Production method for producing a load-bearing fuselage panel and fuselage panel producible therewith

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016368586-A1
Application number	US-201615186121-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 17, 2016
Priority date	Dec 18, 2013
Publication date	Dec 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In order to simplify a system integration in a fuselage of an aircraft, the disclosure herein provides a production method for producing a load-bearing fuselage panel for a fuselage section of an aircraft fuselage in an area of an aircraft cabin, including manufacturing the fuselage panel to have a sandwich construction with an inner panel and an outer skin as shells and a filling panel embedded between the shells as a core, while configuring the outer skin as a part of a fuselage structure and the outer delimitation of the aircraft fuselage, configuring the inner panel for an interior space delimitation of the cabin, and integrating functional elements of the fuselage structure and the cabin and/or the aircraft into the filling panel. Preferably, the shells and the filling panel are connected to each other by a joining process while producing covalent bonds.

First claim

1 . A production method for producing a load-bearing fuselage panel for a fuselage section of an aircraft fuselage in an area of an aircraft cabin, comprising:
manufacturing the fuselage panel to have a sandwich construction with an inner panel and an outer skin as shells and a filling panel embedded between the shells as a core, while configuring the outer skin as a part of a fuselage structure and the outer delimitation of the aircraft fuselage, configuring the inner panel for an interior space delimitation of the cabin, and integrating functional elements of the fuselage structure and the cabin and/or the aircraft into the filling panel.

2 . The production method according to claim 1 , comprising steps of:
a) designing and fabricating the filling panel in such a way that it is configured for accommodating functional elements of the fuselage structure and of the cabin and/or of the aircraft, b) providing the filling panel with functional elements of the fuselage structure and/or of the cabin and/or of the aircraft; c) fabricating the outer skin as a shell of the fuselage panel, d) fabricating the inner panel as a shell of the fuselage panel, e) attaching the filling panel to one of the shells, and f) attaching the other shell to the filling panel.

3 . The production method according to claim 2 , wherein:
step a) includes at least one, several or all of steps of: a1) pre-assembling the filling panel, a2) fabricating the filling panel from composite material or composite materials; a3) fabricating the filling panel from profiled elements made from a flat material and filler material; a4) providing the filling panel with a core material, in particular with a structural foam; a5) providing the filling panel with protrusions and cavities; a6) providing the filling panel with join surfaces, which are prepared for a substance-to-substance connection to at least one of the shells; a7.1) fabricating the filling panel by RTM technology; a7.2) fabricating the filling panel to have a fully thermoplastic composite construction; and/or a8) fabricating the filling panel with omega profiles with a foam portion.

4 . The production method according to claim 2 wherein:
step b) includes at least one, several or all of steps of:
b1) pre-mounting at least one functional element of the fuselage structure and/or of the cabin into the filling panel prior to the steps e) and f);
b2) inserting at least one functional element of the fuselage structure and/or of the cabin into the filling panel attached to the one fuselage component between the steps e) and f);
b3) providing the filling panel, during fabrication according to step a), with webs, formers, ribs and/or joints as functional elements for the load-bearing configuration of the fuselage structure;
b4) incorporation of at least one system component of a cabin system, a flight system and/or a fuselage structure system as a functional element into at least one cavity of the filling element; and/or
b5) inserting at least one functional element into at least one cavity of the filling element and filling the cavity with an insulating material and/or covering the cavity with a shell within the context of carrying out at least one of the steps e) and f).

5 . The production method according claim 2 , wherein:
step c) includes at least one, several or all of steps of: c1) fabricating the outer skin from a metal material; c2) fabricating the outer skin from a composite material, in particular a fiber composite material; c3) fabricating the outer skin with a lightning protection device; c4) fabricating the outer skin in such a way that requirements for the protection against damage of the aircraft are satisfied, particularly by equipping the outer skin with a damage, stress and/or fatigue monitoring device; and/or c5) providing the outer skin with at least one positioning aid for positioning the filling panel on the outer skin.

6 . The production method according claim 2 , wherein:
step d) has one, several or all of steps of: d1) fabricating the inner panel with predetermined fire protection properties; d2) fabricating the inner panel in such a manner that fire protection requirements of the cabin are met; d3) fabricating the inner panel in such a manner that it is suitable as an outer closure of the cabin towards the fuselage structure; d4) fabricating the inner panel with at least one positioning aid for the relative positioning between the inner panel and the filling panel while carrying out the corresponding one of the steps e) or f).

7 . The production method according claim 2 , wherein
step e) includes one, several or all of steps of: e1) relative positioning of the filling panel and the one shell by positioning aids prefabricated on the one shell; e2) connecting the filling panel to the one shell by substance-to-substance connection; e3) connecting the filling panel to the one shell while producing covalent bonds; e4) arranging the filling panel with open cavities, so that an open sandwich structure for inserting functional elements into the filling panel is created; e5) gluing the filling panel to the one shell at prepared join surfaces of the filling panel; e6) detachably connecting the filling panel to the one shell; e7) detachably attaching the filling panel to the one shell by a functional layer; e8) detachably attaching the filling panel to the one shell by an adhesive that dissolves under a dissolving treatment; and/or e9) attaching the filling panel at first only to the outer skin.

8 . The production method according to claim 2 , wherein:
step f) includes one, several or all of steps of: f1) relative positioning of the filling panel and the other shell by positioning aids prefabricated on the other shell; f2) connecting the filling panel to the other shell by substance-to-substance connection; f3) connecting the filling panel to the other shell while producing covalent bonds; f4) gluing the filling panel to the other shell at prepared join surfaces of the filling panel; f5) detachably connecting the filling panel to the other shell; f6) detachably attaching the filling panel to the other shell by another functional layer; f7) detachably attaching the filling panel to the other shell by an adhesive that dissolves under a dissolving treatment; and/or f8) attaching the inner panel to the filling element after the filling element has first been attached to the outer skin; f9) sealing an open sandwich structure formed by cavities of the filling panel after at least one functional element has been introduced into the cavity.

9 . A load-bearing fuselage panel for forming a fuselage section as a part of a load-bearing structure of an aircraft fuselage in the area of an aircraft cabin, wherein the fuselage panel is formed to have a sandwich construction with an inner panel and an outer skin as shells and a filling panel embedded between the shells as a core,
wherein the outer skin is configured as a part of a fuselage structure and the outer delimitation of the aircraft fuselage, wherein the inner panel is configured for an interior space delimitation of the cabin, and wherein functional elements of the fuselage structure and the cabin or the aircraft are integrated into the filling panel.

10 . The fuselage panel according to claim 9 , obtained by a method according to claim 1 .

11 . An aircraft fuselage or aircraft cabin, comprising a fuselage panel according to claim 9 .

Assignees

• Airbus Defence & Space Gmbh

Inventors

• Weimer Christian
• Rauh Rainer

Classifications

• B64C1/068

  Fuselage sections · CPC title

• B64C2001/0072

  from composite materials · CPC title

• B64C1/12 Primary

  Construction or attachment of skin panels · CPC title

• B64C1/066 Primary

  Interior liners · CPC title

• B64F5/0009

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic