Composite Aircraft Galley Architecture Reducing Weight and Corrosion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional aircraft galley designs incorporate metallic extrusions that increase weight and footprint, leading to undesirable cold bridges and galvanic corrosion issues.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight composite aircraft galley architecture using embedded unidirectional carbon fiber beams and box sections within modular rectangular cuboids, eliminating the need for metallic extrusions and providing structural integrity without adding weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metallic extrusions are used to assemble the carcass of an aircraft monument, then structural integrity is ensured, but overall weight and footprint of the monument increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by replacing traditional metallic extrusions with a composite structure consisting of a foam core surrounded by a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) skin. This composite construction maintains the required structural integrity while significantly reducing the weight compared to all-metallic construction. The CFRP material provides high strength-to-weight ratio, enabling the monument to bear flight and crash loads without the weight penalty of traditional metallic assemblies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters by transitioning from metallic materials to composite materials with different density and strength characteristics. The foam core provides lightweight structural support while the CFRP skin provides the necessary strength and stiffness. This parameter change in material composition allows the structure to achieve the same load-bearing capacity with reduced weight.
2Strength
If metallic extrusions are used to assemble the carcass of an aircraft monument, then structural framework is provided, but footprint of the monument increases
Solution Approach 1:
The composite construction with foam core and CFRP skin enables a more efficient structural framework that requires less material volume to achieve the same structural performance. This results in a reduced footprint compared to traditional metallic extrusions that require thicker walls and larger cross-sections to provide equivalent structural support.
3Strength
If metallic extrusions are used in galley structure, then structural support is provided, but cold bridges are created in chilled compartment
Solution Approach 1:
The foam core material in the composite construction acts as a thermal insulator, breaking the thermal conductivity path that would otherwise exist through continuous metallic structures. This eliminates cold bridges in chilled compartments while the outer CFRP skin maintains the required structural support. The multi-layer composite structure provides both mechanical strength and thermal insulation properties that single-material structures cannot achieve.
4Strength
If metallic extrusions are used in galley architecture, then structural assembly is enabled, but galvanic corrosion problems occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates galvanic corrosion by replacing metallic extrusions with a non-metallic composite structure consisting of foam core and CFRP skin. Since neither foam nor carbon fiber undergoes galvanic corrosion when in contact with other materials, this composite construction inherently provides corrosion resistance while maintaining structural assembly capabilities. The CFRP material is particularly advantageous as it provides both strength and corrosion resistance.
Data Source
AI summary
An ultra light weight aircraft composite galley architecture system and method comprises composite construction of a partially molded aircraft monument structure based on embedded load bearing hoops and beams used in conjunction with pre formed composite flat panel construction. An upper L shaped structural section mates with a lower inverted L shaped structural section forming a structure upon which additional panels are joined to form the complete composite galley. This system and method of construction produces a high strength aircraft monument capable of maintaining aircraft structural flight and crash load requirements without external monument extrusions for support. This galley architecture system and method of construction creates an aircraft monument with desirable reduction in weight with no loss of required structural strength.