Spatially Staggered Jury Struts for Wing Buckling and Impact Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft strut members are vulnerable to damage from engine rotor bursts and bird strikes, which can compromise their buckling load resistance and structural integrity, necessitating improved jury strut designs to maintain performance and safety.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a strut system with jury struts positioned to minimize vulnerability to engine rotor fragments and bird strikes, with strategically spaced and constructed jury struts that provide enhanced buckling load resistance and maintain aircraft functionality even if one strut is lost, utilizing airfoil configurations to reduce drag and optimize structural support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If jury struts are positioned to provide optimal buckling load resistance, then the strut member stability is improved, but the vulnerability to engine rotor fragments and bird strikes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single jury strut into multiple segments (first jury strut and second jury strut) positioned at different locations along the strut member. This segmentation allows each segment to provide buckling support while reducing the probability that a single rotor fragment or bird strike will damage all jury struts simultaneously, thus resolving the contradiction between stability and vulnerability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent positions jury struts at specific locations along the strut member where they provide maximum buckling resistance while being strategically placed to minimize exposure to rotor fragment trajectories and bird strike zones. This local optimization of positioning resolves the contradiction by making each jury strut location serve both stability and safety functions.
2Strength
If the strut member cross section is increased to enhance buckling load capability, then the buckling resistance is improved, but the aircraft weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing the cross-section of a single strut member, the patent segments the support function into multiple thinner jury struts distributed along the member. This achieves equivalent or superior buckling resistance through distributed support while keeping individual component weights lower, resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from increasing strength in one dimension (cross-sectional area) to distributing strength across multiple dimensions (multiple jury struts positioned along the length of the strut member). This dimensional shift provides equivalent buckling resistance without the weight penalty of a larger cross-section.
3Stability of the object's composition
If jury struts are positioned closely together to maximize support, then the buckling load resistance is improved, but the drag increases due to airfoil configuration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions jury struts at specific locations where they provide maximum structural support while minimizing aerodynamic interference. The airfoil configurations are locally optimized at each jury strut position to reduce drag, resolving the contradiction between stability and drag by making each location serve both functions optimally.
Data Source
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AI summary
A strut system for a wing of an aircraft, includes a strut member extending from the wing and a first jury strut assembly associated with the wing. The first jury strut assembly includes a first jury strut, which has a first end connected to the strut member and a second jury strut, which has a first end connected to the strut member, wherein a second end of the first jury strut and a second end of the second jury strut are each connected to the wing spaced apart from one another in a direction of a chord.