The Boeing Company

Peter John Newnham

Joseph H Campana

Charles R Coates

Kevin P Ryder

William H Pearson

Paul B Diep

Steven Edward Pearson

Joel Joseph

Rosario Vingiani

Max Tyler Breedlove

Nicholas W Heintz

Phiyen Thi Pham

A method and system for attaching a vertical stabilizer to an aircraft fuselage using a clevis system is disclosed. A composite skin is installed over the aircraft fuselage. The composite skin has apertures for receiving a plurality of clevises in a clevis system. The plurality of clevises is inserted through the apertures in the composite skin. Each of the plurality of clevises is secured to a frame member in the aircraft fuselage. The vertical stabilizer has a multi-spar box connected with a base rib assembly having a plurality of lugs. The base rib assembly of the vertical stabilizer is engaged with the clevis system. The plurality of lugs in the base rib assembly is secured to the plurality of clevises in the clevis system. Attachment of the vertical stabilizer to the aircraft fuselage, as well as subsequent inspection, may be performed from outside the aircraft.

Method and system for coupling a vertical stabilizer to an aircraft fuselage

An aircraft has a vertical stabilizer having a multi-spar box and a base rib assembly secured to the multi-spar box. The base rib assembly has a pair of middle longitudinal lugs between a front and rear of the base rib assembly, a pair of front lateral lugs along the front of the base rib assembly, and a pair of rear lateral lugs along the rear of the base rib assembly. There are no lateral lugs between the pairs of middle lugs. A pair of middle clevises extend through corresponding apertures in an outer skin of the fuselage and are secured to one of the plurality of frame members and a plurality of retaining members are inserted through mounting holes in each middle longitudinal lug and mounting holes in each middle clevis to secure the vertical stabilizer to the aircraft fuselage.

Aircraft with multi spar box connection to fuselage

An aircraft tail assembly includes an aft fuselage section secured to a forward fuselage section, and includes a stiffener-reinforced pivot bulkhead defined by separate parts secured together by a first set of splices. A longeron extends longitudinally along the aft and forward fuselage sections, and includes a discontinuity adjacent a peripheral edge of the pivot bulkhead. The aircraft tail assembly includes a second set of splices that overlie the discontinuity. One of the second set of splices extends laterally over the longeron to bridge the discontinuity adjacent the peripheral edge of the pivot bulkhead, and another of the second set of splices extends longitudinally along the longeron to secure the longeron to the pivot bulkhead adjacent the discontinuity. A chord engages the peripheral edge of the pivot bulkhead to facilitate transfers of force loads from the bulkhead along a load path that includes the longerons and the splices.

Aircraft tail assembly

An aircraft has a vertical stabilizer with a multi-spar box and a base rib assembly secured to the multi-spar box. The base rib assembly has front longitudinal lugs, rear longitudinal lugs, and opposing middle longitudinal lugs. Front clevises corresponding to the front longitudinal lugs are secured to frame members of the fuselage of the aircraft and each has a first, second, and third mounting arms. Rear clevises corresponding to the rear longitudinal lugs are secured to frame members and each has a first, second, and third mounting arms. Middle clevises corresponding to the middle longitudinal lugs are secured to frame members and each has only first and second mounting arms. Retaining members inserted through mounting holes in each longitudinal lug and mounting holes in each corresponding clevis secures the vertical stabilizer to the fuselage.

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Mukilteo, WA, United States of America

Peter John Newnham