Guide Fixture for Accurate Aircraft Lower Chord Reaming
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in aircraft maintenance is the difficulty in accurately reaming lower chord bolt holes within confined spaces, which can lead to inaccurate repairs and increased costs due to the thickness of the chord assembly and limited access, necessitating the development of a precise reaming tool and method.
Innovation Solution
A guide fixture with a base, sleeve assembly, pilot bushing, and reamer driver assembly that secures and aligns a reaming device for accurate drilling through existing holes, allowing for precise reaming within tight spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If free-hand reaming is performed without a guide in confined spaces, then the operation can be completed with simple tools, but the reaming accuracy and alignment deteriorate, leading to damage to the lower chord structure
Solution Approach 1:
A guide fixture is introduced as an intermediary device between the reaming tool and the workpiece. The guide fixture includes a base that positions against the access panel, a sleeve that receives the reaming tool, and a pilot bushing that aligns with the existing bolt hole. This intermediary structure enables accurate free-hand reaming by providing mechanical guidance and alignment without requiring complex fixed equipment in the confined space.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide fixture is assembled and positioned on the access panel before the reaming operation begins. The pilot bushing is pre-aligned with the existing bolt hole, and the sleeve is secured in place to establish the correct reaming path in advance. This preliminary positioning ensures that when free-hand reaming is performed, the tool follows the pre-established accurate path, preventing misalignment and structural damage.
2Strength
If reaming is performed in confined spaces through small access panels, then the aircraft structure is preserved, but the working space is limited, making accurate reaming difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The guide fixture is divided into separate components: a base that interfaces with the access panel, a sleeve that houses the reaming tool, and a pilot bushing for alignment. This segmentation allows the fixture to be assembled through the limited access panel opening and positioned accurately against the aircraft structure, enabling the reaming operation to be performed from the confined space without compromising structural integrity.
3Manufacturing precision
If accurate reaming is achieved through guided equipment, then reaming precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide fixture is designed as a multi-functional device that combines positioning (base against access panel), alignment (pilot bushing with existing hole), and tool guidance (sleeve for reaming tool) into a single assembly. This universal fixture can be used for reaming operations at multiple bolt holes throughout the lower chord structure, reducing the need for multiple specialized tools and minimizing overall equipment complexity while maintaining high reaming accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method is provided for the highly accurate reaming of a hole in a work surface. A reaming device is positioned within a base unit and positioning bracket of the present apparatus in alignment with the hole to be reamed in the work surface. The reaming device is advanced through the work surface by means of a reamer driver assembly while being rotated by means of a drive motor or similar rotational means to produce a cutting action, resulting in a precise, highly accurate reaming.