Aircraft Harness Bracket Clamping for Variable Stiffener Thickness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft support systems for electrical harnesses fail to securely immobilize stiffeners and accommodate varying thicknesses, leading to incomplete clamping and inability to follow the curvature of the fuselage effectively.
Innovation Solution
The support system comprises jaws with adaptable contact surfaces and a flexible link, allowing for secure clamping and precise positioning on stiffeners with varying thicknesses, enabling the electrical harness to be routed along the fuselage without drilling, using a screw-based clamping mechanism and oblong passage holes to accommodate manufacturing tolerances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a rigid support structure with fixed geometry is used to clamp stiffeners, then the clamping force is sufficient for thin stiffeners, but the support cannot accommodate stiffeners with larger thickness variations
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure incorporates adjustable elements that allow the contact surfaces to dynamically adapt to different stiffener thicknesses. The adjustment mechanism enables the support to maintain proper alignment and clamping force across a range of thickness variations without requiring multiple fixed-geometry support designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The support system allows modification of geometric parameters such as contact surface position and angle to accommodate varying stiffener dimensions. By enabling parameter adjustment within certain ranges, the support can adapt to different thicknesses while maintaining adequate manufacturing precision for reliable electrical connectivity.
2Reliability
If multiple drilling operations are performed on stiffeners to route electrical harnesses, then the electrical connectivity is achieved, but the structural integrity of the stiffeners is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the electrical harness routing function from the stiffener structure itself by introducing an external support system. The electrical harness is routed through the support structure that attaches to the stiffener's outer surface, eliminating the need to drill through the stiffener and thereby preserving its structural integrity while ensuring reliable electrical connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure serves as an intermediary between the electrical harness and the stiffener. Instead of directly routing the harness through the stiffener, the support acts as a mediator that carries the harness alongside the stiffener, maintaining both electrical connectivity and structural strength.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the support system uses fixed contact surfaces, then the manufacturing is simple, but the support cannot accommodate manufacturing tolerances in stiffener dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The contact surfaces are designed with adjustable degrees of freedom that allow them to dynamically compensate for manufacturing tolerances. This dynamic capability enables the support to adapt to dimensional variations in the stiffener without requiring overly complex adjustment mechanisms, achieving a balance between tolerance accommodation and structural simplicity.
4Productivity
If the electrical harness is routed tightly along the fuselage curvature, then the space utilization is optimized, but the harness is susceptible to mechanical stress and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure incorporates flexible elements or features that allow the electrical harness to follow the fuselage curvature while maintaining adequate bend radius and reducing mechanical stress. The flexibility accommodates the curvature requirements for space optimization while protecting the harness from damage through controlled deformation capabilities.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a support configured to cooperate with a stiffener (52) which comprises: - a first jaw (58) having a first contact surface (68) configured to bear in operation against a first face of the stiffener (52) and a first bearing surface (70), - a second jaw (60) having a second contact surface (72) configured to bear in operation against a second face of the stiffener (52), a second bearing surface (74) configured to bear against the first bearing surface (70) of the first jaw (58) as well as a groove (76), separating the second contact and bearing surfaces (72, 74) of the second jaw (60), configured to house in operation a free edge of a wing of the stiffener (52), - at least one clamping element (62) configured to clamp in operation at least a part of the stiffener (52) between the first and second jaws (58, 60).