Aircraft jacking structure and aircraft

Abstract

An aircraft jacking structure comprises a support, and the support is installed on the inner side of an aircraft body skin of an aircraft and comprises a groove concaved towards the inner side of the aircraft body skin; a movable member, which is installed in the groove, and is configured to be movable in the groove; the jacking connector is constructed to be capable of forcing the movable part to move towards the inner side of the machine body skin, so that the jacking connector partially enters the groove of the support so as to be detachably installed together with the support, and when the support is separated from the jacking connector, the movable part can move towards the inner side of the machine body skin. The surfaces, facing the outer side of the aircraft body skin, of the supports and the movable parts conform to the aerodynamic configuration of the aircraft. The invention further designs an aircraft comprising the aircraft jacking structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of aircraft fuselage design, and more particularly to an aircraft jacking-up structure and an aircraft. Background Art

[0002] Lifting or jacking up the entire aircraft is an important operation procedure during aircraft maintenance. Usually, multiple jacking points and auxiliary support points are set on the wings, nose and rear fuselage.

[0003] There are two main types of aircraft jacking structures at present: one is to pre-design bolt holes at the jacking point and auxiliary support point of the aircraft structure for installing jacking supports. The other is to pre-install supports with jacking heads or jacking sockets at the jacking points and auxiliary support points of the aircraft structure, and then use the matched jacking sockets or jacking heads for jacking. However, both forms have some defects.

[0004] In the form of using existing bolt holes, when the aircraft needs to be jacked up, the original bolts are first removed, and then the jack support (with a head or a socket) is installed for jacking or support. This method requires removing the original bolts and then installing the support each time the aircraft is jacked up. The process is cumbersome and there is a risk of damaging the inner thread of the bolt hole due to frequent use.

[0005] In the form of pre-installed supports with a top head or a top socket, when the aircraft needs to be jacked up, a jack is directly used to contact the top head or the top socket. This method is easy to damage the aircraft structure during the jacking process. Furthermore, currently supports with a top head or a top socket are installed on the outer surface of the aircraft as separate components, which causes these supports to protrude outward from the aircraft structure, thereby affecting the aerodynamic shape and appearance of the aircraft.

[0006] With respect to the form of pre-installing the top head or the top socket, a jacking structure is currently desired, which can reduce the impact on the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft and also reduce the risk of damaging the fuselage structure. Summary of the invention

[0007] In order to solve the problem that the existing support with a top head or a top socket affects the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft, the structure provides a hidden interface connected to the jacking joint, which does not affect the aerodynamic shape and appearance of the aircraft. In addition, the aircraft jacking structure can reduce the risk of the jack damaging the fuselage structure during jacking, and is easy to install and disassemble.

[0008] Specifically, an aircraft jacking structure includes: a support, which is installed on the inner side of the aircraft's fuselage skin and includes a groove recessed toward the inner side of the fuselage skin; a movable component, which is installed in the groove and is configured to be able to move in the groove; and a jacking joint, which is configured to be able to force the movable component to move toward the inner side of the fuselage skin, so that the jacking joint partially enters the groove of the support to be detachably installed with the support, wherein when the support is separated from the jacking joint, the surfaces of the support and the movable component facing the outer side of the fuselage skin conform to the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft.

[0009] Advantageously, the aircraft jacking structure further comprises a reinforcing plate, which is installed between the support and the fuselage skin.

[0010] Advantageously, the aircraft jacking structure further comprises a first reinforcement member, which is mounted on the left and right sides of the support.

[0011] Advantageously, the aircraft jacking-up structure further comprises a second reinforcement member, which is mounted on the forward and rearward sides of the support in the heading direction.

[0012] In one embodiment, the aircraft lifting structure also includes a compression spring and a spring base, one end of the compression spring is installed on the spring base, and the other end of the compression spring is connected to the movable part, and the spring base is installed at the bottom of the groove, wherein the compression spring forces the movable part to move toward the outside of the fuselage skin.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present invention, the support includes a bushing, which is fixedly installed in a groove, wherein the groove of the support has a first section and a second section extending sequentially from a surface of the support toward the outer side of the fuselage skin, a first inner diameter of the first section is greater than a second inner diameter of the second section to form a first step between the first section and the second section, and wherein one end of the bushing abuts against the first step and the other end of the bushing conforms to the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft.

