Winglet attach fitting for attaching a split winglet to a wing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9452825-B2
Application number	US-201313866937-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2013
Priority date	Apr 19, 2013
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

A winglet attach fitting may include a wing attachment portion, an upper winglet attachment portion, and a lower winglet attachment portion. The upper winglet attachment portion may be coupled to the wing attachment portion and may be configured to support an upper winglet. The lower winglet attachment portion may be coupled to the wing attachment portion and may be configured to support a lower winglet. The wing attachment portion may be removably attachable to a wing tip using fasteners.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A winglet attach fitting for attaching a split winglet to a wing of an aircraft, comprising:
a wing attachment portion;
an upper winglet attachment portion oriented at a dihedral angle and coupled to the wing attachment portion and configured to be mechanically fastened to an upper winglet extending upwardly from the wing at the dihedral angle;
a lower winglet attachment portion oriented at an anhedral angle and coupled to the wing attachment portion and configured to be mechanically fastened to a lower winglet separate from the upper winglet and extending downwardly from the wing at the anhedral angle;
the upper winglet attachment portion and the lower winglet attachment portion intersect one another at the wing attachment portion;
the upper winglet attachment portion and the lower winglet attachment portion each extend from an outboard side of the wing attachment portion, and in opposing relation to an inboard side of the wing attachment portion;
wherein the wing attachment portion is removably attachable to a wing tip using fasteners, the lower winglet and the upper winglet being non-articulating when the wing attachment portion is attached to the wing tip; and
wherein the upper winglet attachment portion has a generally hollow, box-shaped terminal end configured to insertably stove-pipe or slide the upper winglet attachment portion into a generally hollow interior of the upper winglet at an upper winglet root end;
wherein the lower winglet attachment portion has a generally hollow, box-shaped terminal end configured to insertably stove-pipe or slide the lower winglet attachment portion into a generally hollow interior of the lower winglet at a lower winglet root end;

and wherein the upper winglet attachment portion and the lower winglet attachment portion are each configured to attach to each respective upper winglet and lower winglet using at least one fastener extending through a respective one of the upper wing let attachment portion and the lower winglet attachment portion and into a respective one of an upper wing let skin and a lower winglet skin.

2. The winglet attach fitting of claim 1 , wherein:
the fasteners attaching the wing attachment portion to the wing tip are installed from an inboard side of the wing tip.

3. The winglet attach fitting of claim 1 , wherein:
the fasteners attaching the wing attachment portion to the wing tip comprise tension fasteners.

4. The winglet attach fitting of claim 1 , further comprising:
the upper winglet attachment portion and the lower winglet attachment portion being joined together at the wing attachment portion to form a unitary structure.

5. The winglet attach fitting of claim 1 , wherein:
the wing attachment portion is comprised of an upper bracket and a lower bracket;
the upper bracket being integral with the upper winglet attachment portion;
the lower bracket being integral with the lower winglet attachment portion;
the upper bracket and upper winglet attachment portion being a separate component from the lower bracket and lower winglet attachment portion; and
the upper bracket and upper winglet attachment portion being hingedly coupled to the lower bracket and lower winglet attachment portion by a hinge pin extending through pin bores formed in hinge bosses extending from the upper bracket and the lower bracket.

6. The winglet attach fitting of claim 1 , wherein:
the wing attachment portion, the upper winglet attachment portion, and the lower winglet attachment portion are separate components configured to be coupled together using shear pins.

7. The winglet attach fitting of claim 1 , wherein:
the upper winglet attachment portion and the lower winglet attachment portion
each include at least two lugs;
the wing attachment portion including at least two clevises; and the lugs of the upper winglet attachment portion and the lugs of the lower winglet attachment portion being configured to be coupled to the clevises using at least one pin.

8. The winglet attach fitting of claim 1 , wherein:
the wing attachment portion includes a wing tip rib being integral with the wing attachment portion and configured to be mechanically fastened to at least one wing spar.

9. The winglet attach fitting of claim 1 , wherein:
the upper winglet attachment portion and the lower winglet are oriented in angled relation to one another.

10. The winglet attach fitting of claim 3 , wherein:
the wing attachment portion includes barrel nut bores configured to contain barrel nuts; and
the tension fasteners being threadably engageable to the barrel nuts.

11. The winglet attach fitting of claim 7 , wherein:
a lug of the upper winglet attachment portion is coupled to at least one of the clevises of the wing attachment portion with a center pin and an upper pin; and
a lug of the lower winglet attachment portion being coupled to at least one of the clevises with the center pin and a lower pin.

12. The winglet attach fitting of claim 11 , further comprising:
an arresting feature included with the wing attachment portion to prevent rotation of the lugs relative to the clevises when the center pin is removed from the winglet attachment fitting.

13. An aircraft, comprising:
a wing having a wing tip and a wing skin;
a winglet attach fitting including:
a wing attachment portion;
an upper winglet attachment portion oriented at a dihedral angle and coupled to the wing attachment portion and mechanically fastened to upper winglet extending upwardly from the wing at the dihedral angle;
a lower winglet attachment portion oriented at an anhedral angle and coupled to the wing attachment portion and mechanically fastened to a lower winglet separate from the upper winglet and extending downwardly from the wing at the anhedral angle;
the upper winglet attachment portion and the lower winglet attachment portion intersect one another at the wing attachment portion;
the upper winglet attachment portion and the lower winglet attachment portion each extend from an outboard side of the wing attachment portion, and in opposing relation to an inboard side of the wing attachment portion;
wherein the wing attachment portion is removably attached to the wing tip with fasteners installed through an opening in a wing skin, the fasteners extending through an inboard side of the wing tip and engaging the wing attachment portion, the lower winglet and the upper winglet being non-articulating when the wing attachment portion is attached to the wing tip; and
wherein the upper winglet attachment portion has a generally hollow, box-shaped terminal end configured to insertably stove-pipe or slide the upper winglet attachment portion into a generally hollow interior of the upper winglet at an upper winglet root end;
wherein the lower winglet attachment portion has a generally hollow, box-shaped terminal end configured to insertably stove-pipe or slide the lower winglet attachment portion into a generally hollow interior of the lower winglet at a lower winglet root end; and wherein the upper winglet attachment portion and the lower winglet attachment portion are each configured to attach to each respective upper winglet and lower winglet
using at least one fastener extending through a respective one of the upper winglet attachment portion and the lower wing let attachment portion and into a respective one of the upper winglet skin and lower winglet skin.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Witte Philipp
• Campbell Jr Darrell D
• Tung Billy P
• Kleshchev Fedor

Classifications

• Y02T50/164

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y10T29/49963

  Threaded fastener · CPC title

• Y10T29/49947

  by applying separate fastener · CPC title

• Y10T29/49817

  with other than ancillary treating or assembling · CPC title

• B64C23/065 Primary

  at the wing tips · CPC title