Upper mounting apparatus for retaining aircraft monuments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft monuments require securement systems that can withstand static and dynamic loads during flight, and existing systems often lack the necessary adjustability and load distribution to ensure stability, especially in emergency situations.
Innovation Solution
An upper monument attachment system featuring a bipod with a joiner and stay, connected to an aircraft attachment point via a tie rod, with adjustable rails and quick-release pins, forming a triangulated structure to maximize strength and rigidity while allowing for controlled movement and load distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional securement devices are used to fix monuments to the aircraft, then the monuments can be secured at floor level or from above, but the systems lack adjustability when aircraft are repurposed or reconfigured and cannot adequately withstand certain static and dynamic loads
Solution Approach 1:
The securement system employs adjustable components including adjustable support legs with telescopic sections that can be extended or retracted, and adjustable arms that can be repositioned along the monument structure. This dynamic adjustability allows the same system to accommodate different aircraft configurations while maintaining adequate load handling through proper geometric arrangement of the supports.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes geometric parameters such as the length of support legs, the angle of support arms, and the position of attachment points to optimize both adjustability and load handling. By varying these parameters, the system can adapt to different aircraft layouts while maintaining structural integrity under static and dynamic loads.
2Strength
If securement systems are designed to withstand 9G forward static load and dynamic loads during emergency landings, then the monuments remain stable during flight, but the systems become more complex and heavier
Solution Approach 1:
The securement system is divided into multiple independent components: support legs, support arms, attachment mechanisms, and locking devices. Each component is designed to handle specific portions of the load, allowing the system to achieve high strength requirements through distributed load paths rather than requiring a single complex over-engineered structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates shock-absorbing elements and compliant mounting features that are designed in advance to handle dynamic loads from turbulence and emergency landings. These pre-designed cushioning elements protect the monument structure from impact forces without requiring excessive structural reinforcement.
3Ease of operation
If monuments are secured with fixed positioning systems, then the structure is simple and stable, but the monuments cannot be relocated when aircraft are repurposed
Solution Approach 1:
The securement system uses adjustable support legs with telescopic sections and locking mechanisms that allow the monument to be repositioned to different locations on the aircraft. The same adjustable arms and supports that provide relocatability also maintain stable positioning once installed, as the locking mechanisms secure the adjusted positions firmly.
Data Source
AI summary
In an illustrative embodiment, an upper monument attachment system is provided for retaining aircraft monuments, the system including a first support, a second support, and a joiner connecting a first end of the first support and a first end of the second support, a stay having a first end pivotably connected to the joiner, a tie rod configured to connect the joiner to an attachment point of the aircraft, a first rail having a first base configured to connect to an upper surface of the monument and a first facing configured to connect to the first support and the second support, and a second rail having a second base configured to connect to the upper surface of the monument and a second facing configured to connect to a second end of the stay.