Composite Fuselage Skin with Integrated Stringers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional aircraft fuselage designs face challenges in reducing noise penetration and weight while maintaining structural integrity and aerodynamic efficiency, particularly due to the use of multiple stringers and mouseholes which increase complexity and drag.
Innovation Solution
A fuselage design featuring a skin with an outer and inner face-sheet and core sections, where the face-sheets define cavities and are constructed using fiber-reinforced composites, reducing the need for stringers and mouseholes, and incorporating a structural frame with frame members that are co-cured with the face-sheets to form a unitary structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If multiple stringers are used to maintain structural integrity, then strength is improved, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the skin and stringers into a single integrated composite structure. The skin itself is constructed with fiber reinforcement that provides stringer-like structural support, eliminating the need for separate stringer components. This integration reduces device complexity while maintaining structural integrity through the combined design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials for the skin construction, using fiber-reinforced polymers that provide both the skin function and structural support traditionally requiring separate stringers. The composite material's anisotropic properties allow tailored strength in specific directions, replacing multiple discrete stringers with a unified composite structure.
2Strength
If multiple stringers and mouseholes are used for structural support, then strength is improved, but aerodynamic efficiency deteriorates due to increased drag
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the skin and stringers into an integrated structure, the patent eliminates the need for mouseholes that connect separate stringers to the skin. This integration removes protruding elements and discontinuities that create drag, resulting in a smoother aerodynamic surface while maintaining structural support through the unified composite design.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated skin structure acts as a continuous thin shell that provides both aerodynamic coverage and structural support. This shell approach eliminates the need for discrete stringers protruding into the airflow, creating a smoother surface that reduces drag while maintaining necessary structural strength through the composite material properties.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional single-wall skin construction is used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but noise penetration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials for the skin that inherently provide noise attenuation properties. The layered fiber-reinforced structure acts as a noise barrier while maintaining the single-wall construction simplicity. The composite material's multi-layered fiber arrangement naturally dampens noise transmission without requiring additional noise-reduction components.
4Weight of moving object
If fiber-reinforced composites are used for skin and structural frames, then weight is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the skin and structural frames into an integrated composite structure, the patent reduces the total number of manufacturing steps. Instead of separately manufacturing skin panels and stringers then assembling them, the integrated design allows for more efficient composite layup and curing processes, reducing manufacturing complexity despite using advanced composite materials.
Data Source
AI summary
Fuselages according to the present disclosure include a structural frame and a skin operatively coupled to the structural frame. In some embodiments, the skin includes a plurality of core sections that extend circumferentially around the fuselage and that are spaced-apart longitudinally along the fuselage. In some embodiments, the inner side of the skin generally undulates longitudinally along the fuselage. Methods of constructing fuselages also are disclosed.