Shear Pocket Structural Assembly for Honeycomb Panel Fastening
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for coupling structural members to honeycomb panels require multiple potted fasteners, leading to high labor costs and unnecessary weight, while also being inflexible for repositioning and unable to efficiently transfer both shear and tension loads.
Innovation Solution
A structural assembly featuring a sandwich panel with shear pockets and shear bosses, along with tension fasteners, which allows for the transfer of shear loads through the shear bosses and tension loads through the fasteners, reducing the need for multiple potted fasteners and enabling flexibility in repositioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple potted fasteners are installed in the honeycomb panel to allow structural member attachment, then the structural member can be securely coupled to the panel, but the labor cost increases and the panel weight increases due to unused fasteners
Solution Approach 1:
The shear pockets are pre-formed in the honeycomb panel during manufacturing, eliminating the need to install potted fasteners at each attachment location. This preliminary preparation allows structural members to be quickly attached by simply inserting shear bosses into the pre-formed pockets, dramatically reducing labor time while maintaining secure coupling through the shear load transfer capability of the pockets
2Reliability
If multiple potted fasteners are installed in the honeycomb panel to allow structural member attachment, then the structural member can be securely coupled to the panel, but the panel weight increases due to unused potted inserts
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts only the necessary fastening elements (shear bosses) that are actually needed for attachment, eliminating the need to install and store multiple potted fasteners. The shear pockets are pre-formed receptacles that receive shear bosses on-demand, allowing the panel to maintain security while minimizing weight by only including the minimal necessary fastening components
3Reliability
If potted inserts are used to attach structural members, then the members can be fixed at specific locations, but the flexibility to reposition members is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a static, fixed attachment method (potted inserts that permanently secure members at specific locations) to a dynamic system where shear bosses can be inserted into and removed from multiple pre-formed shear pockets. This allows structural members to be repositioned along the panel while maintaining stable attachment at each location, providing both reliability and flexibility
4Reliability
If traditional fastening methods are used, then both shear and tension loads can be transferred, but the device complexity and number of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the load transfer function into two distinct components: shear pockets that handle in-plane shear loads through friction and mechanical interlocking, and tension fasteners that handle out-of-plane tension loads. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, reducing the need for multiple overlapping fasteners while maintaining comprehensive load transfer capability
Data Source
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AI summary
A structural assembly (200) includes a first member (202) and a second member (250). The first member has at least one fastener receptacle (218) and at least one shear pocket (204) formed in the member side. The Shear pocket has a pocket cross-section. The second member has at least one shear boss (252) protruding outwardly from the second member, the shear boss has a boss cross-section shaped complementary to the pocket cross-section. The shear boss is configured to be received with the shear pocket and transfer only shear load between the first member and the second member. The structural assembly includes a tension fastener (278) configured to engage the fastener receptacle and couple the first member to the second member and transfer only tension load therebetween at least during an initial transfer of the shear load between the first member and the second member by the shear boss.