Aircraft Support Grid Assembly With Rail-Guided Pivoting Supports
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Solution Overview
Problem
The final assembly of aircraft is complex and labor-intensive due to manual handling and installation of structural and equipment components, particularly in underfloor regions, where vertical supports need to be individually positioned and connected, making the process time-consuming and elaborate.
Innovation Solution
A structure and equipment system comprising vertical supports, a rail device, guiding elements, pivot joints, and locking devices that allow the vertical supports to be arranged in a grid pattern, easily inserted into the aircraft fuselage, and locked into place, simplifying the assembly process by enabling the formation of a load-bearing support structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual handling and installation of vertical supports is used, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but installation time and labor intensity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the installation process into modular components: vertical supports with guiding elements, rail devices mounted on crossbars, and locking mechanisms. Each vertical support is a separate module that can be independently positioned and secured, enabling rapid assembly while maintaining system flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The rail device acts as an intermediary mechanism between the vertical supports and the aircraft structure. It provides a guided pathway that simplifies positioning and insertion of vertical supports into the fuselage, reducing the complexity of direct manual installation while increasing installation speed.
2Manufacturing precision
If individual positioning and connection of vertical supports is performed manually, then precise positioning is achieved, but the assembly process becomes time-consuming and elaborate
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical supports are pre-equipped with guiding elements and locking mechanisms before installation. The rail devices are pre-mounted on crossbars within the fuselage. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex positioning operations during assembly, achieving precise positioning quickly without time-consuming manual adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding elements on vertical supports interact with the rail devices to automatically guide positioning during insertion. The locking mechanisms are designed to engage automatically or with minimal action, allowing the system to self-position and self-secure the vertical supports, reducing both time and labor requirements while maintaining precision.
3Reliability
If equipment components are fastened piece by piece, then proper installation is ensured, but the final assembly becomes an elaborate process
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple vertical supports are connected to form grid arrangements that can be installed as integrated units rather than individual pieces. The locking mechanisms secure multiple components simultaneously, combining several fastening operations into a single action, thereby ensuring reliability while dramatically improving assembly efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A structure and equipment system installed in an aircraft includes vertical supports, a rail device, a connector, guiding elements, pivot joints, and locking devices. The rail device is arranged on the aircraft to guide the guiding elements along a rail device extension axis. Via the connector, the vertical supports are arranged in parallel and connect to form a grid arrangement with the guiding elements arranged thereon. The pivot joints are attached to upper ends of the vertical supports to pivot them. The locking devices each have a first and a second locking element. The grid arrangement is inserted into the aircraft as far as an installation position via the guiding elements on the rail device with vertical supports pivoted upwards from the vertical, by pivoting down into a vertical orientation, the first locking elements can interlock with correspondingly arranged second locking elements to form a load-bearing support structure.