Connecting structure and method for outer wing and central wing of aircraft and trifurcate joint for connecting structure

Abstract

The invention relates to a connecting structure of an outer wing (200) and a central wing (300) of an aircraft. The connecting structure comprises a web (10); a rib upper edge strip (11) located above the web (10); a rib lower edge strip (12) located below the web (10); a front Y-joint (13) located on a first side of the web (10); and a rear Y-joint (14) on a second side of the web (10) opposite the first side. The front trifurcate joint (13) and the rear trifurcate joint (14) are provided with lower turnups but not upper turnups. The aircraft outer wing (200) and the central wing (300) are connected together by replacing the upturned edge with a first corner box (120) lapped with the aircraft outer wing (200) and a second corner box (130) lapped with the central wing (300). The invention further relates to a trifurcate connector for the connecting structure and a connecting method of the trifurcate connector, and the problem of low assembly efficiency can be obviously improved while the advantage of high efficiency of a lap joint type connecting structure is reserved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a connection structure and method for an outer wing and a central wing of an aircraft, and also relates to a three-pronged joint used for the connection structure. Background Art

[0002] Civil aircraft usually use a connection structure commonly known as "No. 1 rib" to connect the outer wing and the center wing of the aircraft. This connection structure is usually a rib reinforcement, consisting of a web, an upper rib edge strip, a lower rib edge strip, a front three-pronged joint and a rear three-pronged joint. According to the connection form of the front and rear beams of the wing and the front and rear three-pronged joints, the connection structure between the outer wing and the center wing is usually divided into butt-jointed and overlapped. The butt-jointed type refers to the web or edge strip of the beam facing the flange of the three-pronged joint, and the outer wing and the center wing are connected with the help of a butt strap and a corner box; while the overlapped type refers to the web or edge strip of the beam fitting with the three-pronged joint, and the outer wing and the center wing are directly connected with the help of fasteners without the need for a butt strap and a corner box.

[0003] Comparing the above two connection structures, it can be found that the advantages of the docking connection structure are: (i) fewer assembly restrictions and simple padding; and (ii) the connection and assembly of the outer wing and the central wing can be carried out on the outside of the aircraft fuselage, and the assembly space is open, which is conducive to improving the assembly efficiency. The disadvantage of the docking connection structure is that the structural efficiency is significantly reduced.

[0004] Accordingly, the advantages of the overlap connection structure are: the overlap area structure is compact and the structural efficiency is relatively high. The disadvantages of the overlap connection structure are: (i) increased assembly restrictions and larger design gaps; and (ii) the connection and assembly of the outer wing and the central wing need to be carried out in whole or in part on the inner side of the aircraft fuselage, and the assembly space is limited, resulting in reduced assembly efficiency.

[0005] However, since the structural efficiency problem of the butt-joint connection structure is difficult to improve significantly, the industry currently tends to improve the overlap-joint connection structure to overcome its inherent defects.

[0006] For example, Fig. 7A and 7B A typical overlap connection structure is shown, in which Fig. 7A This is a simplified schematic diagram of the connection structure between the outer wing and the central wing. Figure 7B It is along Fig. 7A A cross-sectional view taken along section line 7A-7A in FIG.

[0007] This overlapping connection structure, namely rib No. 1, is pre-assembled to the outer wing. When the wing and fuselage are assembled, the outer wing together with rib No. 1 assembled thereon is inserted into the central wing box for connection. Figure 7BFIG. 7 shows a cross section taken along the section line 7A-7A of the center wing, showing the outer wing root structure and the center wing end structure. Figure 7B As shown, rib No. 1 includes a web 10, a rib upper rib strip 11, a rib lower rib strip 12, a front three-pronged joint 13, and a rear three-pronged joint 14. After the outer wing together with rib No. 1 is inserted into the center wing box, the rib upper rib strip 11 abuts against the outer surface of the center wing upper wall panel 21, the rib lower rib strip 12 abuts against the inner surface of the center wing lower wall panel 22, the front three-pronged joint 13 is adjacent to the center wing front beam 23 and is surrounded by the center wing front beam 23 in a substantially C-shaped manner, and the rear three-pronged joint 14 is adjacent to the center wing rear beam 24 and is surrounded by the center wing rear beam 24 in a substantially C-shaped manner.

