Aircraft Engine Attachment With Inclined Fixing Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing engine attachment systems for aircraft are complex to assemble and disassemble, particularly due to the intricate link systems required for fixing and removing engines from pylons, which complicates the process and increases operational difficulty.
Innovation Solution
The engine attachment system incorporates inclined fixing elements with through holes in the first end fitting, allowing the fixing elements to be positioned and removed at an angle between 10 and 45 degrees relative to the vertical median plane, enabling the first link system to be assembled before engine attachment, and simplifying the screwing or unscrewing process for attachment and detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If vertical fixing elements are used to link the end fitting and pylon, then the structure can absorb vertical loads, but the fixing elements cannot be installed or removed when the link system is already in place
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing elements are oriented at an angle between 10 and 45 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the end fitting, changing the installation dimension from purely vertical to inclined. This angular orientation allows the fixing elements to be installed or removed laterally through the wings, enabling operation when the link system is already in place, while still maintaining vertical load absorption capability through their inclined geometry
2Reliability
If complex link systems are used to ensure structural integrity, then the engine attachment can absorb various loads, but the assembly and disassembly processes become difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The link system can be assembled in advance before the engine is mounted on the pylon, and the inclined fixing elements are designed to be installable afterward. This preliminary assembly of the link system followed by lateral installation of fixing elements through the inclined holes reduces the time and difficulty of the overall assembly process while maintaining structural integrity
3Ease of operation
If inclined fixing elements are used to enable installation with link system in place, then ease of operation improves, but the design complexity of the fixing elements increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing elements are designed with a specific angular parameter (10 to 45 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis) that enables both operational ease and structural functionality. This parameter change in the orientation allows the fixing elements to be installed laterally when the link system is in place, while the inclined geometry simultaneously maintains the capability to absorb vertical loads, balancing operational ease with design complexity
Data Source
AI summary
An engine attachment configured to link an engine and an aircraft pylon comprising a first end fitting having two mutually parallel wings, a joining piece positioned between the first end fitting wings and linked to the first end fitting by a link system, fixing elements, linking the first end fitting and the pylon, including first and second fixing elements positioned between the first end fitting wings which are inclined by an angle of between 10 and 45° to be able to be put in place and removed in the presence of the joining piece linked to the first end fitting by the link system. The inclined fixing elements absorb lateral loads. The joining piece and the first end fitting are linked by the link system before the engine is fixed to the pylon. The engine is fixed to the pylon by putting the fixing elements in place.