Airframe production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10364046-B2
Application number	US-201515304361-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2015
Priority date	Apr 24, 2014
Publication date	Jul 30, 2019
Grant date	Jul 30, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of producing part of an airframe for attachment to a system. The method comprises: providing an initial structure; providing a reference structure; positioning the initial structure with respect to the reference structure such that its position/orientation relative to the reference structure is the same as the position/orientation relative to the system that it would have if the part of the airframe was attached to the system; specifying an inner mold line; applying, to an outer surface of the initial structure, material; and machining the material such that the position/orientation of the outer surface of the material with respect to the reference structure is the same as the position/orientation with respect to the system that the inner mold line would have if the part of the airframe was attached to the system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of producing a first part of an aircraft airframe, the first part of the airframe being for attachment to a second part of an aircraft airframe, the method comprising:
providing an initial structure, the initial structure being part of the first part of the aircraft airframe to be produced;
providing a reference structure representative of the second part of the airframe;
positioning the initial structure with respect to the reference structure such that the position and orientation of the initial structure relative to the reference structure is the same as the position and orientation relative to the second part of the airframe that the initial structure would have if the first part of the aircraft airframe was attached to the second part of the airframe;
specifying a surface, the surface being a desired inner mould line for the first part of the aircraft airframe;
applying, to an outer surface of the initial structure, one or more layers of material; and
after the one or more layers of material have been applied to the initial structure, machining, using a cutting device, the layers of material such that the position and orientation of the outer surface of the layers of material with respect to the reference structure is the same as the position and orientation with respect to the second part of the airframe that the specified surface would have if the first part of the aircraft airframe was attached to the second part of the airframe;
measuring a plurality of points on a surface of the reference structure; and
using the measurements of the surface of the reference structure, determining a datum; and
the step of machining comprises controlling the cutting device with respect to the datum.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the first part of the airframe is at least part of an aircraft aft fuselage, and the second part of the airframe is at least part of an aircraft fore section.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of providing an initial structure comprises:
providing a plurality of components of the first part of the airframe;
for each component, determining a position and orientation relative to the second part of the airframe that that component would have if the first part of the airframe was attached to the second part of the airframe;
arranging the components of the first part of the airframe such that the position and orientation of each of said components relative to the reference structure is the same as the determined position and orientation of that component relative to the second part of the airframe; and
attaching together the components such that the relative positions and orientations of those components are maintained.

4. A method according to claim 2 , wherein each component is selected from a group of airframe components consisting of frames, longerons, keels, and beams.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of applying the one or more layers of material to an outer surface of the initial structure comprises:
providing an over press tool having a face that is complementary to at least part of the outer surface of the initial structure to which the one or more layers of material is to be applied;
applying, to at least part of the outer surface of the initial structure, using an adhesive, the one or more layers of material;
at least for some time during curing of the adhesive:
positioning the over press tool such that the face of the over press tool is in contact with an outer surface of the one or more layers of material and the one or more layers of material are between the surface of the initial structure and the face of the over press tool; and
forcing the over press tool against the initial structure such that the over press tool exerts a normal force on the initial structure; and

thereafter removing the over press tool from the one or more layers of material.

6. A method according to claim 5 , wherein the face of the over press tool is a deformable surface.

7. A method according to claim 5 , wherein
the over press tool comprises one or more clamp receiving elements; and
the step of forcing comprises clamping, using one or more clamps, the over press tool to the initial structure.

8. A method according to claim 5 , wherein the step of forcing comprises an actuation device forcing the over press tool against the initial structure.

9. A method according to claim 5 , wherein the step of applying comprises coupling the one or more layers of material to the face of the over press tool and, subsequently, moving the over press tool with the one or more layers of material coupled thereto in such a way that the one or more layers of material are pressed against the outer surface of the initial airframe component.

10. A method according to claim 9 , wherein the one or more layers of material are held against the over press tool by a vacuum.

11. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more layers are made of a composite material.

Assignees

• Bae Systems Plc

Inventors

• Sanderson Steven Neil

Classifications

• G05B19/4099 Primary

  Surface or curve machining, making three-dimensional [3D] objects, e.g. desktop manufacturing · CPC title

• B64F5/45

  Repairing leakages in fuel tanks · CPC title

• B64F5/10 Primary

  Manufacturing or assembling aircraft, e.g. jigs therefor · CPC title

• B29C66/01

  General aspects dealing with the joint area or with the area to be joined (B29C65/76, B29C65/82 take precedence) · CPC title

• B29C65/48

  using adhesives {, i.e. using supplementary joining material; solvent bonding} · CPC title