[0014] Advantageously, the aircraft jacking structure further comprises a fixing pin, which fixes the support and the bushing together, wherein the support and the bushing form a matching portion to match the shape of the fixing pin.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present invention, the bushing has a bushing edge, the thickness of the bushing edge is greater than the width of the first step, so that a limit portion is formed at one end of the bushing abutting the first step, wherein the groove also has a third section extending from the second section, the third inner diameter of the third section is smaller than the second inner diameter of the second section, so as to form a second step between the second section and the third section, and wherein the movable part has a flange, the flange is restricted between the limit portion and the second step, so that the movement of the flange is restricted in the second section.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present invention, the jacking joint has a protrusion, and the bushing has a guide groove, and the jacking joint is configured to be detachably mounted with the support by moving the protrusion along the guide groove.

[0017] Additional features and advantages of the described aircraft jacking structure will be set forth in the following detailed description, which includes the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, and will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description or will be learned by those skilled in the art from practicing the embodiments described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] With reference to the above objects, the technical features of the present invention are clearly described in the following claims, and its advantages are apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show preferred embodiments of the present invention by way of example without limiting the scope of the inventive concept.

[0019] Figure 1 An axonometric view of an aircraft jacking structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0020] Figure 2 An axonometric view of a support for an aircraft jacking structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0021] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a support of an aircraft jacking structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein components within a groove of the support are removed;

[0022] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a support of an aircraft jacking structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0023] Figure 5A and 5B Schematic diagrams showing a bushing of an aircraft jacking structure according to an embodiment of the present invention at different angles;

[0024] Figure 6 A schematic diagram showing a jacking joint of an aircraft jacking structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0025] Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of an aircraft jacking structure with a jacking joint installed according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0026] Reference numerals

[0027] 1. Body skin

[0028] 2 Long Stringers

[0029] 10 Supports

[0030] 100 Grooves

[0031] 101 Section 1

[0032] 102 Second Section

[0033] 103 Section 3

[0034] 104 First Step

[0035] 105 The Second Step

[0036] 106 groove matching part

[0037] 20 reinforcement plate

[0038] 31 First reinforcement

[0039] 32 Second reinforcement

[0040] 40 moving parts

[0041] 41 Edge

[0042] 42 Flange

[0043] 51 Compression spring

[0044] 52 Spring Base

[0045] 60 Bushing

[0046] 61 Bushing fitting part

[0047] 62 Bushing Edge

[0048] 63 guide slot

[0049] 70 fixed pin

[0050] 80 Jacking Joint

[0051] 81 protrusions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments, but they are not intended to limit the present invention in any way.

[0053] The term "aircraft structure" used in this article includes structural components such as fuselage, wings, and tail fins, all of which have fuselage skins, and the term "within the aircraft structure" means inside these structural components and not protruding outside the fuselage skins.

[0054] As used herein, the term “fuselage skin inboard” refers to the side of the fuselage skin facing the interior of the aircraft, and “fuselage skin outboard” refers to the side of the fuselage skin facing the surrounding environment.

[0055] The term "vertical direction" as used herein refers to Figure 3The sectional view shown is defined by reference, and "lateral" is also referred to if not explicitly stated (e.g. the side of the aircraft). Figure 3 Specifically, the lateral direction is a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0056] The terms "heading of the aircraft", "lateral direction of the aircraft", "front", "rear", "left", "right", etc. used in this document are defined based on the direction of the aircraft when flying. Specifically, the "heading of the aircraft" can be understood as the direction of the nose of the aircraft when flying, and the "lateral direction of the aircraft" can be understood as the direction perpendicular to the heading on the horizontal plane.

[0057] As used herein, the term "aerodynamic shape" refers to the shape of an aircraft suitable for flight, which is mainly maintained by the fuselage skin. The description of a component "conforming to the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft" means that the shape (or outer surface) of the component substantially compensates for the missing portion of the fuselage skin to ensure that the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft is not affected.

[0058] For ease of understanding, the "bushing" and "sleeve" used in this article are considered to have a roughly cylindrical structure, but those skilled in the art can easily imagine that in other cases, the "bushing" and "sleeve" may have other shapes, such as an elliptical cylinder with a through hole, a quadrangular prism or a hexagonal prism, etc.

