Mesh-Reinforced Aircraft Fuselage Structure for Lower Weight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional aircraft fuselage structures are structurally resistant but heavy and costly to produce, necessitating a lighter and more economical alternative.
Innovation Solution
A fuselage structure featuring a lattice-reinforced skin with frames and spars arranged along the longitudinal direction, where spars extend through slots in the frames and are fixed to the skin, and torque boxes provide additional reinforcement, eliminating traditional stiffeners to reduce weight while maintaining structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional stiffeners and numerous frames are used, then structural resistance is improved, but weight increases and production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes traditional stiffeners from the fuselage structure, retaining only essential frames and longerons. This extraction of non-essential components reduces weight while maintaining structural resistance through the optimized frame-skin- longeron configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuselage is divided into modular sections with frames spaced at optimized intervals, rather than using continuous or densely spaced traditional framing. This segmentation allows weight reduction while preserving structural integrity at critical locations.
2Strength
If traditional stiffeners and numerous frames are used, then structural resistance is improved, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By eliminating stiffeners and reducing the number of frames, the patent simplifies the manufacturing process, reduces material procurement costs, and lowers assembly complexity, thereby decreasing overall production cost while maintaining adequate structural resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the functions of frames and longerons into a simplified configuration where frames serve both structural and positioning functions, reducing the total number of components and simplifying manufacturing and assembly operations.
3Strength
If frames are spaced closer together, then structural resistance is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes frame spacing by distributing frames at critical locations rather than uniformly close spacing, achieving adequate structural resistance only where needed while reducing weight in less critical areas through increased spacing.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame spacing and configuration are tailored to local structural requirements, with closer spacing or reinforced frames at high-stress areas and wider spacing at low-stress areas, optimizing the weight-strength balance across different fuselage sections.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a structure (156) of an aircraft fuselage (150), said structure (156) comprising a skin (158) having an outer face (160) and an inner face (162) machined in the form of a lattice-reinforced panel, a plurality of frames (164), each frame (164) taking the shape of the fuselage section (150), and the frames (164) being arranged one after the other along a longitudinal direction X of the fuselage (150), wherein the outer perimeter of each frame (164) is fixed to the inner face (162), a plurality of longerons (166a-e) extending parallel to the longitudinal direction X of the fuselage (150), wherein each longeron (166a-e) extends through several frames (164) by passing through them at an opening (168) provided for this purpose in each frame (164) and where each longeron (166a-e) is applied against the inner face (162) and fixed thereto, and, in the upper and lower parts of the fuselage (150),a torsion box (302) extending parallel to the longitudinal direction X of the fuselage (150), where each torsion box comprises a horizontal plate and tabs that fix the plate to the inner face (162). The particular combination of this structure is lightweight while being particularly strong and economical.