[0008] At this time, the rib upper edge strip 11 and the upper flange of the front and rear three-pronged joints 13 and 14 form a two-way upper and lower limit, the front and rear three-pronged joints 13 and 14 and the edge strips of the front and rear beams 23 and 24 of the central wing also form a two-way upper and lower limit, and the web of the front and rear beams 23 and 24 of the central wing and the front and rear three-pronged joints 13 and 14 form a two-way front and rear limit, which requires a larger design gap and padding to meet the assembly requirements. Since the assembly operation area is located inside the fuselage, the space is not open enough, and the assembly efficiency is significantly affected.

[0009] Fig. 8A and 8B Another typical overlap connection structure is shown. Fig. 8A This is a simplified schematic diagram of the connection structure between the outer wing and the central wing. Figure 8B It is along Fig. 8A The stepped section 8A-8A is a cross-sectional view taken through most of the outer wing and a small part of the central wing.

[0010] This overlapping connection structure, i.e., the rear trident joint 14 of rib No. 1, is pre-assembled to the outer wing, while the remaining components of rib No. 1, i.e., the rib upper rim 11, the rib lower rim 12, and the front trident joint 13, are assembled to the center wing. During the wing-body assembly, unlike the overlapping connection structure described above, the outer wing together with the rear trident joint 14 is inserted into the center wing box assembled with the rib upper rim 11, the rib lower rim 12, and the front trident joint 13 for connection. Figure 8B 8 shows a cross section taken along the stepped section line 8A-8A of the root of the outer wing and the end of the center wing, showing the outer wing root structure and the center wing end structure. Figure 8BAs shown, since the outer wing is inserted into the central wing at an inclined angle, in order to avoid the front three-pronged joint 13 from hindering the assembly, the front three-pronged joint 13 is divided into two upper and lower sections, wherein the lower section is assembled to the central wing, and the upper section is rotated and inserted from the outer wing side after the outer wing is inserted into place. In this case, after the outer wing is inserted into the central wing box, the rib upper edge strip 11 is adjacent to the outer surface of the outer wing upper wall plate 31 on the outer wing side, and the rib lower edge strip 12 is adjacent to the inner surface of the outer wing lower wall plate 32 on the outer wing side. The lower section of the front three-pronged joint 13 is adjacent to the outer wing front beam 33 on the outer wing side and is surrounded by the outer wing front beam 33 in a substantially C-shaped manner. On the other hand, the rear three-pronged joint 14 is adjacent to the central wing rear beam 34 on the central wing side and is surrounded by the central wing rear beam 34 in a substantially C-shaped manner.

[0011] At this time, the upper and lower flanges of the rear three-pronged joint 14 and the edge strips of the central wing rear beam 34 form a two-way upper and lower restriction, and the front and rear three-pronged joints 13 and 14 and the webs of the outer wing front beam 33 and the central wing rear beam 24 and the upper and lower edge strips 11 and 12 of the ribs form a two-way front and rear restriction. Since most of the docking area is on the outside of the aircraft fuselage, only the upper section of the front three-pronged joint 13 and the rear three-pronged joint 14 are on the inside of the aircraft fuselage, the assembly space is significantly increased, but the entire docking structure still requires a larger design gap for padding. In addition, the segmentation of the front three-pronged joint 13 also has a certain impact on the assembly efficiency.

[0012] In the above two overlapping connection structures, although the movable parts entering the central wing box are different (the former is rib No. 1 itself, and the latter is the outer wing and the rear three-pronged joint), and the connection structure is partially improved according to the different movable parts (for example, the front three-pronged joint is divided into upper and lower ends to avoid hindering assembly), the layout between the rear outer wing, the central wing and the connection structure has not changed, and the fundamental problem existing in the prior art, that is, reducing the design gap, has not been solved.

