Leading-edge arrangement for a flow body of a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11319052-B2
Application number	US-201816197635-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2018
Priority date	Nov 30, 2017
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

A leading-edge arrangement for a flow body has a curved skin panel having outer and inner sides, and a three-dimensional reinforcing lattice. The curvature of the outer side of the lattice corresponds to the curvature of the inner side of the skin panel. The outer side of the lattice has attachment points connected to the inner side of the skin panel. The lattice is constructed as a three-dimensional framework having a interconnected framework members that form at least one layer of interconnected three-dimensional bodies.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A leading-edge arrangement for a flow body, the leading-edge arrangement comprising:
a curved skin panel having a skin-panel outer side and a skin-panel inner side; and
a three-dimensional reinforcing lattice that is constructed as a three-dimensional framework, which comprises a plurality of interconnected framework members forming at least one layer of interconnected three-dimensional bodies, and has a lattice outer side;
wherein a curvature of the lattice outer side corresponds to a curvature of the skin-panel inner side;
wherein the lattice outer side has a plurality of attachment points connected to the skin-panel inner side;
wherein a profile contour of the skin panel has a leading-edge region and two flanks adjoining the leading-edge region;
wherein the plurality of attachment points are arranged in a plurality of groups of attachment points;
wherein more of the attachment points are located in the leading-edge region than are located in any individual group of the plurality of groups of attachment points at one of the flanks of the skin panel; and
wherein adjacent groups of the plurality of attachment points are spaced apart from each other.

2. The leading-edge arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the skin panel comprises a fibre-reinforced plastic.

3. The leading-edge arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing lattice comprises a metal material.

4. The leading-edge arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein the metal material is a metal alloy comprising aluminum, magnesium, and scandium.

5. The leading-edge arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing lattice is produced by an additive manufacturing method.

6. The leading-edge arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the flanks are respectively adjoined to opposite edges of the leading-edge region, wherein curvature of the leading-edge region is greater than curvature of the flanks, and wherein the skin panel is curved through at least 90° in the leading-edge region.

7. The leading-edge arrangement according to claim 6 , wherein the reinforcing lattice is formed from a leading-edge portion and two flank portions that each adjoin the leading-edge portion, wherein the leading-edge portion is arranged in the leading-edge region of the skin panel, on an inner side thereof, and wherein the flank portions are respectively adjoined to the leading-edge portion at the flanks of the skin panel.

8. The leading-edge arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing lattice forms several layers of interconnected three-dimensional bodies, which fill at least two-thirds of the space enclosed by the skin panel.

9. The leading-edge arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the adjacent groups of the plurality of attachment points are spaced apart from each other by a distance that is greater than a pitch between adjacent attachment points within a same group of the plurality of attachment points.

10. A vehicle comprising a flow body having a leading-edge arrangement configured in accordance with claim 1 .

11. The vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein the vehicle is an aircraft, and wherein the flow body is a tail unit or a wing of the aircraft.

12. A method for producing a leading-edge arrangement, the method comprising:
providing a curved skin panel in a mold, the curved skin panel comprising a skin-panel outer side and a skin-panel inner side;
producing a three-dimensional reinforcing lattice that is constructed as a three-dimensional framework, which comprises a plurality of interconnected framework members forming at least one layer of interconnected three-dimensional bodies, and has a lattice outer side;
placing the three-dimensional reinforcing lattice onto the skin-panel inner side in the mold; and
connecting the skin panel and the reinforcing lattice;
wherein a curvature of the lattice outer side corresponds to a curvature of the skin-panel inner side;
wherein the lattice outer side has a plurality of attachment points connected to the skin-panel inner side;
wherein a profile contour of the skin panel has a leading-edge region and two flanks adjoining the leading-edge region;
wherein the plurality of attachment points are arranged in a plurality of groups of attachment points;
wherein more of the attachment points are located in the leading-edge region than are located in any individual group of the plurality of groups of attachment points at one of the flanks of the skin panel; and
wherein adjacent groups of the plurality of attachment points are spaced apart from each other.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein connecting the skin panel and the reinforcing lattice comprises joining by material bonding.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein providing the skin panel comprises:
arranging layers of reinforcing fibres and a matrix material; and
subsequently curing the layers of reinforcing fibers and the matrix material.

15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein providing the reinforcing lattice comprises additive construction of the reinforcing lattice in layers.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the construction comprises the construction of the reinforcing component in layers from a pulverulent, metal material.

17. A leading-edge arrangement for a flow body, the leading-edge arrangement comprising:
a curved skin panel having a skin-panel outer side and a skin-panel inner side; and
a three-dimensional reinforcing lattice that is constructed as a three-dimensional framework, which comprises a plurality of interconnected framework members forming at least one layer of interconnected three-dimensional bodies, and has a lattice outer side;
wherein a curvature of the lattice outer side corresponds to a curvature of the skin-panel inner side;
wherein the lattice outer side has a plurality of attachment points connected to the skin-panel inner side;
wherein a profile contour of the skin panel has a leading-edge region and two flanks adjoining the leading-edge region;
wherein the reinforcing lattice comprises a leading-edge portion and two flank portions, which adjoin the leading-edge portion;
wherein the leading-edge portion is arranged in the leading-edge region of the skin panel, on an inner side thereof;
wherein the flank portions are respectively adjoined to the leading-edge portion at the flanks of the skin panel; and
wherein the leading-edge portion comprises a monolithic construction and each of the flank portions comprise a monolithic construction.

18. The leading-edge arrangement according to claim 17 , wherein the skin-panel inner side comprises a fastening region, which is defined where a first flank portion of the two flank portions is adjoined with the leading-edge portion, and wherein the leading edge portion and the first flank portion are connected to the skin-panel inner side in an alternating, or toothed, arrangement within the fastening region.

19. The leading-edge arrangement according to claim 17 , wherein the skin-panel inner side comprises a fastening region, which is defined where a first flank portion of the two flank portions is adjoined with the leading-edge portion, and wherein the interconnected framework members of the leading-edge portion and the interconnected framework members of the first flank portion are connected to the skin-panel inner side in the alternating, or toothed, arrangement within the fastening region.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Warren Anthony
• Biondini Marco

Classifications

• B32B2605/18

  Aircraft · CPC title

• B64C3/28

  Leading or trailing edges attached to primary structures, e.g. forming fixed slots · CPC title

• B64F5/10

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

• B32B7/12

  using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties · CPC title

• B32B3/12

  characterised by a layer of regularly- arranged cells, e.g. a honeycomb structure · CPC title