Method for manufacturing a leading edge limiting aerodynamic disturbances, a leading edge obtained from the method and aerodynamic aircraft profile comprising such a leading edge

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021155352-A1
Application number	US-202016953878-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 20, 2020
Priority date	Nov 25, 2019
Publication date	May 27, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a leading edge comprising a structure and at least one outer wall, the manufacturing method comprising a step of mounting of the structure and an assembly step aiming to link the structure and the outer wall during which the outer wall is held pressed against a conformation surface having a profile identical to a theoretical outer surface configured to limit aerodynamic disturbances. This manufacturing method makes it possible to improve the aerodynamic efficiencies of the leading edge thus obtained and of the aerodynamic aircraft profile incorporating same.

First claim

1 . A method for manufacturing a leading edge comprising a structure and at least one outer wall, the manufacturing method comprising
mounting the structure and assembling by linking the structure and the outer wall, during the assembling step, holding the outer wall pressed against a conformation surface having a profile identical to a theoretical outer surface configured to limit aerodynamic disturbances.

2 . The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, during the assembling step, the structure and the outer wall are linked by bonding using a glue having a curing time, the outer wall being held pressed against the conformation surface for a duration of the curing time of the glue.

3 . The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the glue is configured to compensate for any gap differences between the structure and the outer wall.

4 . The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the glue is applied to the structure before the structure is offered up to the outer wall.

5 . The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein, the structure being positioned on a first tooling according to a first known position, the manufacturing method comprises, prior to the assembling step, a step of positioning of the first tooling supporting the structure with respect to a second tooling comprising the conformation surface against which the outer wall is held pressed according to a second known position.

6 . The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the second tooling comprises a suction system configured to occupy an active state in which the suction system keeps the outer wall pressed and immobile against the conformation surface during a consolidation step, and an inactive state in which the suction system does not keep the outer wall pressed and immobile against the conformation surface.

7 . The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the suction system is in the inactive state as long as the outer wall is not positioned with respect to the second tooling according to the second known position then switched to the active state as soon as the outer wall is positioned with respect to the second tooling according to the second known position, before the assembling step.

8 . The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the outer wall is formed according to an approximately C-shaped profile before being pressed against the conformation surface.

9 . A leading edge obtained from the manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1 .

10 . An aerodynamic aircraft profile comprising a top surface, a bottom surface and, at the front, a leading edge as claimed in claim 9 .

Assignees

• Airbus Sas

Inventors

• Farouz-Fouquet Mathias

Classifications

• B29C65/004

  Cold joining · CPC title

• B29C65/7847

  using vacuum to hold at least one of the parts to be joined (vacuum work holders in general B25B11/005) · CPC title

• B32B2309/04

  Time · CPC title

• B32B38/1866

  conforming the layers or laminate to a convex or concave profile · CPC title

• B32B37/16

  with all layers existing as coherent layers before laminating · CPC title