[0013] Based on the above technical problems, a series of inventions have been developed in the field of aircraft, such as the U.S. invention patent US9,315,254B2 entitled "Joint assembly and method for assembling the joint assembly" filed by Boeing on October 11, 2013. The invention patent provides a joint assembly for an aircraft and a method for assembling the joint assembly. The joint assembly includes: a single main assembly, the main assembly includes a first flange, a second flange and a third flange; an outer spar component joined to the first flange by at least one fastener; an inner spar component joined to the second flange by at least one fastener; and a main rib joined to the third flange by at least one fastener.

[0014] During the operation of the aircraft, various loads are applied to the above-mentioned joint assembly. If the joint assembly includes multiple fork-shaped members separated by relatively large gaps, such a configuration may result in the generation of undesirable moments or torques. Since the main assembly of the invention patent is substantially solid and does not include any gaps, no significant moments or torques are generated, and the number of fasteners in the joint assembly, the number of separate parts in the joint assembly, the manufacturing cost of the joint assembly, and the weight of the joint assembly are significantly reduced.

[0015] Although the above invention patent provides several advantages, this joint assembly is mainly used to connect the left and right beam webs and the fuselage frame, and simultaneously realizes the functions of the beam, the three-pronged joint and the fuselage frame joint, and cannot be directly applied as the connection structure between the outer wing and the central wing.

[0016] To this end, technical personnel in this field have been committed to designing a connection structure between the outer wing and the central wing of an aircraft, which connection structure has both high structural efficiency (for lap connection structure) and high assembly efficiency (for docking connection structure), or achieves the best compromise between the two. Summary of the invention

[0017] The object of the present invention is to provide a connection structure between an outer wing and a central wing of an aircraft, which can significantly improve the problem of low assembly efficiency while retaining the advantage of high efficiency of the overlap connection structure.

[0018] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for connecting an outer wing and a central wing of an aircraft.

[0019] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a three-pronged joint, comprising:

[0020] middle rib;

[0021] A first connecting portion formed integrally with a base portion of the middle rib on a first side of the middle rib; and

[0022] A second connecting portion is formed integrally with the base of the middle rib on the second side of the middle rib, wherein

[0023] At the first end of the middle rib, the first connecting portion and the middle rib form a first lower flange, the second connecting portion and the middle rib form a second lower flange, and wherein,

[0024] At the second end of the middle rib, the middle rib is not formed with an upper flange with the first connecting portion or the second connecting portion, but is equipped with a first corner box overlapping the first outer member and a second corner box overlapping the second outer member to connect the first outer member and the second outer member together.

[0025] In the above preferred embodiment, the first external component may be an outer wing of the aircraft, and the second external component may be a central wing of the aircraft.

[0026] In the above preferred embodiment, the first corner box may be an outer wing side corner box, and the second corner box may be a center wing side corner box.

[0027] A second aspect of the present invention relates to a connection structure between an outer wing and a central wing of an aircraft, comprising:

[0028] belly plate;

[0029] The upper edge of the rib located above the web;

[0030] The subcostal margin located below the belly plate;

[0031] a front three-pronged joint located on a first side of the web; and

[0032] a rear triple joint located on a second side of the web opposite the first side,

[0033] Wherein, the front three-pronged joint and the rear three-pronged joint are the three-pronged joints as described in the first aspect of the present invention.

[0034] Preferably, a bell-mouth shape is formed between the upper edge of the three-pronged joint and the upper edge strip of the rib. By beveling the upper edge of the three-pronged joint into a bell-mouth shape, the upper and lower restrictions of the outer wing insertion during assembly can be improved, which is convenient for the assembly of the outer wing.

[0035] More preferably, both ends of the rib lower edge strip can be cut off so that the rib lower edge strip does not form a gap with the front three-pronged joint and the rear three-pronged joint.

