Methods for cutting aligned full size holes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10744573-B2
Application number	US-201816151534-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2018
Priority date	Oct 4, 2018
Publication date	Aug 18, 2020
Grant date	Aug 18, 2020

Abstract

A method for enlarging each one of an initial pair of holes, which includes a first hole, extending through a first component, and a second hole, extending through a second component, includes inserting a pilot member, corresponding to a tolerance of misalignment of the first hole and the second hole of the initial pair of holes, such that pilot member passes through a clearance gap, defined by at least a portion of a boundary of first hole and at least a portion of a boundary of second hole with pilot member having a first central axis. The method also includes cutting a second pair of aligned holes through first and second components, respectively, with a cutter section, which has a second central axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for enlarging each one of an initial pair of holes, the initial pair of holes including a first hole, extending through a first component, and a second hole, extending through a second component, the method comprising steps of:
inserting a pilot member, corresponding to a tolerance of misalignment of the first hole and the second hole of the initial pair of holes such that the pilot member passes through a clearance gap, defined by at least a portion of a boundary of the first hole of the initial pair of holes and at least a portion of a boundary of the second hole of the initial pair of holes, and wherein the pilot member has a first central axis; and
cutting a second pair of aligned holes through the first and second components, respectively, with a cutter section, which has a second central axis, and wherein the pilot member and the cutter section are connected to one another so that the first central axis of the pilot member and the second central axis of the cutter section are collinear.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the step of inserting the pilot member includes positioning the first central axis of the pilot member, extending through the clearance gap;
the step of cutting the second pair of aligned holes includes a step of cutting a first hole of the second pair of aligned holes and a step of cutting a second hole of the second pair of aligned holes, wherein the first and second holes of the second pair of aligned holes have a central axis; and
the step of cutting the first hole of the second pair of aligned holes includes encircling the boundary of the first hole of the initial pair of holes with the first hole of the second pair of aligned holes and the step of cutting the second hole of the second pair of aligned holes includes encircling the boundary of the second hole of the initial pair of holes with the second hole of the second pair of aligned holes.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the step of cutting the first hole of the second pair of aligned holes includes cutting through the first component forming a boundary of the first hole of the second pair of aligned holes, wherein the boundary of the first hole of the second pair of aligned holes extends along a line, tangential with the boundary of the first hole of the initial pair of holes; and
the step of cutting the second hole of the second pair of aligned holes includes cutting through the second component forming a boundary of the second hole of the second pair of aligned holes, wherein the boundary of the second hole of the second pair of aligned holes extends along a line, tangential with the boundary of the second hole of the initial pair of holes.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the line, tangential with the boundary of the first hole of the initial pair of holes, aligns with the line, tangential with the boundary of the second hole of the initial pair of holes.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the line, tangential with the boundary of the first hole of the initial pair of holes, is not aligned with the line, tangential with the boundary of the second hole of the initial pair of holes.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the step of cutting the first hole of the second pair of aligned holes further includes extending the first hole of the second pair of aligned holes through the first component, positioned along and spaced apart from the boundary of the first hole of the initial pair of holes; and
the step of cutting the second hole of the second pair of aligned holes further includes extending the second hole of the second pair of aligned holes through the second component, located along and spaced apart from the boundary of the second hole of the initial pair of holes.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the pilot member and the cutter section form a cutter assembly;
the pilot member has a pilot diameter, corresponding to the tolerance of misalignment of the first hole of the initial pair of holes and the second hole of the initial pair of holes; and
the cutter section has a cutting diameter larger than the pilot diameter and is configured to produce the second pair of aligned holes in the first component and the second component, respectively, wherein the second pair of aligned holes each has a diameter equal to the cutting diameter.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the pilot diameter is smaller than diameters of the first hole and the second hole of the initial pair of holes.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the cutting diameter is larger than diameters of the first hole and the second hole of the initial pair of holes.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the pilot member comprises a curved external surface, which extends around the first central axis.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein a cross section of the pilot member comprises the curved external surface defining a circular configuration which extends around the first central axis and defines the pilot diameter.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the tolerance of misalignment includes a width dimension of the clearance gap, defined by at least a portion of the boundary of the first hole of the initial pair of holes and at least a portion of the boundary of the second hole of the initial pair of holes.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the width dimension of the clearance gap allows the pilot member, having the pilot diameter, to extend through the clearance gap such that a circumference of the cutter section is positioned to cut the second pair of aligned holes; and
the cutting diameter is larger than diameters of the initial pair of holes such that a first hole of the second pair of aligned holes encircles the first hole of the initial pair of holes and a second hole of the second pair of aligned holes encircles the second hole of the initial pair of holes.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein, with the pilot member extending through the clearance gap, the cutter section is positioned to cut:
a boundary of the first hole of the second pair of aligned holes so that the boundary of the first hole of the second pair of aligned holes extends through the first component along a line, tangential with the boundary of the first hole of the initial pair of holes; and
a boundary of the second hole of the second pair of aligned holes so that the boundary of the second hole of the second pair of aligned holes extends through the second component along a line, tangential with the boundary of the second hole of the initial pair of holes.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the line, tangential with the boundary of the first hole of the initial pair of holes, is aligned with the line, tangential with the boundary of the second hole of the initial pair of holes.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the line, tangential with the boundary of the first hole of the initial pair of holes, is not aligned with the line, tangential with the boundary of the second hole of the initial pair of holes.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein, with the pilot member extending through the clearance gap, the cutter section is positioned to cut the first hole of the second pair of aligned holes so that the first hole of the second pair of aligned holes extends through the first component, positioned along and spaced apart from the boundary of the first hole of the initial pair of holes, and to cut the second hole of the second pair of aligned holes so that the second hole of the second pair of aligned holes extends through the second component, positioned along and spaced apart from the boundary of the second hol

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Scheibel John P
• Scherer James L
• Ward Michael A

Classifications

• B23B2228/36

  Multi-layered · CPC title

• B23B2215/04

  Aircraft components · CPC title

• B23B2251/60

  Drills with pilots · CPC title

• B23P2700/01

  Aircraft parts · CPC title

• B23P19/10 Primary

  Aligning parts to be fitted together · CPC title