Airbus Operations Gmbh

Timothy J Sanderson

Stephen Williams

Chetan Korya

Paul James Edwards

Antony Charles Peacock

Jonathan Price

Richard Smith

Peter Baker

Michael Tucker

James Eden

Stuart Quayle

Graham Morgan

Alexander Black

Peter Burchell

David Brawley

Robert James Heath

An apparatus and method for installing an aircraft bulkhead connector with a bulkhead is disclosed where access to only one side of the bulkhead is required. The disclosure is also applicable to installation of bulkhead connectors in aircraft fuel tanks. An aircraft bulkhead connector and installation tool is also disclosed. The bulkhead connector includes a female end portion and the installation tool includes a male end portion. The male end portion of the installation tool is removably engaged with the female end portion of the bulkhead connector, such that the installation tool protrudes beyond the female end portion of the bulkhead connector. The installation tool may be inserted through an aperture in a bulkhead and used to both position and hold the bulkhead connector during the installation process.

Installation tool and method

A seal for sealing an aircraft fuel tank, an aircraft wing rib and stringer sealing assembly, an aircraft wing fuel tank, an aircraft structural wing box, an aircraft wing, and a method of sealing an aperture are disclosed. The seal is for sealing a wing rib to a stringer passing through an aperture in the rib at a variable position in the aperture. The seal includes self-adjustment means to absorb any tolerance when forming the seal, upon the stringer being assembled into the aperture in the rib.

Aircraft fuel tank aperture sealing

A method of inspecting a wing box of an aircraft. The wing box includes at least one rib partitioning the wing box in to two bays and at least one stringer attached along an inner surface of the wing box, generally perpendicular to the rib, and extending through an aperture of the rib. The method includes: providing an inspection device on the stringer such that it is movable along the stringer and controlling the inspection device to pass along the stringer, including through the aperture between bays, to perform an inspection of the wing box.

Wing box inspection

The present invention provides an aircraft structure comprising a first sub-structure, having a first box cross-section, a second sub-structure, having a second box cross-section, and a joint joining a first end region of the first sub-structure to second end region of the second sub-structure, wherein the joint comprises an overlap region where the end regions of the first and the second sub-structures overlap such that the first sub-structure is inside the second sub-structure. The present invention also provides an aircraft comprising such an aircraft structure and a method of manufacturing an aircraft structure.

Aircraft structure

A modular structural assembly to form part of an aircraft wing that has an outer skin and a plurality of stringers is disclosed. The assembly includes a plurality of panels, each panel having a portion that forms part of the outer skin and at least one stringer integrally formed with said portion.

Modular structural assembly

An adjustable shim comprises a stack of plies comprising plastics material reinforced with a three-dimensional fiber layer, the plastics material being flowable under compressive force prior to cure for adjusting the thickness of the shim. The shim may be used to fill a void between two structural components joined together. Also, a method of filling a void between two structural components using the shim. The shim is easy to handle, can easily be laid up to a variety of thicknesses, and is quick to cure (depending on the plastics material used). The three-dimensional fiber layers make the shim highly compressible prior to cure, and provide significant reinforcement to the plastics material of the plies to support compressive stresses in the shim post cure.

Adjustable shim

A method of curing a composite material. A tool is heated using microwaves. At least a part of the composite material is shielded by reflecting microwaves away from the composite material with a shield. Heat is transferred from the tool through the shield to the composite material. The tool comprises a material which is sensitive to microwaves so that, when microwaves are incident upon the tool, some of the microwaves are absorbed by the microwave-sensitive material, thereby heating the tool.

Microwave curing of composite material

An aircraft fuel tank access cover comprises an inner door, an outer door and a clamping arrangement for clamping the doors together about an access aperture in the skin of the fuel tank. The clamping arrangement comprises a bolt in-molded in a generally central part of the inner door and or external nut. The doors have reinforcing rib arrangements to spread the clamping load to the peripheral edges thereof.

Aircraft fuel tank access cover and an aircraft fuel tank

A telescopic strut comprises a plurality of hollow members arranged to slide one within another between a retracted and an extended position. Adjacent hollow members are arranged to be electrically connected by one or more electrical connector assemblies as the hollow members move between the retracted and extended positions. Each electrical connector assembly includes an electrically conductive pad on one of the hollow members which is in sliding contact with an electrically conductive strip on the other of the hollow members. The telescopic strut may be used to electrically connect a moveable control surface to a fixed aerofoil structure in an aircraft.

Electrical power transmitting telescopic strut

A method for forming a laminate component, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a tool having a molding surface; b) arranging a stack of ply layers on the molding surface of the tool; and c) molding the stack of ply layers over the molding surface in a molding process, wherein the tool has a wrinkle control feature in its molding surface for managing the development of wrinkle in the ply layers during the molding process, and wherein the wrinkle control feature cooperates with the stack of ply layers during the molding process to produce a local surface undulation in a nominal surface of the laminate component nearest the tool to either prevent wrinkling in the ply layers or initiate wrinkling in one or more of the ply layers at a predetermined location. Also, a tool having a wrinkle control feature, and a laminate component so formed.

Wrinkle control method and tool therefor

A composite structure has a first section, a second section, and a curved corner joining the first and second sections. The structure has a stack of fiber-reinforced plies including first and second external plies which run from the first section into the second section on an inside and an outside of the corner, respectively. A discontinuous first internal ply is sandwiched between the first and second external plies so that more of the first internal ply is located within the first section than within the second section. A second internal ply is sandwiched between the first and second external plies. The fibers of the first internal ply run at an angle &#x3b8; to the fibers of the second internal ply. In some embodiments the angle &#x3b8; is greater than 3&#xb0; but less than 20&#xb0;. In one embodiment the angle &#x3b8; is between 35&#xb0; and 42&#xb0;.

Composite structure

A composite structure has first and second sections, and a curved corner joining the first and second sections. The structure includes a stack of fiber-reinforced plies. First and second external plies run from the first section into the second section round an inside and an outside of the corner, respectively. First and second internal plies are sandwiched between the first and second external plies, and run from the first section into the second section round the corner. The first internal fly is dropped off inside the second section. The second internal ply is dropped off inside the first section. The structure has an increased thickness where the first and second internal plies overlap.

A wing structure is provided, wherein the wing structure comprises; an upper covering, a lower covering, and a spar, the spar comprising; a spar web, an upper spar cap attached to the upper covering, and a lower spar cap attached to the lower covering, the wing structure also comprising a face spaced apart from the spar web extending between the upper and lower spar caps. The wing structure is arranged to contain fuel in a fuel containment area between the upper and lower coverings on one side of the spar web. The upper and lower spar caps extend from the spar web only on the other side of the spar web to the fuel containment area.

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Filton, United Kingdom

Timothy J Sanderson