Aircraft Engine Pylon Assembly with Isostatic Shackles
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional aircraft engine pylon designs are bulky due to complex shapes and large dimensions, which hinder efficient mounting of turbojet engines under the wing.
Innovation Solution
A reduced-bulk engine pylon assembly featuring a primary structure with starboard and port side panels, upper and lower spars, and shackles that secure to structural elements of the wing, along with a reinforcement panel at junctions, allowing for an isostatic fastening system with unidirectional loads at each shackle to react to six degrees of freedom.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional engine pylon designs are used with complex box-shaped frames and multiple internal ribs, then the structural strength and stability are sufficient to support the turbojet engine, but the dimensions and bulk of the assembly become excessively large
Solution Approach 1:
The pylon assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: a simplified primary structure with fewer internal ribs, and separate reinforcement panels that are strategically positioned at critical junctions. This segmentation allows the main structure to be lighter while maintaining overall strength through localized reinforcement at stress concentration points.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than uniformly reinforcing the entire pylon structure, reinforcement panels are applied locally at specific junctions where side panels meet spars. This local quality approach concentrates structural strength exactly where needed to handle thrust forces and bending moments, while leaving the rest of the structure lighter and more compact.
2Reliability
If conventional fixing systems with multiple engine attachments and recovery rods are used, then the turbojet engine is securely mounted and thrust forces are effectively absorbed, but the fastening system becomes bulky and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening system merges multiple attachment functions into an integrated shackle-based mounting system. The shackles combine engine attachment, thrust force absorption, and structural reinforcement into unified components that perform multiple functions simultaneously, reducing the number of separate parts needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The shackles serve multiple functions: they attach the engine to the pylon, absorb thrust forces through their articulation, provide structural reinforcement at connection points, and accommodate six degrees of freedom. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate components for each function, simplifying the overall fastening system.
3Force
If the primary structure uses a traditional box-shaped frame with distributed internal ribs, then the pylon can withstand bending moments and shear forces, but the overall dimensions of the assembly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The solution transitions from a three-dimensional box-shaped frame with distributed ribs to a more compact structure that uses reinforcement panels adding a different dimensional approach to strength. The panels create a stiffened shell structure that resists forces more efficiently with reduced overall dimensions.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to an assembly for an aircraft comprising a wing (104) and a jet pylon (106) having a primary structure (202) with starboard and port panels (208a-b), upper (204) and lower (206) spars and a rear rib (268), two sets of upper/lower shackles (252, 254, 260, 262), where each first sets secures the starboard panel to the wing, and where each second sets secures the port panel to the wing, a fastening element (270) integral with the rear rib or the lower spar, a rear connecting rod (272) which connects the fastening element to the wing, a transverse shackle (302) which connects the upper spar to the wing, the line connecting the two centers of the transverse shackle being oriented transversely with respect to a longitudinal axis of the jet pylon, and a reinforcement panel (280a-d), at each junction between a starboard or port panel and an upper/lower shackle,which is fixed vertically against said panel and to which said shackle is also attached. With such a reactor mast, the overall footprint is reduced.