Aircraft Empennage Continuous Skin Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional aircraft fuselage and vertical tail plane assemblies require significant reinforcement and weight penalties due to high load concentrations at interface fittings, leading to increased drag and assembly complexity.
Innovation Solution
A manufacturing method that integrates the fuselage and vertical tail plane with a continuous skin solution, allowing for a single-step assembly of two fuselage halves with integrated stringers and frames, eliminating the need for interface fittings and using co-curing and bonding techniques to distribute loads continuously across the fuselage frames.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional interface fittings are used to join the vertical tail plane and fuselage, then the structural connection is achieved, but significant weight penalty and drag increase due to required reinforcement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the vertical tail plane and fuselage into a single integrated empennage structure with continuous skin, eliminating the need for separate interface fittings. The skin extends continuously from the fuselage through the tail cone to the vertical tail plane, creating a unified load-bearing structure that removes the weight penalty associated with reinforcement at connection points.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes the conventional interface fittings (longitudinal and transversal load fittings) from the empennage assembly. By eliminating these discrete connection elements and their associated fairings, the design achieves weight reduction while maintaining structural integrity through the continuous skin solution.
2Strength
If conventional interface fittings are used to join the vertical tail plane and fuselage, then the structural connection is achieved, but drag increases due to fairing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the vertical tail plane and fuselage into a continuous skin structure, the invention eliminates the need for fairings that would otherwise be required to cover interface fittings. The smooth continuous surface extends from the fuselage through the tail cone to the vertical tail plane, removing drag-generating protrusions and fairing transitions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes the fairings that would normally be required to cover conventional interface fittings. By eliminating these aerodynamic fairings through the continuous skin design, the empennage achieves reduced drag without compromising structural connection capabilities.
3Strength
If conventional interface fittings are used to join the vertical tail plane and fuselage, then the structural connection is achieved, but assembly complexity and lead time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate assembly operations into a single integrated manufacturing process. By forming the vertical tail plane, tail cone, and fuselage rear section as one continuous skin structure in a single autoclave cycle, the invention eliminates multiple assembly steps including fitting installation, fastening, and fairing attachment, thereby reducing assembly complexity and lead time.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary integration during the manufacturing process itself by co-curing the continuous skin structure in one shot. This preliminary action of integrating the empennage structure during manufacturing eliminates the need for subsequent complex assembly operations, reducing both assembly complexity and lead time.
4Strength
If conventional interface fittings are used to join the vertical tail plane and fuselage, then the structural connection is achieved, but load concentration causes significant reinforcement requirements
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the vertical tail plane and fuselage into a continuous skin structure, the invention transforms the load transfer mechanism from concentrated point loads at interface fittings to distributed continuous loads along the skin. The continuous skin acts as a load path that distributes stresses uniformly, eliminating load concentration and the associated reinforcement requirements.
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
This approach reduces weight, drag, and assembly time, while enhancing structural resilience and simplifying shielding integration, resulting in a more efficient and aerodynamic empennage assembly.
Implementation Method 1
The skin is bonded to the frames
Implementation Method 2
during a curing cycle
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2~3
Figure 4A~5B
AI summary
Examples herein relate to a method for manufacturing a composite assembly of an empennage and rear-fuselage having a continuous skin solution. The method obtains two or more parts of the sub-structure. For each part, it is obtained a plurality of stringers performs and frames preforms by composite tooling. The frames are transferred to curing frames moulds and a sub-structure skin is obtained. Furthermore, the method comprises integrating the two or more parts over an integration tool comprising cavities for locating the curing frames moulds and the stringers performs. Furthermore, the method comprises co-curing the integration tool in one shot on an autoclave, demoulding the sub-structure skin sections and disassembling the curing frame moulds to obtain the composite assembly of the rear section.