Self-Aligning Fitting Assembly for Aircraft Floor Grid
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Solution Overview
Problem
The alignment and assembly of a floor grid with a fuselage barrel in aircraft construction is a time-consuming and resource-intensive process, requiring specialized support and transportation structures due to manufacturing tolerances and large component sizes.
Innovation Solution
A self-aligning fitting assembly is designed, comprising barrel-side and floor-side fittings with alignment pins and recesses, allowing for cooperative alignment and attachment of the floor grid to the fuselage barrel, utilizing expanding pins and clamping devices to secure the components in the correct orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional alignment methods are used to attach the floor grid to the fuselage barrel, then the components can be securely attached, but the process becomes time-consuming and resource-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The fitting assemblies are pre-installed on the fuselage barrel with alignment pins protruding outward, preparing the attachment points in advance. This preliminary positioning eliminates the need for complex real-time alignment procedures during the actual floor grid installation, significantly reducing assembly time while ensuring reliable attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
Alignment pins and recesses serve as intermediary elements that facilitate the alignment and attachment process. These intermediaries bridge the gap between the fuselage barrel and floor grid, enabling precise positioning without requiring specialized support structures or extensive manual adjustment, thus reducing both time and resource requirements.
2Reliability
If traditional alignment methods are used to attach the floor grid to the fuselage barrel, then the components can be securely attached, but specialized support and transportation structures are required
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system is segmented into multiple discrete fitting assemblies distributed around the fuselage barrel. Each fitting assembly is a self-contained unit with alignment pins and attachment mechanisms, eliminating the need for large, complex centralized support structures. This segmentation allows for simpler transportation and installation equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment pins and recesses act as intermediary elements that simplify the attachment process. These intermediaries provide built-in alignment and positioning functions, replacing the need for external specialized support structures that would otherwise be required to achieve precise alignment of such large components.
3Manufacturing precision
If manual alignment procedures are used, then precise alignment can be achieved, but a significant amount of manufacturing resources are required
Solution Approach 1:
The fitting assemblies are designed to be self-aligning through the alignment pin and recess mechanism. The alignment pins protruding from the fuselage barrel fit into corresponding recesses on the floor grid, automatically establishing precise alignment without requiring manual measurement, adjustment, or specialized alignment equipment, thereby reducing manufacturing resource requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment pins and recesses serve as intermediary elements that encode the precise alignment geometry directly into the attachment mechanism. This eliminates the need for separate alignment procedures and the manufacturing resources they would require, while still achieving the necessary precision through the mechanical interface of the intermediaries.
Data Source
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AI summary
Self-aligning fitting assemblies (100) and systems and methods including the same are disclosed herein. The self-aligning fitting assemblies include a barrel-side fitting (160) that includes a plurality of barrel-side attachment holes (162) and a floor-side fitting (180) that includes a plurality of floor-side attachment holes (182). The self- aligning fitting assemblies also include an alignment pin recess (120) and a fitting alignment recess (110). The methods include translating a floor grid (80) relative to a fuselage barrel (60), operatively aligning a plurality of alignment pin recesses (120) with a corresponding plurality of fitting alignment recesses (110), and locating a plurality of alignment pins (130) within the plurality of alignment pin recesses such that each of the plurality of alignment pins extends through a respective one of the plurality of fitting alignment recesses. The methods also include lowering the floor grid (80) relative to the fuselage barrel (60) and installing a plurality of fasteners.