Structural interface hardware for cryogenic tanks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11028969-B2
Application number	US-201916430146-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2019
Priority date	Jun 3, 2019
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an attachment system, for providing a component mounting location, that comprises a laminated structure and a bracket. The bracket comprises an interface surface configured to interface with a first side of the structure, and a through hole open at the interface surface. A shear stud of the attachment system comprises a projection, shaped to pass through the hole of the structure and engage the through hole of the bracket, and a seal region, positioned to interface with a second side of the structure to form a seal with the second side of the structure. The attachment system additionally comprises a fastener comprising a head and a shaft, the shaft being shaped to pass through the through hole in the bracket and engage the shear stud to secure the shear stud relative to the bracket thereby reducing shear at the fastener.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An attachment system for providing a component mounting location, the attachment system comprising:
a structure comprising a first side, a second side, opposite the first side, and a hole extending from the first side to the second side;
a bracket comprising an interface surface, configured to interface with the first side of the structure, and a through hole open at the interface surface;
a shear stud configured to interface with the second side of the structure, the shear stud comprising:
a projection extending along a central axis of the shear stud and shaped to pass through the hole of the structure and engage the through hole of the bracket; and
a seal region surrounding the projection of the shear stud and positioned to interface with the second side of the structure to form a seal with the second side of the structure; and

a fastener comprising a head and a shaft, the shaft being shaped to pass through the through hole in the bracket and engage the shear stud to secure the shear stud relative to the bracket thereby reducing shear at the fastener.

2. The attachment system according to claim 1 , wherein the seal region further comprises a seal element to form the seal between the first side of the structure and the second side of the structure.

3. The attachment system according to claim 2 , wherein the seal region further comprises a second seal element to form a redundant seal between the first side of the structure and the second side of the structure.

4. The attachment system according to claim 2 , wherein the first seal element comprises a flexible material.

5. The attachment system according to claim 2 , wherein the first seal element is a flexible c-channel ring disposed in the seal region.

6. The attachment system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the shear stud or the bracket further comprises an alignment feature to orient the shear stud relative to the bracket to correspond to a geometry of the structure.

7. The attachment system according to claim 1 , further comprising a loading element to apply a load at the fastener.

8. The attachment system according to claim 7 , wherein the loading element comprises a disc spring.

9. The attachment system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the interface surface of the bracket or the seal region of the shear stud comprises a non-planar geometry corresponding to a non-planar geometry of the first side or the second side, respectively, of the structure.

10. The attachment system according to claim 1 , wherein the structure is a thin-wall composite forming a portion of a cryogenic tank.

11. The attachment system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the bracket or the shear stud comprises a material having a similar thermal characteristic to the structure.

12. A shear stud comprising:
a seal region extending radially outward from a central axis to a periphery of the shear stud;
a projection extending out from the seal region and along the central axis;
a receptacle formed in a center of the projection to be open at an end of the projection distal from the seal region and to extend into the projection along the central axis, the receptacle shaped to receive a fastener;
a closed face positioned on a side of the seal region opposite the projection, the closed face extending from the central axis to the periphery of the shear stud; and
an alignment feature formed in the projection, at the end of the projection distal from the seal region, wherein the alignment feature defines a non-round portion of the projection.

13. The shear stud of claim 12 , wherein the seal region further comprises a first seal element disposed within a first seal channel.

14. The shear stud of claim 13 , wherein the seal region further comprises a second seal element disposed within a second seal channel concentric with the first seal channel.

15. The shear stud of claim 12 , wherein the receptacle extends through the projection without extending through the closed face.

16. The shear stud of claim 12 , wherein the receptacle comprises a removeable sleeve.

17. A method of coupling a bracket to a first side of a structure, the method comprising:
positioning a shear stud in a hole of the structure, extending from the first side of the structure to a second side of the structure, so that, a seal region of the shear stud is positioned on the second side of the structure and so that a projection of the shear stud extends through the hole of the structure to a location beyond the first side of the structure, wherein the seal region surrounds the projection;
aligning a through hole of the bracket with the projection of the shear stud, engaging the through hole with the projection of the shear stud, and interfacing an interface surface of the bracket with the first side of the structure, wherein the through hole has a geometry corresponding to the projection of the shear stud; and
passing a shaft of a fastener, comprising a head coupled to the shaft, through the through hole of the bracket so that the shaft engages the shear stud to secure the bracket relative to the shear stud on the first side of the structure and to form a seal between the seal region of the shear stud and the second side of the structure.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising disposing a loading element between the fastener and the bracket to apply a loading force on the fastener.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein aligning the bracket with the projection of the shear stud comprises positioning the projection to match an alignment feature of the shear stud with a corresponding portion of the bracket to facilitate a sealing engagement of the seal region of the shear stud with the structure.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein securing the bracket relative to the shear stud on the structure forms a sealing engagement between the seal region of the shear stud and the structure.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Weathers James
• Weathers Jeffrey

Classifications

• F16B2013/006

  with sealing means · CPC title

• F16B5/0642

  the plates being arranged one on top of the other and in full close contact with each other · CPC title

• F17C2205/0103

  Exterior arrangements · CPC title

• F16M13/02

  for supporting on, or attaching to, an object, e.g. tree, gate, window-frame, cycle · CPC title

• F16B5/0241

  with the possibility for the connection to absorb deformation, e.g. thermal or vibrational · CPC title