Fuselage Stuffing Building and Feeder Lines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016354883-A1
Application number	US-201615244261-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 23, 2016
Priority date	Jul 8, 2013
Publication date	Dec 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods and means for reconfiguring an aircraft assembly plant that receives fuselages or fuselage sections via a public railroad system. In cases where the aircraft assembly plant comprises a first assembly line for installing (i.e., stuffing) equipment inside fuselages or fuselage sections and a second assembly line for installing equipment on exteriors of internally equipped fuselages or fuselage sections, both assembly lines being housed in the same building, the facility can be reconfigured by moving at least one fuselage stuffing operation of the first assembly line to an auxiliary building which overlies a railroad track connected to the public railroad system. The moved fuselage stuffing operations will be performed inside the auxiliary building while each fuselage or fuselage section is supported in an upright position on a respective railroad flat car.

First claim

1 . A system for assembling an aircraft, comprising: a railroad track, a first work station disposed alongside a first section of said railroad track, a railroad flat car rollably mounted on said first section of said railroad track, and a fuselage or fuselage section carried by said railroad flat car, wherein said first work station comprises a first set of tools for installing internal components inside said fuselage or fuselage section.

2 . The system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a second work station disposed alongside a second section of said railroad track adjacent to said first section, wherein said second work station comprises a second set of tools for installing internal components inside a said fuselage or fuselage section.

3 . The system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a cradle system mounted on said railroad flat car, wherein said cradle system is configured to support said fuselage or fuselage section in an upright position.

4 . The system as recited in claim 3 , further comprising a vehicle capable of pulling or pushing said railroad flat car.

5 . The system as recited in claim 4 , wherein said vehicle is rollably mounted on said railroad track.

6 . The system as recited in claim 4 , wherein said vehicle is a ground vehicle.

7 . The system as recited in claim 2 , further comprising:
a first building that houses said first and second work stations; a second building located at a distance from said first building; and an assembly line disposed inside said second building, wherein said assembly line comprises a plurality of work stations which are not disposed alongside any railroad track, wherein at least some work stations of said plurality comprise tools for installing external components on said fuselage or fuselage section.

8 . The system as recited in claim 2 , further comprising a fuselage fabrication facility disposed alongside said railroad track.

9 . The system as recited in claim 8 , further comprising a factory transport vehicle placed adjacent to said railroad track.

10 . The system as recited in claim 9 , further comprising:
a first plurality of cross rails on said railroad flat car; and a second plurality of cross rails on said factory transport vehicle, wherein said first plurality of cross rails are configured to respectively align with said second plurality of cross rails when said railroad flat car is moved to a location adjacent said factory transport vehicle.

11 . The system as recited in claim 9 , further comprising a bridge crane spanning said factory transport vehicle.

12 . The system as recited in claim 9 , further comprising:
a first building that houses said first and second work stations; and a second building located at a distance from said first building and configured to allow entry of said factory transport vehicle while said factory transport vehicle is carrying a fuselage or fuselage section.

13 . A method for reconfiguring an aircraft assembly plant comprising a main building and first and second assembly lines located inside said main building, wherein said first assembly line comprises fuselage-stuffing tools for installing equipment inside fuselages or fuselage sections, and said second assembly line comprises tools for installing equipment on exteriors of internally equipped fuselages or fuselage sections, said second assembly line being arranged to receive fuselages or fuselage sections that have been internally equipped on said first assembly line, said method comprising constructing an auxiliary building which overlies at least one railroad track, and moving fuselage stuffing tools from a first work station of said first assembly line located inside said main building to a work station adjacent to a first section of said railroad track located inside said auxiliary building.

14 . The method as recited in claim 13 , further comprising moving fuselage stuffing tools from a second work station of said first assembly line located inside said main building to a work station adjacent to a second section of said railroad track located inside said auxiliary building.

15 . An aircraft assembly plant comprising a first building and a first assembly line disposed inside said first building, wherein said first assembly line comprises:
a first length of railroad track located inside said first building; and a first plurality of work stations disposed in sequence alongside said first length of railroad track, wherein each work station of said first plurality comprises a respective set of tools for installing internal components inside a fuselage or fuselage section.

16 . The aircraft assembly plant as recited in claim 15 , further comprising a second building and a second assembly line disposed inside said second building, wherein said second assembly line comprises a second plurality of work stations which are not disposed alongside any railroad track, wherein at least some work stations of said second plurality comprise tools for installing external components on said fuselage or fuselage section.

17 . The aircraft assembly plant as recited in claim 15 , further comprising a second length of railroad track that is connected to said first length of railroad track and extends to a location closer to said second building that is said first length of railroad track.

18 . The aircraft assembly plant as recited in claim 17 , further comprising a third length of railroad track that connects said first length of railroad track to a public transportation system.

19 . The aircraft assembly plant as recited in claim 15 , further comprising:
a train comprising a plurality of railroad flat cars rollably mounted on said first length of railroad track and disposed at respective work stations of said first plurality of work stations; and a plurality of cradle systems respectively mounted on said plurality of railroad flat cars, wherein each of said cradle systems is designed to support a fuselage or fuselage section in an upright position.

20 . The aircraft assembly plant as recited in claim 15 , further comprising:
a second length of railroad track located inside said first building in parallel with said first length of railroad track; and a third length of railroad track located inside said first building and connecting said first length of railroad track to said second length of railroad track.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Vogt Bill V
• Vogt Katherine S
• Hu Yuanxin Charles
• Burnett Gabriel A
• Stull Donald K

Classifications

• B23P21/004 Primary

  the units passing two or more work-stations whilst being composed · CPC title

• B64F5/0009

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B61B13/00

  Other railway systems · CPC title

• B61D3/187

  Details, e.g. bridges for floor connections · CPC title

• B61C13/02

  for towing or transporting ships or for like special purposes · CPC title