[0059] Figure 1 An isometric view of an aircraft jacking structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Although the embodiments of the present invention use an aircraft jacking structure installed at the rear fuselage of the aircraft, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the aircraft jacking structure described herein can be installed in the aircraft structure at the wings, nose and rear fuselage of the aircraft. Unlike conventional jacking structures, some components of the aircraft jacking structure are installed on the inside of the fuselage skin before the fuselage skin is installed on the aircraft structure, so these components (including the brackets described below) are designed as part of the aircraft structure rather than as separate components.

[0060] Reference Figure 1The aircraft jacking structure includes a support 10, which is installed on the inner side of the fuselage skin 1 of the aircraft. The surface (bottom surface) of the support 10 facing outward is conformed to the shape of the fuselage skin 1 at its installation point. Advantageously, the aircraft jacking structure also includes a reinforcement plate 20, which is installed between the support 10 and the fuselage skin 1, and can reduce the stress level of the fuselage skin 1 and improve the bearing capacity of the fuselage skin 1. The shape and curvature of the reinforcement plate 20 are also conformed to the shape of the fuselage skin 1 at the installation point. The support 10 is connected to the fuselage skin 1 and the reinforcement plate 20 by high locking bolts. When installing the reinforcement plate 20, the long stringer 2 can also be installed together with the fuselage skin 1 and the reinforcement plate 20 by high locking bolts. The long stringer 2 is a conventional longitudinal member in the aircraft structure, which is mainly used to withstand the axial force caused by the bending of the fuselage and has a supporting effect on the fuselage skin 1.

[0061] In addition to the reinforcing plate 20, the aircraft jacking structure preferably further includes a first reinforcing member 31 and a second reinforcing member 32. The first reinforcing member 31 is installed on the left and right sides of the support 10 by high locking bolts to improve the stability of the support 10 in the lateral direction of the aircraft. The second reinforcing member 32 is installed on the front and rear sides of the support 10 by high locking bolts to improve the stability of the support 10 in the heading direction. It should be understood that at least one of the first reinforcing member 31 and the second reinforcing member 32 can be omitted according to the actual installation position of the aircraft jacking structure.

[0062] Reference Figure 2 The support 10 is designed to have a T-shape to avoid the long beams ( Figure 1 ), and a portion of the support 10 can be hollowed out to reduce its weight.

[0063] Reference Figure 3 The support 10 includes a groove 100 recessed toward the inner side of the fuselage skin 1, and the groove 100 has a first section 101 extending inward from the surface of the support facing the outer side of the fuselage skin, a second section 102 extending from the first section 101, and a third section 103 extending from the second section 102. The first section 101 has a first inner diameter, the second section 102 has a second inner diameter, and the third section 103 has a third inner diameter. The first inner diameter of the first section 101 is greater than the second inner diameter of the second section 102 to form a first step 104 between the first section 101 and the second section 102, and the second inner diameter of the second section 102 is greater than the third inner diameter of the third section 103 to form a second step 105 between the second section 102 and the third section 103. It should be understood that the shape of the groove 100 described and shown herein is only an example and not a limitation. In other embodiments, the groove may be, for example, cylindrical in shape, and then other components such as a stopper may be added.

[0064] Reference Figure 4, shows a movable part 40 of the aircraft jacking structure, which is installed in the groove 100 of the support 10 and can move in the groove 100 along the inner wall of the groove 100. Since the jacking joint described below needs to be installed in the support 10, the fuselage skin 1 needs an opening for the jacking joint to be connected to the support 10. In order to reduce the influence of the opening of the fuselage skin 1 on the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft, the shape of the movable part 40 is designed so that when the jacking joint described below is not installed, the surface of the support 10 and the movable part 40 facing the outside of the fuselage skin 1 conforms to the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft. It can be seen from the figure that the lower surface of the support 10 and the movable part 40 basically compensates for the opening part of the fuselage skin 1, eliminating the influence of the opening of the fuselage skin 1 on the aerodynamic shape and aesthetics of the aircraft.

