Fuselage to Wing Attachment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017158306-A1
Application number	US-201514960648-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 7, 2015
Priority date	Dec 7, 2015
Publication date	Jun 8, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an aircraft features a fuselage, a wing member, and two fuselage beam. The fuselage features a first plurality of structural supports, a second plurality of structural supports, a first opening disposed between the first plurality of structural supports, and a second opening disposed between the second plurality of structural supports. The wing member is disposed above the first opening and above the second opening. The wing features a plurality of ribs including a first rib and a second rib. The first fuselage beam couples the first rib of the wing member to the fuselage and has an elongated body portion extending across the first plurality of structural supports. The second fuselage beam couples the second rib of the wing member to the fuselage and features an elongated body portion extending across the second plurality of structural supports.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An aircraft, comprising:
a fuselage comprising a first plurality of structural supports, a second plurality of structural supports, a first opening disposed between the first plurality of structural supports, and a second opening disposed between the second plurality of structural supports; a wing member disposed above the first opening and above the second opening, the wing comprising a plurality of ribs, the plurality of ribs comprising a first rib and a second rib; a first fuselage beam coupling the first rib of the wing member to the fuselage, the first fuselage beam comprising an elongated body portion extending across the first plurality of structural supports; and a second fuselage beam coupling the second rib of the wing member to the fuselage, the second fuselage beam comprising an elongated body portion extending across the second plurality of structural supports.

2 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the aircraft is a tiltrotor aircraft further comprising:
a power train comprising a power source and a drive shaft in mechanical communication with the power source; and a rotor system coupled to the wing member and in mechanical communication with the drive shaft, at least part of the rotor system being tiltable between a helicopter mode position and an airplane mode position.

3 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein:
the first plurality of structural supports comprises a first support and a second support; the first opening is disposed between the first support and the second support; and the elongated body portion of the first fuselage beam extends across the first support and the second support.

4 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein:
the first plurality of structural supports comprises a first support, a second support, and a third support; the first opening is disposed between the first support and the second support; and the elongated body portion of the first fuselage beam extends across the first support, the second support, and the third support.

5 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein:
the first plurality of structural supports comprises a first support, a second support, a third support, a fourth support, a fifth support, and a sixth support; the first opening is disposed between the third support and the fourth support; and the elongated body portion of the first fuselage beam extends across the first support, the second support, the third support, the fourth support, the fifth support, and the sixth support.

6 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first rib and the first fuselage beam are coplanar.

7 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first rib and the first fuselage beam form a continuous structural element.

8 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first rib is joined to the first fuselage beam along a single, uninterrupted joint.

9 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein:
the wing comprises an airfoil shape; the first rib comprises an outer contour corresponding to the airfoil shape; and the first fuselage beam comprises a top surface corresponding to the outer contour of the first rib.

10 . The aircraft of claim 9 , wherein the first rib is coupled to the first fuselage beam where the top surface of the first fuselage beam receives the outer contour of the first rib.

11 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first rib and the first fuselage beam form, in combination, an I-beam, wherein the first fuselage beam forms a lower portion of the I-beam and the first rib forms an upper portion of the I-beam.

12 . The aircraft of claim 12 , wherein the first opening comprises a first door opening and the second opening comprises a second door opening, the aircraft further comprising a first door configured to open and close the first door opening and a second door configured to open and close the second door opening.

13 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first and second openings are both so dimensioned as to allow ingress and egress of a human passenger.

14 . The aircraft of claim 1 , further comprising a first forward attach fitting coupled to the first fuselage beam and the first rib forward of the wing and a first aft attach fitting coupled to the first fuselage beam and the first rib aft of the wing.

15 . The aircraft of claim 14 , wherein the first rib, the first fuselage beam, the first forward attach fitting, and the first aft attach fitting are coplanar.

16 . The aircraft of claim 14 , wherein the first rib, the first fuselage beam, the first forward attach fitting, and the first aft attach fitting form a continuous structural element.

17 . The aircraft of claim 14 , wherein the first fuselage beam forms an I-beam in combination with the first rib, the first forward attach fitting, and the first aft attach fitting, wherein the first fuselage beam forms a lower portion of the I-beam and the first rib, the first forward attach fitting, and the first aft attach fitting, form an upper portion of the I-beam.

18 . The aircraft of claim 14 , further comprising one or more lateral links coupled between a roof of the fuselage and at least one of the first rib, the first fuselage beam, the first forward attach fitting, and the first aft attach fitting.

Assignees

• Bell Helicopter Textron Inc

Inventors

• Kooiman James Everett
• Isaac Mark Loring
• Brunken Jr John Elton
• Mccullough John

Classifications

• B64C29/0033

  the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage · CPC title

• B64C3/187

  Ribs · CPC title

• B64C1/1423

  Passenger doors · CPC title

• B64C1/26 Primary

  Attaching the wing or tail units or stabilising surfaces · CPC title