Aircraft Seal Plate Alignment for Stringer Recess Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of seal plates in aircraft fuel tanks is difficult and time-consuming due to the confined space, requiring manual measurement and fitting to ensure a tight seal around stringers, which is challenging with existing manual methods.
Innovation Solution
A tooling system is introduced that includes a holder to align and fix seal plates over stringer-receiving recesses, using a biasing arrangement to ensure proper alignment and a fixing mechanism to secure the seal plates in place, allowing for accurate positioning and fastening without direct access to the fuel tank.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If seal plates are manually installed from inside the fuel tank after assembly, then the seal plates can be fitted to cover cut-outs, but the installation becomes difficult and time-consuming due to confined space
Solution Approach 1:
The seal plates are pre-aligned with the stringer using a tooling assembly before final installation. The tooling assembly includes alignment features that position the seal plate relative to the stringer recess, allowing installation to begin from outside the fuel tank rather than requiring entry into the confined internal space
Solution Approach 2:
A tooling assembly acts as an intermediary device to facilitate seal plate installation. This assembly includes a holder that positions the seal plate and alignment features that ensure proper positioning relative to the stringer recess, enabling installation from accessible external locations
2Manufacturing precision
If manual measurement and fitting is used to ensure tight seal around stringers, then sealing accuracy can be achieved, but the process becomes complex and time-consuming in confined spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The seal plate and tooling assembly include integrated alignment features that automatically position the seal plate correctly relative to the stringer recess. The alignment features on the tooling assembly correspond to features on the seal plate and stringer, enabling self-alignment without requiring manual measurement or complex adjustment procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The tooling assembly includes alignment features that replicate the geometric relationships between the stringer recess and seal plate. By copying the recess geometry into the tooling assembly's alignment features, the system ensures accurate positioning without requiring manual measurement and calculation
Data Source
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AI summary
Seal member arrangements comprising at least one seal plate are disposed over stringer receiving recesses in ribs of an aircraft. The present application relates to tool for locating a seal member arrangement over a stringer-receiving recess in a rib of an aircraft assembly. The tool system has a holder configured to hold the seal member arrangement over the recess. A biasing arrangement is configured to act on the holder to bias the seal member arrangement into an aligned position with a stringer received in the recess. A fixing arrangement is configured to act on the seal member arrangement to fix the seal member arrangement in the aligned position. The present application also relates to a sealing kit, an aircraft assembly, a method of fixing a seal member arrangement over a stringer-receiving recess in a rib of an aircraft, and an aircraft.