The Boeing Company

Benjamin D Smith

Manny S Urcia

John A Baumann

David P Heck

Charles W Manry, Jr

Kenneth D Cominsky

James P Dobberfuhl

Matthew A Stoneback

Michael P Shemkunas

Eric Erwin Thomas

Burke L Reichlinger

Matthew D Uhlman

Mark T Chisa

Steven Scott Heer

Steven S Heer

Tiffany M Radford

Mark A Thompson

Provided are wingtip torque boxes and methods of fabricating such boxes using friction stir welding. Specifically, a wingtip torque box may be formed by friction stir welding two monolithic clamshells along their respective spars thereby forming a new monolithic structure. Use of the friction stir welding and monolithic clamshells simplifies the overall fabrication process and yields a robust wingtip torque box that can be bolted on or otherwise attached to an aircraft wing. The wingtip torque box may include internal grid stiffeners and/or external stiffeners that may be also monolithic with other components of the box. For example, the stiffeners may be machined in spars or skin portions of the clamshells during fabrication of clamshells. The wingtip torque box may have a continuous cavity extending between the ends and, in some embodiments, between spars of the box and providing access for performing various operations inside the box.

Friction stir welded wingtip torque box

A structural antenna array may include a core including intersecting wall sections, wherein the core further includes antenna elements formed on a first surface of the wall sections, and feed elements formed on a second surface of the wall sections, a distribution substrate layer coupled to the core and in electrical communication with the antenna elements and the feed elements, a first skin coupled to the core opposite the distribution substrate layer, and a second skin coupled to the distribution substrate layer opposite the first skin.

Structural antenna array and method for making the same

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Maryland Heights, MO, United States of America

Benjamin D Smith