Integrated Composite Aircraft Floor Beams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft floors are expensive, heavy, and labor-intensive to assemble due to the use of multiple components and numerous fasteners, making them unsuitable for high-volume production, and they lack integrated components for improved impact resistance and reduced acoustic transmission.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight, integrated composite floor for aircraft is developed using bonded composite components, eliminating the need for fasteners and fabricated outside the aircraft fuselage, featuring a unitary floor panel with integrated beams and mounting tracks, constructed from structural honeycomb cores and composite skins for enhanced strength and reduced thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If multiple floor panel sections and reinforcing members are joined together using discrete fasteners, then the floor achieves structural strength and rigidity, but the assembly becomes heavy, expensive, and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple discrete floor components (floor panels, longitudinal beams, cross beams, and reinforcing members) into a single integrated composite floor assembly. This integration eliminates the need for numerous discrete fasteners and reduces the total number of parts, thereby reducing weight while maintaining structural strength through the unified composite structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials in the construction of the integrated floor assembly, combining different materials with complementary properties to achieve both high strength and reduced weight. The composite structure allows for optimized material distribution, providing structural integrity where needed while minimizing overall weight.
2Strength
If multiple discrete components are assembled with numerous fasteners, then the floor achieves required structural integrity, but the production process becomes time-consuming and不适合 high-volume production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple floor components into a pre-assembled integrated unit that can be installed as a single assembly. This merging of components dramatically reduces assembly time and labor requirements during production, making the floor suitable for high-volume manufacturing while maintaining structural integrity through the integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary assembly of the entire floor structure into an integrated unit before installation. By pre-assembling the floor panels, beams, and reinforcing members into a complete integrated floor assembly, the complex structural requirements are satisfied in advance, allowing for rapid installation and significantly improving production efficiency.
3Strength
If traditional floor assemblies with multiple components are used, then the floor provides structural support, but acoustic transmission is higher and impact resistance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials in the integrated floor assembly to achieve both structural support and acoustic isolation. The composite construction incorporates materials with different acoustic impedances and damping properties that reduce sound transmission while maintaining the required structural strength and rigidity for load-bearing applications.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution results in a lighter, more impact-resistant floor with reduced acoustic transmission and lower thickness, facilitating faster production and assembly, while reducing the number of parts and labor required, thus improving production flow and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
The integrated floor may be assembled using composite components that are bonded together
Data Source
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AI summary
An integrated floor (24) for an aircraft fuselage (22) includes a composite panel forming a floor surface and composite beams (28) bonded to the floor panel. The beams extend longitudinally within the fuselage and support the floor.