Impact resistant dorsal fin

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10773790-B2
Application number	US-201715843203-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2017
Priority date	Dec 19, 2016
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

An impact resistant dorsal fin structure of an aircraft comprises an upper support and ballistic material layer, wherein the ballistic material layer is configured to be joined to an aircraft fuselage and the ballistic material layer is arranged in a sliding manner around a sliding surface of the upper support.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An impact resistant dorsal fin structure of an aircraft extending along a longitudinal direction and being symmetric relative to a vertical plane along the longitudinal direction, the vertical plane defining first and second opposite sides of the dorsal fin, said dorsal fin being configured to be arranged on a fuselage of the aircraft and comprising:
an upper support at an upper end of the dorsal fin, the upper support comprising a sliding surface,
a ballistic material layer to absorb high energy impacts, the ballistic material layer comprising:
a first opposite side configured to receive impacts, said first side being arranged on the first side of the dorsal fin,
a second opposite side configured to receive impacts, said second side being arranged on the second side of the dorsal fin, and
an internal surface facing an interior of the dorsal fin,

a front frame, and
a rear frame,

wherein
the front frame and the rear frame support the ballistic material layer and the upper support,
the first opposite side of the ballistic material layer is configured to be joined at a joint to the fuselage of the aircraft, and the second opposite side of the ballistic material layer is configured to be joined to the fuselage of the aircraft, and
the internal surface of the ballistic material layer is in contact with the sliding surface of the upper support, and said ballistic material layer is arranged in a sliding manner around the sliding surface of the upper support.

2. The impact resistant dorsal fin structure according to claim 1 , wherein the front frame, the rear frame and the ballistic material layer define a closed space.

3. The impact resistant dorsal fin structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a free space between the first opposite side and second opposite side of the ballistic material layer, wherein an internal surface of one opposite side is configured to contact with an internal surface of the opposite side if the ballistic material layer is under high strain due to an impact.

4. The impact resistant dorsal fin structure according to claim 1 , further comprising an aerodynamic surface located around the ballistic material layer leaving a free space between itself and said ballistic material layer, the aerodynamic surface being configured to be joined to the aircraft fuselage.

5. The impact resistant dorsal fin structure according to claim 1 , wherein the front frame and the rear frame each comprise a planar edge portion.

6. The impact resistant dorsal fin structure according to claim 1 , wherein the first opposite side of the ballistic material layer comprises a first connecting line, and the second opposite side of the ballistic material layer comprises a second connecting line, wherein the ballistic material layer is configured to be joined to the fuselage by such connecting lines.

7. The impact resistant dorsal fin structure according to claim 1 , wherein the ballistic material layer comprises an external surface configured to receive the impacts.

8. The impact resistant dorsal fin structure according to claim 7 , further comprising a sandwich structure panel which is joined to the ballistic material layer at the external surface of the ballistic material layer.

9. The impact resistant dorsal fin structure according to claim 1 , wherein the front edge and rear edge of the front and rear frame, respectively, comprise an intermediate portion, respectively, which are configured for the ballistic material layer to slide over the intermediate portions, and wherein said intermediate portions are an upper end of each front and rear frame, respectively.

10. The impact resistant dorsal fin structure according to claim 9 , wherein the ballistic material is joined at a joint to the front edge and rear edge of the front and rear frame, respectively, avoiding a joint between said ballistic material and the intermediate portions, such that said ballistic material layer is also arranged in a sliding manner around the intermediate portions of the frames, respectively.

11. The impact resistant dorsal fin structure according to claim 10 , further comprising at least one of:
the joint between the ballistic material layer and the fuselage of the aircraft is a tearable joint, or
the joint between the ballistic material layer and the front and rear edges of the front and rear frame, respectively, are tearable joints.

12. The impact resistant dorsal fin structure according to claim 11 , wherein at least one of the tearable joints comprises a line of fuse rivets.

13. An aircraft comprising a dorsal fin structure according to claim 1 , wherein said dorsal fin is joined to the fuselage of the aircraft and also to a vertical stabilizer.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sl

Inventors

• Menard Edouard
• Martino González Esteban
• Iniesta Lozano Fernando

Classifications

• B64D2045/0095

  Devices specially adapted to avoid bird strike · CPC title

• B64C1/12

  Construction or attachment of skin panels · CPC title

• B64C2001/0072

  from composite materials · CPC title

• B64C5/06 Primary

  Fins (B64C5/08 takes precedence) · CPC title