Aircraft Fuselage Panel Support Tower for Vertical Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft fuselage production lines require significant maneuvering space and costly utilities due to the need for cradles and overhead cranes to support and transport panels, which complicates the assembly process and increases operational costs.
Innovation Solution
An assembly comprising a support tower and multiple support systems, each with four fixing points, allows for vertical holding of fuselage sections during assembly, utilizing a three-dimensional adjustment system and retractable platforms to optimize space usage and reduce utility costs, featuring a tower with rotational mobility and motorized fixing bases for precise positioning and locking of panels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cradles and overhead cranes are used to support and transport panels, then panels can be horizontally supported and transported, but significant maneuvering space and costly utilities are required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from horizontal panel support and transport to vertical assembly. The support tower enables panels to be positioned and assembled in the vertical dimension, eliminating the need for extensive horizontal maneuvering space required by cradles and overhead cranes. This dimensional change fundamentally reconfigures the assembly process spatial requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of supporting panels horizontally from below (as with cradles), the invention inverts the approach by supporting panels vertically from above through the support tower structure. This inversion of the support orientation eliminates the need for traditional horizontal transport utilities and reduces maneuvering space.
2Ease of operation
If cradles and overhead cranes are used to support and transport panels, then panels can be horizontally supported and transported, but costly utilities are required
Solution Approach 1:
By moving the assembly process to vertical orientation, the invention eliminates the need for expensive overhead cranes and associated utilities. The support tower provides inherent structural support, removing the requirement for costly horizontal transport infrastructure and reducing utility costs significantly.
Solution Approach 2:
The support tower structure serves multiple functions simultaneously - it supports panels during assembly, provides positioning reference, and enables direct vertical assembly operations. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate utilities like overhead cranes, making the system self-sufficient and reducing external utility requirements.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple fixing bases with three-dimensional adjustment systems are used, then precise positioning and locking of panels is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing bases are designed as multi-functional components that integrate three-dimensional adjustment capabilities, positioning reference, and locking functions within a single device. This universality reduces the need for separate adjustment mechanisms and simplifies the overall system while maintaining precise positioning capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The three-dimensional adjustment system is segmented into independent linear actuators for each degree of freedom (X, Y, Z directions). This segmentation allows each actuator to be controlled independently, simplifying the control system while achieving precise positioning. The modular structure of segmented actuators reduces overall system complexity compared to integrated multi-axis mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly including a support tower and at least two support systems, each bearing a panel of a section of an aircraft fuselage and including four fixing points. The support tower includes a tower extending along an axis X, a seat on which the tower is mounted and which is rotationally mobile about the axis X, and, for each fixing point, a fixing base mounted on a three-dimensional adjustment system mounted on the tower and motorized to displace the fixing base in two horizontal directions and one vertical direction, where each fixing point and the associated fixing base can be locked with one another to ensure the fixing of one with the other, and that can be unlocked to allow them to be separated. Such an assembly makes it possible to keep the various elements of the section vertical during assembly and allows for a space saving on the ground and a saving on transfer utilities.