Aircraft Horizontal Tail Plane Rib Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing manufacturing process for horizontal tail planes is plagued by excessive weight, high manufacturing costs, and misalignment issues due to the spring-back effect in composite materials, which complicates assembly and increases quality control costs.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a single, H-shaped main rib that spans the distance between the front and rear spar, eliminating the need for separate mid-box and trailing edge ribs, thereby reducing assembly steps and avoiding misalignment, and simplifying the manufacturing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If separate mid-box and trailing edge ribs are used with multiple assembly steps, then structural integrity is maintained, but manufacturing cost and assembly time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the mid-box rib and trailing edge rib into a single integrated rib structure. This merging eliminates the need for separate manufacturing and assembly processes for each rib type, reducing manufacturing cost and the number of parts while maintaining the structural functions of both components.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated rib structure performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mid-box structural support, defines the trailing edge geometry, and serves as a mounting structure for control surfaces. This multi-functionality reduces the overall part count and simplifies the manufacturing process.
2Productivity
If multiple separate parts are assembled together, then structural flexibility is improved, but assembly time and quality control costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the mid-box and trailing edge ribs into one integrated component, the patent eliminates multiple assembly steps including alignment, fastening, and quality inspection of separate parts. This single-component approach dramatically reduces assembly time and quality control costs while maintaining structural integrity.
3Weight of moving object
If separate mid-box and trailing edge ribs are manufactured independently, then manufacturing flexibility is maintained, but weight increases due to additional joints and fasteners
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of mid-box and trailing edge ribs into a single monolithic structure eliminates the weight of multiple joints, fasteners, and bonding materials that would be required to assemble separate ribs. This weight reduction is achieved while maintaining manufacturing flexibility through the use of composite material layup processes.
Data Source
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AI summary
Present invention relates to a horizontal tail plane of an aircraft and a method for manufacturing it that eliminates the misalignment problems of the state of the art and at the same time reduces weight and time and cost of manufacturing process where the horizontal tail plane basically comprises a leading edge, a trailing edge, upper and lower skins including a part of the aerodynamic profiles of the leading edge and the trailing edge, a mid-box comprising a front spar (11) and a rear spar (12), and a leading edge ribs attached to the front spar of the mid - box and to the aerodynamic profile of the leading edge and a main rib (13) attached to the front spar (11) and to the rear spar (12) of the mid - box.