[0036] A third aspect of the invention relates to a method for connecting an outer wing to a central wing of an aircraft, comprising:

[0037] Providing a connection structure as described in the second aspect of the present invention;

[0038] Assembling the connecting structure and the center wing side corner boxes to the center wing to form the fuselage section;

[0039] inserting the outer wings into the center wing; and

[0040] Assemble the outer wing side corner boxes to the outer wings to connect the outer wings to the center wing.

[0041] The step of inserting the outer wing into the central wing includes: overlapping the outer wing side corner boxes with the upper edge strips of the outer wing front and rear beams of the connecting structure, and overlapping the lower flanges of the front three-pronged joint and the rear three-pronged joint with the lower edge strips of the outer wing front and rear beams of the connecting structure, so as to achieve the connection between the outer wing and the central wing.

[0042] Alternatively, the step of inserting the outer wing into the central wing includes: fitting the roughly C-shaped sections of the outer wing front beam and the outer wing rear beam into the roughly C-shaped sections formed by the front three-pronged joint, the rear three-pronged joint and the outer wing side corner box to achieve the connection between the outer wing and the central wing.

[0043] In summary, the connection structure and method of the outer wing and the central wing of an aircraft according to the present invention can achieve the following advantages:

[0044] (i) When the roughly C-shaped outer wing box is inserted into the No. 1 rib for docking, since the front and rear three-pronged joints are not designed with upper flanges, the assembly movement restriction caused by the different reverse angles at the front and rear beams of the outer wing can be eliminated, the upper and lower two-way restrictions during assembly can be improved, and the outer wing assembly path can be simple and direct;

[0045] (ii) While retaining the advantages of high structural efficiency of lap joint assembly, ensure that the assembly area is open by limiting the assembly area to the outside of the fuselage, and ensure that the assembly efficiency is significantly improved by reducing the design gap and the amount of assembly padding;

[0046] (iii) The number of fasteners used is reduced, thereby lowering production costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] In order to further illustrate the structure of the connection structure between the outer wing and the central wing of the aircraft according to the present invention and its technical effects, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, wherein:

[0048] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional perspective view of a three-pronged joint of a connection structure between an outer wing and a central wing of an aircraft according to the present invention;

[0049] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The three-pronged joint is shown in a perspective view after being equipped with the outer wing corner boxes and the center wing corner box;

[0050] Figure 3 is to use Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a three-pronged joint with an outer wing corner box and a center wing corner box provided thereon connecting the outer wing front spar with the center wing front spar;

[0051] Figure 3A is a cross-sectional view taken along the direction in which the upper edge strips of the outer wing front beam and the upper edge strips of the central wing front beam extend;

[0052] Figure 3B is a cross-sectional view cut in the area where the corner box overlaps the lower flange of the three-pronged joint;

[0053] Figure 3C is a cross-sectional view taken along the direction in which the lower edge strips of the outer wing front beam and the lower edge strips of the central wing front beam extend;

[0054] Figure 4 is to use Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a three-pronged joint and an outer wing corner box and a center wing corner box provided thereon connecting the outer wing rear spar and the center wing rear spar together;

[0055] Figure 5 is a three-dimensional perspective view of the connection structure between the outer wing and the central wing of the aircraft according to the present invention;

[0056] Fig. 6A and 6B The connection structure according to the present invention is shown, wherein Fig. 6A This is a simplified schematic diagram of the connection structure between the outer wing and the central wing. Figure 6B It is along Fig. 6A A cross-sectional view taken along section line 6A-6A in FIG.

[0057] Fig. 7A and 7B A conventional lap joint structure is shown, wherein Fig. 7A This is a simplified schematic diagram of the connection structure between the outer wing and the central wing. Figure 7B It is along Fig. 7A A cross-sectional view taken along section line 7A-7A in FIG. 1 ; and

[0058] Fig. 8A and 8B Another conventional overlapping connection structure is shown, wherein Fig. 8A This is a simplified schematic diagram of the connection structure between the outer wing and the central wing. Figure 8B It is along Fig. 8A The stepped section 8A-8A is a cross-sectional view taken through most of the outer wing and a small part of the central wing.

