Aircraft pressure bulkhead

Abstract

A pressure bulkhead especially for closing the tail end of the pressurized interior of an aircraft fuselage includes a curved or cupped disk, a peripheral rim, and a transition portion joining the rim to the disk. All the components of the bulkhead are integrally formed of a fiber-reinforced composite material. The peripheral rim and the transition portion together form a circumferential frame that supports circumferential forces and transfers forces into the aircraft fuselage, to which the rim is connected. The transition portion has a curved cross-section that curves in the opposite direction relative to the curvature of the cupped disk, whereby the rim bends or flares back toward the convex side of the cupped disk. The curvature of the transition portion is relatively tight so that an acute angle is formed between the rim and the cupped disk, and the rim extends in contact with the inner surface of the fuselage structure over a contact range at which the rim may be rivet-connected to the fuselage. A reinforcing ring may be arranged between the rim and the fuselage.