1 is Figures 3 to 6 It involves an aircraft AC (in Figure 3 32 and the main structure of the fuselage 33. More specifically, it is the connection area between the wing box section 34 of the wing 32 and the central box section 35 of the fuselage 33.

[0070] like Figure 4 As shown in , the assembly of the wing box 34 and the center box 35 involves a complex stacking of multiple panels made of metal or composite materials with specific shapes. In this assembly, the panel 36 of the wing box 34 is adjacent to the panel 37 of the center box 35. Assembly tolerances mean that the panels 36 and 37 are spaced apart from each other, creating a space between them. In addition, a panel 38 is fixed on top of the panels 36 and 37, covering the space between them. Figure 4 Panel 38 is shown transparently in order to illustrate the space at the interface between panels 36 and 37.

[0071] The space between panels 36 and 37 covered by panel 38 thus forms a passage (or chimney) of substantially rectangular cross-section. Figure 4 This passage formed between the panels 36 , 37 and 38 corresponds to the cavity 2 to be blocked with the plug 1 .

[0072] The area enclosed by square C is Figure 5 and Figure 6 The enlarged view is shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown in detail in FIG. 1 , cavity 2 is delimited by faces 40, 41 and 42. Faces 40 and 41 correspond to the edge faces of panels 36 and 37 facing each other, respectively. Face 42 corresponds to the face of the rear panel (substantially parallel to panel 38) arranged on panels 36 and 37 from the inside of wing box section 34. The last face delimiting cavity 2 corresponds to the face of panel 38 arranged on panels 36 and 37 from the outside of wing box section 34. For the sake of clarity, panel 38 is shown in FIG. Figure 5 and Figure 6 Not shown in FIG.

[0073] Furthermore, the cavity 2 has an opening 43 at one of its ends, which leads out of the wing box section 34 opposite the bracket 39. At its other end (not shown), the cavity 2 leads into the wing box section 34.

[0074] In this preferred application, Figure 5 , the plug 1 is positioned in the cavity 2 near the opening 43. This is because the space between the bracket 39 and the opening 42 makes it possible to insert the plug 1 by bending it (by virtue of its flexible overall structure) if necessary. The end of the plug 1 including the head 12 points into the cavity 2, and the end including the end 11 to be pulled points to the opening 43. The rod 9 is provided with a suitable length for extending out of the cavity 2.

[0075] like Figure 6, the intermediate component 28 is arranged in the cavity 2 in contact with the plug 1. More specifically, the end 29 of the intermediate component 28 is inserted into the cavity 2 until it contacts the contact surface 21 of the rigid cover 19. The intermediate component 28 has a length suitable for causing its end 30 to protrude out of the cavity 2 when the end 29 contacts the plug 1. In addition, the intermediate component 28 has a curved shape so that the face 31 protrudes out of the cavity 2 substantially perpendicularly relative to the cavity 2.

[0076] The intermediate part 28 so positioned makes it possible to easily pull the end 11 of the rod 9 using a pulling tool (not shown). This is because the intermediate part 28 is configured so that the end 11 of the rod 9 can pass through it to be led out at the face 31. The pulling tool is then placed in contact with the face 31 from outside the cavity 2 so as to pull the protruding end 11 with a predefined force that can be selected by the operator. This predefined force makes it possible for the plug 1 to deform as described above to block the cavity 2. Once the rod 9 has been pulled and the plug 1 has been deformed, the intermediate part 28 is removed and the end 11 of the rod 9 is cut.

[0077] The plug 1 as described above has many advantages. In particular: - it makes it possible to easily block the cavity 2 in a leak-proof manner, since it can be easily inserted into the cavity 2 from the outside and deformed without causing any accessibility problems; - it can be quickly put in place and makes it possible to limit the steps of preparing the cavity 2; - it is cheap and makes it possible to limit labor costs; - it can be easily adapted to plug cavities of various shapes and / or sizes; - It can be put into place using compact tools as it does not require significant injection pressure; - it can be positioned precisely at the desired location in the cavity 2; and It makes it possible to obtain excellent tightness by means of the combination of the deformable envelope 3 and the adhesive seal 17 .

Claims

1. A sealing plug, which is intended to be arranged inside a cavity so as to block the cavity without leaking, The sealing plug at least comprises: - an envelope configured to be incompressibly deformable, delimiting a hollow interior space and provided with at least one orifice enabling communication of said interior space with the exterior of said envelope; - a rod capable of sliding through the envelope and extending on either side of the envelope, the rod comprising a first end provided with a head capable of exerting a compressive force on the envelope so as to deform the envelope when the second end of the rod is moved to pull the head against the envelope; and - an adhesive seal arranged in the inner space of the envelope, the sealing plug being configured such that the adhesive seal is at least partially expelled from the envelope through the one or more orifices when the envelope is deformed by the head of the rod.

2. The sealing plug according to claim 1, in, The head of the rod has a trapezoidal shape, the head being arranged such that a small base of the trapezoidal shape contacts the cuff when the second end of the rod is moved to draw the head against the cuff.

3. The sealing plug according to any one of claims 1 and 2, in, The enclosure is provided with an opening for accessing the interior space, and wherein the sealing plug comprises a rigid cover configured to close the opening.

4. The sealing plug according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in, The sealing plug includes a non-return member arranged on the rod in the internal space of the sleeve and extending transversely relative to the rod, and the non-return member is configured to guide the adhesive seal toward the one or more openings in the sleeve when the sleeve is deformed and prevent the adhesive seal from retreating into the internal space.

5. The sealing plug according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in, The viscous seal corresponds to a sealing adhesive which is polymerizable at ambient temperature.

6. The sealing plug according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in, The envelope has an elongated parallelepiped shape comprising lateral walls in which the one or more orifices are made and comprising a wall at each of the longitudinal ends of the lateral walls, between which the rod extends and through which it passes, the head of the rod being able to come into contact with one of the walls in order to deform the envelope.

7. A structure provided with at least one cavity, in, The structure comprises at least one sealing plug according to any one of claims 1 to 6, arranged in the cavity to block the cavity in a leak-tight manner.

8. A method for plugging a cavity using a sealing plug according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in, The method comprises at least the following steps which are carried out continuously: - a positioning step for inserting the sealing plug into the cavity to be blocked so that the second end of the rod is accessible from the outside of the cavity; a deformation step for moving the second end of the rod to draw the head against the envelope and apply a compressive force to deform the envelope until the envelope at least partially obstructs the cavity and at least some of the adhesive sealant is expelled from the envelope through the one or more orifices; and - a polymerization step for allowing the adhesive seal expelled from the envelope during the deformation step to polymerize in order to obtain complete tightness of the cavity.

9. The method according to claim 8, in, The method comprises a preliminary step for injecting the adhesive sealant into the inner space of the envelope, performed before the positioning step.

10. The method according to any one of claims 8 and 9, in, During the deforming step, the second end of the rod is moved by pulling using a pulling tool capable of providing a predefined pulling force.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, in, The method includes an intermediate step implemented after the positioning step and before the deformation step, for placing at least one intermediate component in the cavity so that the first end of the intermediate component contacts the sealing plug inside the cavity and the second end of the intermediate component protrudes out of the cavity, and the second end of the rod is pulled by contacting the second end of the intermediate component.

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