Aircraft Shell Segment Hybrid Bonding and Mechanical Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for producing aircraft shell segments, either through differential or integral construction, face challenges in reducing assembly resources and production complexity while maintaining structural integrity and aerodynamic efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A shell segment with a stiffening structure made from fiber-reinforced plastic materials, where the stiffening structure is bonded to the skin field with reinforcement elements having inclined blocking sections that prevent disconnection under load peaks, reducing the number of components and assembly steps, and enhancing access and inspection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the stiffening structure is bonded to the skin field without mechanical reinforcement, then the assembly process is simpler, but the connection reliability under load peaks is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines bonding and mechanical reinforcement into a hybrid connection system. The stiffening structure is both bonded to the skin field and mechanically reinforced with elements that extend through the skin field, creating a dual-mode connection that achieves both assembly simplicity and high reliability under load peaks.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system uses composite construction combining chemical bonding (adhesive) and mechanical fastening (reinforcement elements), creating a composite connection method that leverages the advantages of both bonding simplicity and mechanical strength.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple individual components are used for the stiffening structure, then the structural flexibility is higher, but the assembly resource and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple stiffening elements into an integral stiffening structure that is formed as a single piece. This reduces the number of individual components and assembly steps while maintaining the structural flexibility needed for aircraft shell segments, as the integral structure can still be designed with varying geometries to meet different structural requirements.
3Productivity
If the stiffening structure is produced integrally with the skin field, then the assembly resource is reduced, but the production resource and process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the production process into separate stages: the skin field and stiffening structure are produced separately and then assembled. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured using optimized processes independently, reducing overall production complexity while maintaining assembly efficiency through the use of pre-fabricated modules.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional bonding methods are used without mechanical reinforcement, then the production resource is lower, but the structural integrity under load peaks is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges bonding and mechanical reinforcement into a hybrid connection system. The stiffening structure is both bonded to the skin field and mechanically reinforced with elements that extend through the skin field, creating a dual-mode connection that achieves both assembly simplicity and high reliability under load peaks.
Data Source
AI summary
A segment and a method for producing such a segment, in particular for an aircraft, having a skin field and a skin field stiffening structure. The skin field and stiffening structure are made from fiber-reinforced plastic materials. The stiffening structure is bonded to an inner surface of the skin field and comprises a multiplicity of first stiffeners and mounts which are formed integrally with the first stiffeners and extend in a transverse direction of the first stiffeners for the connection of second stiffeners to form an integral lattice structure. Reinforcement elements are provided for mechanically fixing the mounts to the skin field. Each reinforcement element has a connection section and a blocking section having an extension in a direction inclined to the connection section. The connection section penetrates the skin field and the mounts, and the blocking section is in contact with an outer surface of the skin field.