Dovetail Electrical Pack Joint for Aircraft Structural Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional clamps and brackets used to secure electrical packs on aircraft add weight and require additional safety and certification, complicating access and installation, while existing installation methods do not provide structural rigidity and strength for supporting the weight and torque of electric propulsion systems.
Innovation Solution
A dovetail joint system is used to secure electrical packs to aircraft components, integrating a dovetail dowel with the pack and a dovetail rail on the aircraft structure, allowing for secure attachment without additional weight and ensuring structural rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional clamps and brackets are used to secure electrical packs, then the electrical packs can be held in place, but the overall weight increases and additional safety and certification requirements are needed
Solution Approach 1:
The dovetail joint merges the electrical pack mounting function directly into the aircraft structural component (engine pylon or torsion box), eliminating the need for separate clamps and brackets. The joint integrates the securing mechanism with the existing structural elements, reducing component count and weight while maintaining installation security.
Solution Approach 2:
The dovetail joint serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for the electrical pack, enables secure attachment, and allows for easy removal and reinstallation. The same joint structure that supports the weight also provides the securing mechanism, eliminating the need for separate fastening components.
2Reliability
If conventional clamps and brackets are used to secure electrical packs, then the electrical packs can be held in place, but the device complexity and certification requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The dovetail joint combines multiple functions into a single integrated structure that serves as both the mounting base and the securing mechanism. This reduces the number of discrete components from multiple clamps and brackets to a single joint system, simplifying the overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the securing function from separate clamps and brackets and integrates it directly into the aircraft structural component through the dovetail joint. This eliminates unnecessary intermediate components and reduces the complexity of the mounting system.
3Reliability
If electrical packs are secured using brackets and clamps, then they can be held in place, but access for installation, removal, and repair becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The dovetail joint provides a dynamic mounting system that allows the electrical pack to be easily inserted and removed by sliding the dovetail dowel in and out of the dovetail slot. This dynamic design enables quick access for installation, removal, and repair operations while maintaining secure attachment during flight.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system is segmented into separate components (dovetail dowel on the electrical pack and dovetail slot in the aircraft structure) that can be independently positioned and assembled. This segmentation allows for easy alignment and quick installation by simply sliding the components together.
4Reliability
If electrical packs are mounted on aircraft components, then they can be secured, but the structural component must support large weights and absorb large forces and torque
Solution Approach 1:
The dovetail joint utilizes the composite structural integrity of the aircraft engine pylon or torsion box, which are designed as load-bearing components capable of withstanding large forces and torques. The joint leverages the existing composite material strength of these structural components to support the electrical pack weight and absorb propulsion system forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The aircraft structural components (engine pylons and torsion boxes) are pre-designed and pre-engineered to support large weights and absorb large forces and torques from the propulsion system. By mounting the electrical packs on these pre-strengthened components, the joint system benefits from the existing structural capacity without requiring additional reinforcement.
Data Source
AI summary
A joint for aircraft electrical pack or battery pack for attaching the electrical pack to an aircraft component is disclosed. The electrical pack includes a surface having a dovetail dowel integrally formed thereon, and a dovetail rail is attached to the aircraft component. The electrical pack is mounted and assembled to the aircraft component by securing the dovetail dowel to the dovetail rail forming a dovetail joint. The aircraft component may be an engine pylon.