Aircraft Fuselage Structural Cable Tension Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in providing effective structural support for wide-body fuselages while minimizing weight and complexity, as traditional beams or bulkheads are impractical due to space constraints and aesthetics in the passenger cabin, and existing designs struggle to efficiently manage tension and compression loads in non-circular cross-sections.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a wide-body fuselage with upper and lower central structural elements and a plurality of tension members, such as cable bundles, that remain flexible under compression loads, coupled via lug fittings and clevis connections, to manage tension between these elements and support the fuselage's non-circular cross-section.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional beams or bulkheads are used to provide structural support in wide-body fuselages, then structural strength is improved, but device complexity and weight increase, and space constraints in the passenger cabin are violated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs cable bundles as flexible tension members to provide structural support in wide-body fuselages. These cables function as thin, flexible elements that can be routed through the passenger cabin without significant visual obstruction or space constraint, while still providing the necessary tensile strength to counteract inflection loads in the flat top and bottom sections of the fuselage.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the structural support function from traditional rigid beams and bulkheads, separating it into dedicated cable bundles that can be independently routed and tensioned. This allows the structural function to be provided without the weight and complexity penalties of traditional beam structures.
2Stability of the object's composition
If traditional beams are used to counter inflection loads in wide-body fuselage, then structural stability is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
Cable bundles replace traditional rigid beams, providing the necessary structural stability through tension-only support. The cables are routed vertically between the flat top and bottom sections of the fuselage, counteracting inflection loads while maintaining flexibility and minimizing weight compared to rigid beam structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes rigid mechanical beam structures with flexible cable systems. The cable bundles provide structural support through tensile forces alone, eliminating the need for heavy rigid beams while maintaining stability against inflection loads in the wide-body fuselage configuration.
3Strength
If rigid structural elements are used to support wide-body fuselage, then structural strength is improved, but flexibility under compression loads is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cable bundles are designed to be flexible rather than rigid, allowing them to accommodate compression loads by going slack rather than buckling. This flexibility enables the structural elements to adapt to varying load conditions while maintaining strength under tension, which is the primary loading mode for these vertical support members.
Solution Approach 2:
The structural system transitions from static rigid elements to dynamic flexible cables that can adjust their mechanical state based on loading conditions. Under compression, the cables remain flexible and can buckle or go slack without structural failure, while under tension they provide full structural support, optimizing performance across different flight conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A wide body aircraft is discussed having a fuselage with a first structural element, a second structural element, a wide-body fuselage section, and a plurality of tension members. Each of the first structural element and the second structural element may be arranged to traverse a longitudinal length of the wide-body fuselage section. The wide-body fuselage section may comprise a set of side-by-side fuselage subassemblies, where the set of side-by-side fuselage subassemblies can be coupled to one another via the first structural element and the second structural element. The plurality of tension members can be arranged to manage tension between the first structural element and the second structural element. The plurality of tension members can be configured to remain flexible under a compression load, while managing tension therebetween.