[0059] Reference numerals

[0060] 10. Belly

[0061] 11 Rib upper edge

[0062] 12 Subcostal margin

[0063] 13 Front triple joint

[0064] 14 Rear triple joint

[0065] 21 Outer wing front beam

[0066] 22 Outer wing upper wall plate

[0067] 23 Outer wing lower wall panel

[0068] 24 Outer wing rear beam

[0069] 25 Outer wing front beam upper edge strip

[0070] 26 Outer wing front beam web

[0071] 27 Outer wing front beam lower edge strip

[0072] 31 Center wing front beam

[0073] 32 Center wing upper wall

[0074] 33 Center wing lower wall

[0075] 34 Center wing rear beam

[0076] 35 Center wing front beam upper edge strip

[0077] 36 Center wing front beam web

[0078] 37 Center wing front beam lower edge strip

[0079] 100 three-pronged joint

[0080] 101 middle rib

[0081] 101a Base of middle rib

[0082] 102 First connection

[0083] 103 Second connection

[0084] 104 First turn up

[0085] 105 Second turn up

[0086] 120 First corner box (outer wing corner box)

[0087] 130 Second corner box (central wing corner box)

[0088] 200 Outer Wing

[0089] 300 Central Wing DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0090] The structure, working principle and technical effects of the connection structure between the outer wing and the central wing of an aircraft according to the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0091] It should be clear that the embodiments described in this specification only cover some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments recorded in the specification, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0092] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the present invention have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0093] For example, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned accompanying drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. The singular forms "a", "said" and "the" used in the embodiments of the present invention and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates other meanings.

[0094] For another example, in the specification of the present invention, the terms "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish the same devices or elements, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific arrangement order, or must be arranged and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In fact, if the names of the above devices or elements are interchanged, it will not cause any undesirable limitation to the protection scope of the present invention.

[0095] In addition, based on the same understanding of orientation, in the specification of the present invention, the orientations or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "inside" and "outside" are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0096] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional perspective view of a three-pronged joint of the connection structure between the outer wing and the central wing of an aircraft according to the present invention.

[0097] like Figure 1 As shown, the three-pronged joint 100 is composed of a middle rib 101, a first connecting portion 102 integrally formed with a base 101a of the middle rib 101 on one side of the middle rib 101, and a second connecting portion 103 integrally formed with the base of the middle rib 101 on the other side of the middle rib 101. The middle rib 101, the first connecting portion 102, and the second connecting portion 103 are all plate-shaped, and all three meet at the base of the middle rib 101. From the side of the three-pronged joint 100, it can be seen that the middle rib 101, the first connecting portion 102, and the second connecting portion 103 extend outwardly in a divergent manner from the base of the middle rib 101 as the origin, thereby forming the three-pronged joint 100.

[0098] At the first end of the middle rib 101, Figure 1At the bottom end, the first connection portion 102 and the middle rib 101 form a first lower flange 104, and the second connection portion 103 and the middle rib 101 form a second lower flange 105. The first lower flange 104 is formed to be substantially perpendicular to the plane where the middle rib 101 is located and substantially perpendicular to the plane where the first connection portion 102 is located. Similarly, the second lower flange 105 is formed to be substantially perpendicular to the plane where the middle rib 101 is located and substantially perpendicular to the plane where the second connection portion 103 is located.

[0099] At the second end of the middle rib 101, Figure 1 At the top, the middle rib 101 is not formed with an upper flange with the first connection part 102 or the second connection part 103, but is equipped with a first corner box (or outer wing corner box) 120 overlapped with the first external member (i.e., the outer wing 200 of the aircraft) and a second corner box (or central wing corner box) 130 overlapped with the second external member (i.e., the central wing 300 of the aircraft) to connect the first external member and the second external member together. The lower edges of the first corner box 120 and the second corner box 130 exceed the upper edge of the three-pronged joint 100 downward, thereby each forming a mutually overlapping area, which will be described in detail below.

