The Boeing Company

Kenneth D Cominsky

John A Baumann

Bernhard Dopker

David P Heck

Jordan Seth Erickson

Steven Edward Pearson

Douglas G Marciniak

Richard R Rosman

Branko Lakic

Paul B Diep

Jason Lawrence Firko

Martin G Andrews

Matthew M Whitmer

Rebecca M Dixon

Jordan Charles

James P Dobberfuhl

Gregory M Schmidt

Michael P Shemkunas

Eric Erwin Thomas

Brent Edward Beneke

Matthew D Uhlman

Burke L Reichlinger

Steven Scott Heer

Julie Frances Murphy

Benjamin D Smith

Steven S Heer

Trevor S Mccrea

Jordan Daniel Charles

Steven E Pearson

Jason L Firko

David E Gideon

A serrated fitting and method for installing fixed length roller tray segments spanning an aircraft fuselage integration zone. The serrated fitting includes a first surface for attachment to a fixed length roller tray segment. The serrated fitting also includes a serrated surface for engagement with a serrated plate attached to a floor beam of an aircraft. A fastener connects the serrated surface to the serrated plate and the floor beam through a pre-drilled hole in the floor beam. The pre-drilled hole is larger than the diameter of the fastener to accommodate accumulated tolerance between joined fuselage sections at a fuselage integration zone.

Serrated fitting

Fuselage sections having tapered wing rib interfaces are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes a rib associated with a fuselage section, and a wing interface surface defined by the rib, where the wing interface surface is tapered relative to a longitudinal axis of the fuselage section from an aft end of the fuselage section to a fore end of the fuselage section.

Fuselage sections having tapered wing rib interfaces

Aircraft

An aircraft includes an aircraft body including a longitudinal axis and a wing box extending through the aircraft body. The aircraft also includes an attachment assembly coupled to the aircraft body and to the wing box. The attachment assembly includes a first attachment member coupled to the aircraft body and a second attachment member coupled to the wing box. The second attachment member is configured to couple to the first attachment member. The attachment assembly also includes a plurality of fasteners extending through the first attachment member and the second attachment member such that the plurality of fasteners are loaded in shear during a wing loading condition.

Method and apparatus for attaching a fuselage frame to a wing box

Beaded panels and method of forming beaded panels. A beaded panel as described herein includes a base structure comprising a sheet of material, and beads that comprise a protrusion on a first side of the base structure, and a concavity on an opposing second side of the base structure. A geometry of the beads comprises a center section having a conic shape about a longitudinal axis, flared sections symmetric about the center section along the longitudinal axis, and a transition section that curves outward from a base of the center section and the flared sections to blend with a flat surface on the first side of the base structure.

Beaded panels and method of forming beaded panels

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

There is provided a method of making a composite hat stiffener. The method has the steps of curing a composite hat stiffener in a hat tool to form a pre-cured composite hat stiffener. The pre-cured composite hat stiffener has a composite hat section, a plurality of composite stiffening plies with a body ply, a wrap ply, and a base ply, all coupled to the composite hat section, wherein the body ply is coupled to a first side of the composite hat section, the wrap ply is coupled to the body ply, and the base ply is coupled to the body ply and the wrap ply, a pair of radius filler noodles coupled to the composite hat section and disposed between the plurality of composite stiffening plies, and an outer ply coupled to the composite hat section. The method further includes bonding the pre-cured composite hat stiffener to a structure surface.

Composite hat stiffener, composite hat-stiffened pressure webs, and methods of making the same

Lower joints of aircraft wing assemblies are disclosed. In some embodiments, a lower joint includes an outboard lower wing panel, a center lower wing panel, a rib, and a lower joint assembly that includes two outboard flanges operatively coupled to the outboard lower wing panel, an inboard flange operatively coupled to the center lower wing panel, and an upper flange operatively coupled to the rib. In some embodiments, a lower joint assembly includes one or more splice plates, an upper T-fitting, and one or more intermediate plates. In some embodiments, the outboard lower wing panel, the center lower wing panel, and the lower joint assembly are constructed substantially of different materials.

Lower joints between outboard wing boxes and center wing sections of aircraft wing assemblies

There is provided a composite hat stiffener, a composite hat-stiffened pressure web, and a method of making the same. The composite hat stiffener has a composite hat section having a first side and a second side. The composite hat stiffener further has a plurality of composite stiffening plies coupled to the composite hat section. The plurality of composite stiffening plies include a body ply coupled to the first side of the composite hat section, a wrap ply coupled the body ply, and a base ply coupled to the body ply and the wrap ply. The composite hat stiffener further has a pair of radius filler noodles coupled to the composite hat section and disposed between the plurality of composite stiffening plies. The composite hat stiffener further has an outer ply coupled to the second side of the composite hat section.

A fuselage section may include a structural member and a frame member having a stub frame extending over the structural member. The stub frame may have a web. The fuselage section may include an intercostal extending from a terminal end of the stub frame and having an end flange. The fuselage section may additionally include an adjustable splice fitting having a web, a lower flange, and an end flange being mountable in faying contact with respective ones of the stub frame web, the structural member, and the intercostal end flange.

Adjustable splice fitting for shimless connection of structual members

Growing community of inventors

Mukilteo, WA, United States of America

Kenneth D Cominsky