[0065] like Figure 4 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the movable part 40 has a sleeve shape, and its end facing the fuselage skin 1 has an edge 41 to fill the opening of the fuselage skin 1 to the greatest extent. In order to ensure that the movable part 40 can compensate for the opening of the fuselage skin 1 when jacking is not required, the aircraft jacking structure also includes a compression spring 51 and a spring base 52, one end of the compression spring 51 is installed on the spring base 52 (for example, sleeved on the spring base 52), and the other end of the compression spring 51 is connected to the movable part 40, for example, engaging the edge 41 of the movable part 40, thereby, the compression spring 51 can push the edge 41, thereby forcing the movable part 40 to move toward the outside of the fuselage skin 1, so that the movable part 40 conforms to the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft. The spring base 52 can be installed at the bottom of the groove 100, that is, at the third section 103.

[0066] Furthermore, in order to ensure that the compression spring 51 does not cause the movable component 40 to pop out of the fuselage skin 1, the support 10 further includes a bushing 60, which is fixedly mounted in the groove 100, wherein one end of the bushing 60 abuts against the first step 104, and the shape of the other end of the bushing 60 is designed to compensate for the opening of the fuselage skin 1 to conform to the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft. Figure 5A As shown, in the case of the rear fuselage, one end (the lower end in the figure) of the bushing 60 is designed to be curved to conform to the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft. Advantageously, a fixing pin 70 (at Figure 1 (see Figure 2) fixes the support 10 and the bushing 60 together. Figure 4 and Figure 5A The groove 100 of the support 10 is formed with a groove fitting portion 106, and the bushing 60 forms a bushing fitting portion 61, and the groove fitting portion 106 and the bushing fitting portion 61 form a through hole that allows the fixing pin 70 to pass through. After the fixing pin 70 is installed, the bushing 60 can be prevented from moving in the vertical direction relative to the groove 100.

[0067] Continue to refer to Figure 4 The bushing 60 has a bushing edge 62, and the thickness of the bushing edge 62 is greater than the first step 104 ( Figure 3 ) so that a limiting portion is formed at one end of the bushing that abuts against the first step 104. Correspondingly, the movable component 40 has a flange 42 at the other end relative to the end having the edge 41, and the size of the flange 42 is larger than the inner diameter of the bushing 60, so that the flange 42 cannot move through the bushing 60. Further, the third inner diameter of the third section 103 is smaller than the second inner diameter of the second section 102, so that the movement of the flange 42 is limited between the limiting portion and the second step 105, that is, the movement of the flange 42 is limited in the second section 102. Therefore, by adding the bushing 60, it is ensured that when the aircraft jacking structure is not used, the movable component 40 can be pushed by the compression spring 51 to conform to the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft.

[0068] In this embodiment, the installation method of the aircraft jacking structure in the aircraft structure is as follows: the compression spring 51 and the spring base 52 are placed in the groove 100 of the support 10, and then the movable component 40 and the bushing 60 are placed in sequence, and the movable component 40 is pressed to align its outer surface with the outer surface of the skin; the fixing pin 70 is installed through the through hole to fix the bushing 60, and a fuse is installed at the tail end of the fixing pin 70; the support 10 is connected to the fuselage skin 1, the reinforcement plate 20, the first reinforcement 31 and the second reinforcement 32 through high-locking bolts.

[0069] It should be understood that, although the above description provides a part of the aircraft jacking structure including the support 10, the movable component 40, the spring and the bushing 60 installed in the aircraft structure, which can meet the requirements of conforming to the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft, this is merely exemplary and not restrictive, and in other embodiments, the part of the aircraft jacking structure installed in the aircraft structure may have other structures, for example, the groove of the support may have a sliding track, and the movable component may utilize gravity to automatically slide to a position conforming to the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft when not in use.