[0100] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The three-pronged joint 100 is shown in a perspective view after being equipped with an outer wing corner box and a central wing corner box. Figure 2 As shown, the three-pronged joint 100 is equipped with a first corner box 120 and a second corner box 130, wherein the first corner box 120 is used for inserting at least a portion of the outer wing 200 of the aircraft, and the second corner box 130 is used for inserting at least a portion of the center wing 300 of the aircraft. The first corner box 120 and the second corner box 130 are generally in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, but have only three faces, and the other three faces are missing. When the first corner box 120 and the second corner box 130 are respectively fitted to two opposite sides of the three-pronged joint 100, the first corner box 120 and the second corner box 130 extend outwardly in opposite directions from the middle rib 101 of the three-pronged joint 100, so as to accommodate at least a portion of the outer wing 200 and the center wing 300 of the aircraft therein. Generally, the first corner box 120 accommodating the outer wing 200 of the aircraft is called an outer wing corner box, and the second corner box 130 accommodating the center wing 300 of the aircraft is called a center wing corner box.

[0101] Local reinforcement strips are provided on the first corner box 120 and the second corner box 130, and the positions and lengths of these local reinforcement strips are designed according to actual conditions. Since they are irrelevant to the technical concept of the present invention, they will not be described in detail herein.

[0102] Similarly, reduced sections for reducing weight and reinforcement strips for enhancing strength are also formed on the first connecting portion 102 and the second connecting portion 103. The positions and lengths of these reduced sections and local reinforcement strips are designed according to actual conditions. Since they are irrelevant to the technical concept of the present invention, they will not be described in detail herein.

[0103] Figure 3 and Figure 4 Use Figure 2 The three-pronged joint 100 and the outer wing corner box and the center wing corner box equipped thereon are schematic diagrams for connecting the outer wing front beam 21 / outer wing rear beam 24 with the center wing front beam 31 / center wing rear beam 34. When the three-pronged joint 100 is used to connect the outer wing front beam 21 with the center wing front beam 31, the three-pronged joint is called a front three-pronged joint 13; when the three-pronged joint 100 is used to connect the outer wing rear beam 24 with the center wing rear beam 34, the three-pronged joint is called a rear three-pronged joint 14.

[0104] Taking the front three-pronged joint 13 connecting the outer wing front beam 21 and the central wing front beam 31 as an example, the outer wing front beam 21 is usually composed of two parallel outer wing front beam upper edge strips 25, an outer wing front beam lower edge strip 27 and an outer wing front beam web 26 located therebetween, and the central wing front beam 31 is usually composed of two parallel central wing front beam upper edge strips 35, a central wing front beam lower edge strip 37 and a central wing front beam web 36 located therebetween. Figure 3A is a cross-sectional view taken along the extension direction of the upper edge strip 25 of the outer wing front beam and the upper edge strip 35 of the central wing front beam, Figure 3C It is a cross-sectional view taken along the extension direction of the lower edge strip 27 of the outer wing front beam and the lower edge strip 37 of the central wing front beam. Figure 3B , which shows a cross-sectional view through at least one overlap region in the outer wing front beam web 26 and the center wing front beam web 36, in which the lower edges of the outer wing corner boxes and the center wing corner boxes extend downward beyond the upper edge of the front three-pronged joint 13. In other words, the overlap region is the region between the lower edge of the corner box and the upper edge of the three-pronged joint.

[0105] exist Figure 3A It can be seen that one side of the outer wing corner box abuts against the upper edge strip 25 of the outer wing front beam, and at least a part of the other side abuts against the middle rib 101 of the three-pronged joint 100. One side of the central wing corner box abuts against the upper edge strip 35 of the central wing front beam, and at least a part of the other side abuts against the middle rib 101 of the three-pronged joint 100. This is because the three-pronged joint 100 has no upper flange.

[0106] exist Figure 3CAs can be seen in the figure, the first connection part 102 of the three-pronged joint 100 abuts against the lower edge strip 27 of the outer wing front beam, and the second connection part 103 of the three-pronged joint 100 abuts against the lower edge strip 37 of the central wing front beam. Since the three-pronged joint 100 is equipped with a lower flange, the first corner box 120 and the second corner box 130 are not needed here.

