Aircraft Wing-Fuselage Interface with Positional Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The assembly of aircraft wings to the fuselage is time-consuming and requires multiple assembly personnel to access the small interior spaces of the wings, limiting the number of individuals that can work simultaneously and increasing overall assembly time.
Innovation Solution
A structural assembly method for aircraft that involves attaching the fuselage portion to a wing unit with a first structural interface that allows for relative positional adjustments, enabling the finishing of an unfinished second structural interface while maintaining attachment at the first interface, thereby reducing the need for interior access and allowing simultaneous work by multiple individuals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional multi-interface assembly method is used, then structural integrity is ensured, but assembly time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-attaching the wing unit to the fuselage at the first structural interface before finalizing the second interface. This allows positional adjustments to be made early in the assembly process while the structure is still accessible and adjustable, reducing the need for complex interior access operations later and thereby decreasing overall assembly time while maintaining structural integrity.
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional assembly method requiring interior access is used, then precise positioning is achieved, but the number of workers that can simultaneously work is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the assembly process into two distinct phases: first, attaching the wing unit at the first structural interface allowing for positional adjustments; second, finalizing the attachment at the second interface. This segmentation enables multiple workers to simultaneously perform different tasks (positioning, fastening, inspection) without requiring all to access the confined wing interior, thereby increasing the number of simultaneous workers while maintaining positioning precision.
3Stability of the object's composition
If wing unit is firmly attached at both interfaces, then structural stability is maximized, but positional adjustments become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by creating a temporary state where the wing unit is attached at the first interface but not yet finalized at the second interface. This dynamic assembly state allows the wing unit to be positioned and adjusted as needed before final fixation, providing adaptability during assembly while ensuring structural stability is achieved through the progressive attachment process.
Data Source
AI summary
Assemblies and methods for facilitating the assembly of aircraft wings to a fuselage are disclosed. In some embodiments, a wing unit includes features that are configured to define one of more parts of a pressure vessel that is partially defined by the fuselage portion. In some embodiments, the aircraft assemblies disclosed herein comprise one or more first structural interfaces that permit positional adjustment between the wing unit and the fuselage portion so that one or more second structural interfaces may be finished only after such positional adjustment. In some embodiments, the aircraft assemblies disclosed herein comprise one or more structural interfaces that are disposed outside of the wing unit in order to eliminate or reduce the need for assembly personnel to access the interior of the wing unit to carry out the structural assembly of the wing unit to the fuselage portion.