Floating Socket Aircraft Joint for Tolerance Misalignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft assemblies face complex structures due to numerous components, leading to manufacturing tolerance build-up and misalignment issues, particularly at joints like the root joint of the wingbox, which reduces assembly efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An assembly-ready joint design featuring a floating socket within a housing that allows for tolerance absorption through offset movement and alignment assistance via a chamfered spigot-receiving bore, using a curable medium like epoxy resin to secure the socket in place, thereby compensating for misalignments and ensuring a secure fit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a large number of components are assembled to form aircraft assemblies, then the assembly can achieve the required structural complexity and functionality, but manufacturing tolerance build-up occurs leading to misalignment of components
Solution Approach 1:
The socket is designed to be movable within the housing, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position to compensate for misalignment between components. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the joint to adapt to tolerance variations while maintaining proper alignment, resolving the contradiction between structural complexity and alignment precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable socket acts as an intermediary element between the spigot and the housing, absorbing misalignment through its ability to move within the housing. This intermediary component isolates the effect of tolerance build-up from the overall assembly, maintaining alignment precision despite the complexity of assembling multiple components.
2Productivity
If traditional fixed joints are used to connect aircraft components, then the structure appears simple and straightforward, but misalignment due to tolerance build-up reduces assembly efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The movable socket automatically compensates for misalignment through its inherent ability to move within the housing, without requiring external adjustment mechanisms or complex alignment procedures. This self-adjusting capability streamlines the assembly process, improving productivity while maintaining component alignment despite tolerance variations.
3Manufacturing precision
If a movable floating socket is used to compensate for misalignment, then assembly efficiency improves and tolerance build-up is minimized, but the device complexity increases due to the additional movable component
Solution Approach 1:
The joint is segmented into distinct functional components: a housing, a movable socket, and a spigot. This segmentation allows the socket to independently move within the housing to compensate for misalignment, achieving high alignment tolerance while keeping each individual component relatively simple in design.
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 effectively minimizes tolerance build-up and misalignment at joints, enhancing assembly efficiency and structural integrity by allowing for precise alignment and secure bonding of components during aircraft assembly.
Implementation Method 1
a curable medium is arranged to be received in an interior of the housing and to contact between the floating socket and the interior walls of the housing when assembled; the curable medium is arranged to cure to bond the floating socket to the housing
Data Source
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AI summary
The present application relates to an assembly-ready joint for an aircraft assembly. The joint has a first joint part including a spigot. The joint also has a second joint part with a housing. A floating socket is in an interior of the housing. The second joint part receives the spigot in the floating socket. The joint is arranged to receive a curable medium, such as curable resin, in the interior to contract between the housing and the floating socket.