[0107] And in Figure 3B As can be seen in the figure, the first connection part 102 of the three-pronged joint 100 is accommodated between the outer wing front beam web 26 and the first corner box 120, and the second connection part 103 of the three-pronged joint 100 is accommodated between the center wing front beam web 36 and the second corner box 130.

[0108] Figure 5 The figure shows the connection structure between the outer wing and the central wing of the aircraft according to the present invention, namely rib No. 1. Figure 5 As shown, rib No. 1 includes: a web 10, on which a plurality of holes of different sizes are formed; an upper rib edge strip 11 located above the web 10; a lower rib edge strip 12 located below the web 10; a front three-pronged joint 13 located on a first side of the web 10; and a rear three-pronged joint 14 located on a second side of the web 10 opposite to the first side. The front three-pronged joint 13 and the rear three-pronged joint 14 have substantially the same construction, and they preferably have the three-pronged joint 100 as described above.

[0109] In the above-mentioned No. 1 rib, both ends of the rib lower edge strip 12 are preferably cut off so that the rib lower edge strip 12 does not form a gap with the front three-pronged joint 13 and the rear three-pronged joint 14.

[0110] like Figure 5 As shown, rib No. 1 is equipped with one outer wing corner box at the front and rear of the outer wing side, and one central wing corner box at the front and rear of the central wing side. In comparison, in a butt-jointed outer wing and central wing connection structure, four corner boxes and two butt-jointed straps are required only on the outer wing side to assist beam connection. In comparison, the weight reduction ratio of the present invention alone on the outer wing side reaches 11.3%.

[0111] The following will be combined Fig. 6A and 6B A method for connecting an outer wing and a central wing of an aircraft according to the invention is described, wherein Fig. 6A is a simplified schematic diagram of inserting and connecting the outer wing 200 to the central wing 300 using rib No. 1. Figure 6B It is along Fig. 6A A cross-sectional view taken along section line 6A-6A in FIG.

[0112] The connection method includes: providing rib No. 1 as described above; assembling rib No. 1 and center wing side corner box to center wing 300 to form a fuselage section; inserting outer wing 200 into center wing 300; and assembling outer wing side corner box to outer wing 200 to achieve connection between outer wing 200 and center wing 300.

[0113] exist Figure 6B In the figure, the dark solid lines show the parts of rib No. 1 assembled to the central wing 300 and kept stationary, including the rib upper edge strip 11, the rib lower edge strip 12, the front three-pronged joint 13 and the rear three-pronged joint 14, while the light dot-dash lines show the parts of the outer wing 200 that move into the central wing 300, including the outer wing front beam 21, the outer wing upper wall panel 22, the outer wing lower wall panel 23 and the outer wing rear beam 24. Since the front and rear three-pronged joints 13 and 14 are only provided with lower flanges but no upper flanges, the three-pronged joints and the corner box form a lap-jointed connection structure. The existence of the upper flange will cause a large range of gaps, and due to the different angles of the front and rear gaps, it will cause difficulties in the assembly and insertion of the outer wing.

[0114] In the above step of assembling the outer wing side corner box to the outer wing 200, the outer wing 200 is connected to the central wing 300 by overlapping the outer wing side corner box with the upper edge strips of the outer wing front and rear beams and overlapping the lower flanges of the front and rear three-pronged joints with the lower edge strips of the outer wing front and rear beams.

[0115] Alternatively, in the step of assembling the outer wing side corner box to the outer wing 200, the outer wing 200 is connected to the central wing 300 by fitting the roughly C-shaped sections of the front and rear beams of the outer wing with the roughly C-shaped sections formed by the front and rear three-pronged joints and the outer wing side corner box.

