Joint assembly and method connecting an aircraft belly fairing to the fuselage provided with a particularly positioned stringer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10358204-B2
Application number	US-201514980515-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2015
Priority date	Dec 30, 2014
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

A joint assembly in an aircraft connecting a belly fairing to the fuselage of the aircraft. The belly fairing has a sewing angle connected to a main belly fairing section, while the fuselage has a fuselage skin with an exterior and an interior. The joint assembly includes a sewing angle with a flange connected to the fuselage skin exterior at a fixation zone of the fuselage skin, with the fixation zone being overlapped by the flange where it is connected thereto. The joint assembly further includes a stringer connected to the fuselage skin interior and overlapping the fixation zone. This joint assembly is less susceptible to vibrations. The disclosure herein also pertains to a method of providing such a joint assembly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A joint assembly in an aircraft connecting a belly fairing to a fuselage of the aircraft, the fuselage having a fuselage skin with a fuselage skin exterior and a fuselage skin interior, the joint assembly comprising:
a sewing angle, comprising;
a flange connected to the fuselage skin exterior; and
a fairing connection portion disposed at an angle to the flange;

a fixation zone of the fuselage skin defined by a periphery of the belly fairing, to which the flange of the sewing angle is connected, wherein the fixation zone is overlapped by the flange; and
a stringer connected to the fuselage skin interior and located such that the stringer overlaps at least a portion of the fixation zone,
wherein the fairing connection portion of the sewing angle extends around the periphery of the belly fairing and connects the belly fairing to the fuselage in an overlapping joint.

2. The joint assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the stringer is an Omega stringer.

3. The joint assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a substantial and majority portion of a flange of the stringer overlaps the fixation zone.

4. The joint assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of stringers are provided which overlap the fixation zone.

5. The joint assembly according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of stringers overlap the fixation zone principally at a main cross-section of the aircraft.

6. The joint assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the flange of the sewing angle is substantially parallel to the fuselage skin exterior at the fixation zone, and the fairing connection portion of the sewing angle is substantially parallel to the belly fairing.

7. The joint assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a sealant is provided between the flange of the sewing angle and the fuselage skin exterior.

8. The joint assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the sealant overlaps a portion of fuselage skin which is also overlapped by a closed-section formed by the stringer connected to the fuselage skin interior.

9. The joint assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a shim is interposed between the sewing angle and the belly fairing, the shim having an elastomer seal on one side and a PTFE-based coating on the other side.

10. The joint assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the belly fairing, the sewing angle, and the stringer is made of a same composite material.

11. An aircraft comprising a joint assembly connecting a belly fairing to a fuselage of the aircraft, the fuselage having a fuselage skin with a fuselage skin exterior and a fuselage skin interior, the joint assembly comprising:
a sewing angle, comprising:
a flange connected to the fuselage skin exterior; and
a fairing connection portion disposed at an angle to the flange;

a fixation zone of the fuselage skin defined by a periphery of the belly fairing, to which the flange of the sewing angle is connected, wherein the fixation zone is overlapped by the flange; and
a stringer connected to the fuselage skin interior and located such that the stringer overlaps the fixation zone,
wherein the fairing connection portion of the sewing angle extends around the periphery of the belly fairing and connects the belly fairing to the fuselage in an overlapping joint.

12. A method of providing a joint assembly between a belly fairing of an aircraft and a fuselage of the aircraft, the fuselage having a fuselage skin with a fuselage skin exterior and a fuselage skin interior, the method comprising:
providing a sewing angle comprising a flange portion and a fairing connection portion that are disposed at an angle to one another;
providing a fixation zone of the fuselage skin defined by a periphery of the belly fairing;
connecting the flange portion to the fuselage skin exterior at the fixation zone such that the fixation zone is overlapped by the flange portion;
connecting a stringer to the fuselage skin interior such that the stringer overlaps the fixation zone; and
connecting the fairing connection portion to the belly fairing in an overlapping joint along the periphery of the belly fairing.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sas
• Airbus Operation S A S

Inventors

• Rouyre François
• Cros Christian
• Antypas Jérome
• Menard Sébastien

Classifications

• B64C1/069 Primary

  Joining arrangements therefor · CPC title

• B64C1/064

  Stringers; Longerons · CPC title

• B64C3/26

  Construction, shape, or attachment of separate skins, e.g. panels · CPC title

• B64C7/00 Primary

  Structures or fairings not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64C1/38 Primary

  Constructions adapted to reduce effects of aerodynamic or other external heating · CPC title