The Boeing Company

Christopher R Loesche

Hong Hue Tat

Yuan-Jye Wu

Adriana Willempje Blom-Schieber

Garrett C Hanson

Daniel M Levine

Steve L Patterson

Jeffrey F Stulc

Jeffrey E Barnes

Jonathan Y Ahn

Tyler W Downey

Jacob E Koopmans

Steven Mark Dixon

Anuj K Adhikaram

Yrret Maldonado

Jeffrey S Moffett

A wingtip attachment for connection to a wing is disclosed. The wingtip attachment includes a tip rib comprising a first row of fastener openings located within an aerodynamic contour of a wing box and a second row of fastener openings located within a protruding fairing outside the nominal aerodynamic contour of a wing box.

Wingtip attachment with a reduction in in-tank work and aerodynamic drag

A method of joining an interior wall and a composite channel together is disclosed. The method includes wrapping one or more first composite plies around a first end portion of a first mandrel and wrapping one or more second composite plies around a second end portion of a second mandrel. The method includes positioning the one or more first composite plies located on the first end portion of the first mandrel against the one or more second composite plies located on the second end portion of the second mandrel to create the interior wall, and inserting the first mandrel and the second mandrel into a passageway of a composite channel. The interior wall created by the one or more first composite plies and the one or more second composite plies creates a barrier to block a flow of fluid within the passageway of the composite channel.

Closed composite channel with a barrier for blocking the flow of fluid

A hat-stringer assembly for an aircraft comprises a hat stringer with a first hat-stringer leg, a second hat-stringer leg, a first hat-stringer sidewall, a connecting wall, a second hat-stringer sidewall, and a ventilation opening, extending through the connecting wall. The hat stringer assembly also comprises a fitting, comprising a first channel member in contact with the first hat-stringer sidewall and the first hat-stringer leg. The fitting also comprises a second channel member in contact with the second hat-stringer sidewall and the second hat-stringer leg. The fitting further comprises a web cap, in contact with the first channel member and the second channel member. The web cap comprises a web-cap opening, which is in fluidic communication with the ventilation opening.

Hat-stringer assemblies for an aircraft and methods of forming same

A method for quantitatively evaluating the expected ultrasonic inspectability of a designed part using ray tracing. First, a model of a part imported. Materials having different indices of refraction are selected for the part and an acoustic coupling medium. Then the following structures and positional relationships are defined: an ultrasonic transducer array comprising a plurality of elements, a position of the acoustic coupling medium between the transducer array and the part, and a plurality of positions of a transmit aperture relative to the part. For each defined position of the transmit aperture, a path of a respective ray is traced from a center of the transmit aperture through the part and then to a respective receive location on the transducer array. Also, a respective value of an inspectability margin is calculated based at least in part on a respective distance between a center of the receive aperture and the respective receive location. Each value of the inspectability margin is compared to a threshold value.

Ultrasonic inspection margin check for design and manufacturing

A vented hat stringer for an aircraft comprises a first hat-stringer leg with a first-hat-stringer-leg surface, a second hat-stringer leg with a second-hat-stringer-leg surface, a first hat-stringer sidewall, a second hat-stringer sidewall, and a hat-stringer connecting wall, comprising a hat-stringer-connecting-wall surface and a virtual hat-stringer-connecting-wall symmetry plane, passing through hat-stringer connecting wall. The vented hat stringer further comprises a ventilation opening, extending through at least one of the first hat-stringer sidewall or the hat-stringer connecting wall, or extending through at least one of the second hat-stringer sidewall or the hat-stringer connecting wall. The ventilation opening defines a ventilation-opening centerline, wherein the ventilation-opening centerline does not coincide with the virtual hat-stringer-connecting-wall symmetry plane.

Vented hat stringers and methods of forming the same

Disclosed herein is an apparatus for removing material from a surface of a carrier. The apparatus comprises a buckling mechanism that comprises a gripper configured to engage the material. When engaged with the material, the gripper is movable relative to the surface of the carrier to move the material relative to the surface of the carrier and to form a buckle in the material. The apparatus also comprises a separation mechanism that is coupled to the buckling mechanism and comprises a wedge that is movable relative to the surface of the carrier to be insertable into the buckle formed in the material.

Material removal apparatus, system, and method

A method of forming a tool includes applying a first build ply to an initial ply. A second build ply is applied to the first build ply. Successive build plies are applied to build on the second build ply, the successive build plies including a medial section of build plies and a last build ply. A surface defined by the last build ply, the first build ply, and leading edges of the build plies therebetween define a substantially curvature-continuous surface profile extending between a first segment and a second segment. A shape of the substantially curvature-continuous surface profile is determined based on an adjusted ply drop ratio for at least a portion of the successive build plies.

Growing community of inventors

Bothell, WA, United States of America

Christopher R Loesche