[0116] like Fig. 6A As shown, since there is an inclined angle between the outer wing 200 and the central wing 300, when the outer wing 200 is inserted into the central wing 300, the outer wing front beam 21 and the outer wing rear beam 24 need to be tilted accordingly based on the inclined angle to achieve docking between the two. Since the upper flanges of the front and rear three-pronged joints 13 and 14 are removed, the possibility of the outer wing front beam 21 and the outer wing rear beam 24 being hindered from docking due to different reverse angles is eliminated. Otherwise, the assembly will be hindered due to the inconsistent front and rear opening angles and the large opening area. In addition, by removing the upper flange and appropriately beveling the upper edge of the three-pronged joint, a trumpet shape is formed between the upper edge of the three-pronged joint and the rib upper edge strip 11, so that the assembly path can be open and the opening area is very small, so that the outer wing 200 can be smoothly inserted.

[0117] Although the structure, connection process and technical effects of the connection structure between the outer wing and the central wing of the aircraft according to the present invention are described above in combination with the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, it should be recognized by those skilled in the art that the above examples are only for illustration and cannot be used as limitations of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention can be modified and varied within the spirit of the claims, and these modifications and variations will fall within the scope required by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A three-pronged joint (100), comprising: middle rib (101); A first connecting portion (102) formed integrally with a base portion of the middle rib (101) on a first side of the middle rib (101); and A second connecting portion (103) is formed integrally with the base of the middle rib (101) on the second side of the middle rib (101), wherein At the first end of the middle rib (101), the first connecting portion (102) and the middle rib (101) form a first lower flange (104), the second connecting portion (103) and the middle rib (101) form a second lower flange (105), and wherein: At the second end of the middle rib (101), the middle rib (101) is not formed with an upper flange with the first connecting portion (102) or the second connecting portion (103), but is equipped with a first corner box (120) overlapping the first external component and a second corner box (130) overlapping the second external component to connect the first external component and the second external component together.

2. The three-pronged joint (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first external member is an outer wing (200) of an aircraft, and the second external member is a central wing (300) of the aircraft.

3. The three-pronged joint (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first corner box (120) is an outer wing side corner box, and the second corner box (130) is a center wing side corner box.

4. A connection structure between an outer wing (200) and a central wing (300) of an aircraft, comprising: belly plate (10); A rib upper edge strip (11) located above the web (10); A rib lower edge strip (12) located below the web (10); a front three-pronged joint (13) located on a first side of the web (10); and a rear three-pronged joint (14) located on a second side of the web (10) opposite to the first side, Wherein, the front three-pronged joint (13) and the rear three-pronged joint (14) are three-pronged joints (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The connection structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: A bell-mouth shape is formed between the upper edge of the three-pronged joint (100) and the rib upper edge strip (11).

6. The connection structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The two ends of the rib lower edge strip (12) are cut off, so that the rib lower edge strip (12) does not form a gap with the front three-pronged joint (13) and the rear three-pronged joint (14).

7. A method for connecting an outer wing (200) and a central wing (300) of an aircraft, comprising: Providing a connection structure as claimed in claim 5; Assembling the connecting structure and the center wing side corner boxes to the center wing (300) to form a fuselage section; Inserting the outer wing (200) into the central wing (300); as well as An outer wing side corner box is assembled to the outer wing (200) to achieve the connection between the outer wing (200) and the central wing (300).

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that Inserting the outer wing (200) into the central wing (300) comprises: overlapping the outer wing side corner box with the upper edge strips of the outer wing front and rear beams of the connection structure, and overlapping the lower flanges of the front three-pronged joint (13) and the rear three-pronged joint (14) with the lower edge strips of the outer wing front and rear beams of the connection structure, so as to realize the connection between the outer wing (200) and the central wing (300).

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that Inserting the outer wing (200) into the central wing (300) comprises: fitting the roughly C-shaped cross-sections of the outer wing front beam (21) and the outer wing rear beam (24) with the roughly C-shaped cross-sections formed by the front three-pronged joint (13), the rear three-pronged joint (14) and the outer wing side corner box, so as to achieve the connection between the outer wing (200) and the central wing (300).

Images