[0070] Reference Figure 6 and 7 The aircraft jacking structure further includes a jacking joint 80, which is configured to force the movable component 40 to move toward the inner side of the fuselage skin 1, so that the jacking joint 80 partially enters the groove 100 of the support 10 to be detachably installed with the support 10. Specifically, referring to Figure 7The jacking joint 80 has a protrusion 81, and the bushing 60 has a guide groove 63. The jacking joint 80 is configured to be detachably mounted with the support 10 by moving the protrusion 81 along the guide groove 63. In this embodiment, the guide groove 63 is L-shaped, so that the jacking joint 80 can be moved upward to overcome the compression spring 51 and the movable part 40, so that the protrusion 81 first moves along the L-shaped guide groove 63 to the apex of the L-shape, and then the jacking joint 80 is rotated so that the protrusion 81 moves along the L-shaped guide groove 63 to the end, thereby completing the installation. Under the cooperation between the jacking joint 80 and the jack and the lifting force of the jack, the upper surface of the flange of the jacking joint 80 contacts the lower edge of the support 10 and the bushing 60, and the lifting force is transmitted to the support 10, and the lifting force is transmitted to the fuselage skin 1, the reinforcement plate 20 and the long stringer 2 through the high locking bolt. When the work is completed and there is no need to lift up, the lifting joint 80 can be removed by rotating, and the movable part 40 will return to the position under the force of the compression spring 51. Figure 4 When the support 10 is separated from the jacking joint 80, the surface of the support 10 and the movable component 40 facing the outside of the fuselage skin 1 is restored to conform to the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft.

[0071] Compared with the prior art, the aircraft jacking structure proposed by the present invention has the following technical advantages:

[0072] The aircraft jacking structure does not affect the aerodynamic shape and aesthetics of the aircraft; a hidden installation interface is provided for the jacking joint by using bushings, movable parts, springs and other parts; the jacking joint is an auxiliary structure independent of the aircraft structure, which is easy to disassemble and assemble; the risk of the jack damaging the fuselage structure can be reduced; and the jacking joint does not need to be installed on the aircraft structure all the time, which has certain weight advantages.

[0073] Although the structure of the present invention has been described above in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it should be appreciated 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 may be modified and varied, and these modifications and variations will fall within the scope defined by the appended claims of the present application.

Claims

1. An aircraft jacking structure, comprising: A support, the support being mounted on the inner side of a fuselage skin of the aircraft and comprising a groove recessed toward the inner side of the fuselage skin; a movable component installed in the groove and configured to be movable in the groove; as well as A jacking joint, wherein the jacking joint is configured to force the movable component to move toward the inner side of the fuselage skin, so that the jacking joint partially enters the groove of the support to be detachably mounted with the support, Wherein, when the support is separated from the lifting joint, the surfaces of the support and the movable component facing the outer side of the fuselage skin conform to the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft.

2. The aircraft jacking structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A reinforcing plate is also included, and the reinforcing plate is installed between the support and the fuselage skin.

3. The aircraft jacking structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The aircraft also includes a first reinforcement member installed on the left and right sides of the support in the lateral direction of the aircraft.

4. The aircraft jacking structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A second reinforcement member is also included, and the second reinforcement member is installed at the front and rear sides of the support in the heading direction of the aircraft.

5. The aircraft jacking structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a compression spring and a spring base, one end of the compression spring is installed on the spring base, and the other end of the compression spring is connected to the movable part, and the spring base is installed at the bottom of the groove, wherein the compression spring forces the movable part to move toward the outside of the fuselage skin.

6. The aircraft jacking structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The support includes a bushing fixedly mounted in the groove, wherein the groove of the support has a first section and a second section extending sequentially from a surface of the support facing the outer side of the fuselage skin, a first inner diameter of the first section is greater than a second inner diameter of the second section, so as to form a first step between the first section and the second section, and One end of the bushing abuts against the first step, and the other end of the bushing conforms to the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft.

7. The aircraft jacking structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: A fixing pin is also included, which fixes the support and the bushing together, wherein the support and the bushing form a matching portion to match the shape of the fixing pin.

8. The aircraft jacking structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The bushing has a bushing edge, the thickness of which is greater than the width of the first step, so that a limiting portion is formed at one end of the bushing abutting against the first step. wherein the groove further has a third section extending from the second section, a third inner diameter of the third section being smaller than the second inner diameter of the second section, so as to form a second step between the second section and the third section, and The movable component has a flange, and the flange is restricted between the limiting portion and the second step, so that the movement of the flange is restricted in the second section.

9. The aircraft jacking structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The jacking joint has a protrusion, and the bushing has a guide groove, and the jacking joint is configured to be detachably mounted with the support by moving the protrusion along the guide groove.

10. An aircraft, comprising the aircraft jacking-up structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the aircraft jacking-up structure is installed in the aircraft structure at the wings, the nose and the rear fuselage of the aircraft.

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