Aircraft Joint Strap Assembly for Laminar Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft wing leading edge panels face challenges in maintaining laminar flow due to surface roughness from conventional fasteners, and frequent replacements are time-consuming and costly, especially with tighter tolerance requirements for natural laminar flow aerofoils.
Innovation Solution
A strap assembly that bridges the inner surfaces of aircraft components, comprising a first strap part, a second strap part, and a third strap part that slides into the first and second strap parts, constraining movement normal to the outer aerodynamic surfaces, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly while maintaining a flush aerodynamic profile.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fasteners are used to attach leading edge panels, then the panel can be securely fastened to the wing cover and ribs, but the fastener heads and holes create surface roughness that disrupts laminar flow
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the fastening function from the external surface by moving all fasteners to the internal surface of the wing cover. The strap assembly with internal fasteners secures the leading edge panel without creating external surface roughness, allowing laminar flow to remain undisturbed while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The strap assembly acts as an intermediary element that bridges the internal surfaces of the wing cover and the leading edge panel. It provides the fastening function through internal attachment mechanisms while keeping the external aerodynamic surface smooth and free of fastener interference.
2Reliability
If multiple fasteners are used to secure the leading edge panel, then the attachment is strong and reliable, but the replacement time increases due to the large number of fasteners that must be removed and installed
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening system is segmented into a modular strap assembly that functions as a single replaceable unit. This allows the entire fastening mechanism to be installed or removed as one component rather than individually handling multiple fasteners, significantly reducing maintenance time while maintaining secure attachment through the distributed fastening points of the strap assembly.
3Ease of operation
If the strap assembly uses a sliding connection for the third strap part, then assembly and disassembly become easier and faster, but the constraint on movement normal to the outer surfaces must be sufficiently strong
Solution Approach 1:
The third strap part employs a sliding connection that transitions from a static fastening system to a dynamic one. The sliding mechanism allows for easy assembly and disassembly operations while the engaged position provides sufficient constraint strength to prevent movement normal to the outer surfaces during flight operations.
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft joint includes a first component having an outer aerodynamic surface and an inner surface, a second component having an outer aerodynamic surface and an inner surface, and a strap assembly bridging between the inner surfaces of the first and second components. The strap assembly has a first strap part attached to the inner surface of the first component, a second strap part attached to the inner surface of the second component, and a third strap part received in the first and second strap parts in a sliding manner. The third strap part when received in the first and second strap parts constrains movement of the first component relative to the second component in a direction normal to the outer aerodynamic surfaces of the first and second components in the vicinity of the strap assembly.