Upper joints between outboard wing boxes and wing center sections of aircraft wing assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9475570-B2
Application number	US-201313975158-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2013
Priority date	Aug 23, 2013
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

An upper joint of a wing assembly of an aircraft includes an outboard upper wing panel, a center upper wing panel, a rib, and an upper joint assembly operatively interconnecting the outboard upper wing panel, the center upper wing panel, and the rib. In some embodiments, outboard upper stringers may be configured differently than center upper stringers. In some embodiments, a subset of the center upper stringers may not directly oppose the outboard upper stringers. In other embodiments, for at least a substantial fore/aft span of the upper joint, each of the center upper stringers may directly oppose an outboard upper stringer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An upper joint for a wing assembly of an aircraft, the upper joint comprising:
an outboard upper wing panel of an outboard wing box;
a center upper wing panel of a wing center section;
a rib that is located between the outboard wing box and the wing center section; and
an upper joint assembly operatively interconnecting the outboard upper wing panel, the center upper wing panel, and the rib, wherein the upper joint assembly includes:
a splice plate, wherein the splice plate defines an outboard flange operatively coupled to the outboard upper wing panel, and an inboard flange operatively coupled to the center upper wing panel;
a lower T-fitting operatively coupled to the splice plate, wherein the lower T-fitting defines a lower flange operatively coupled to the rib;
a plurality of outboard compression fittings operatively coupled between the outboard upper wing panel and the lower flange; and
a plurality of inboard compression fittings operatively coupled between the center upper wing panel and the lower flange.

2. The upper joint of claim 1 , wherein the upper joint assembly defines a mating plane between the outboard wing box and the wing center section, wherein when the upper joint is in compression, the outboard upper wing panel expresses a compressive inward pressure toward the upper joint assembly, wherein when the upper joint is in compression, the center upper wing panel expresses a compressive outward pressure toward the upper joint assembly, and wherein the upper joint assembly is configured to direct a centroid of the compressive outward pressure to coincide with or approximately coincide with a centroid of the compressive inward pressure at the mating plane.

3. The upper joint of claim 1 ,
wherein the outboard upper wing panel includes an outboard upper skin and a plurality of outboard upper stringers operatively coupled to the outboard upper skin;
wherein the center upper wing panel includes a center upper skin and a plurality of center upper stringers operatively coupled to the center upper skin; and
wherein at least a subset of the plurality of center upper stringers includes center upper stringers that are not directly opposed to corresponding outboard upper stringers of the plurality of outboard upper stringers at the upper joint assembly.

4. The upper joint of claim 1 ,
wherein the outboard upper wing panel includes an outboard upper skin and a plurality of outboard upper stringers operatively coupled to the outboard upper skin;
wherein the center upper wing panel includes a center upper skin and a plurality of center upper stringers operatively coupled to the center upper skin; and
wherein for at least a substantial fore/aft span of the upper joint, only every other center upper stringer of the plurality of center upper stringers is directly opposed to a corresponding outboard upper stringer of the plurality of outboard upper stringers at the upper joint assembly.

5. The upper joint of claim 1 ,
wherein the outboard upper wing panel includes an outboard upper skin and a plurality of outboard upper stringers operatively coupled to the outboard upper skin;
wherein the center upper wing panel includes a center upper skin and a plurality of center upper stringers operatively coupled to the center upper skin; and
wherein for at least a substantial fore/aft span of the upper joint, the plurality of center upper stringers consists of approximately twice as many stringers as the plurality of outboard upper stringers.

6. The upper joint of claim 1 ,
wherein the outboard upper wing panel includes an outboard upper skin and a plurality of outboard upper stringers operatively coupled to the outboard upper skin;
wherein the center upper wing panel includes a center upper skin and a plurality of center upper stringers operatively coupled to the center upper skin; and
wherein a first subset of the plurality of center upper stringers is operatively coupled to the upper joint assembly, and wherein a second subset of the plurality of center upper stringers terminates without being directly coupled to the upper joint assembly.

7. The upper joint of claim 1 ,
wherein the outboard upper wing panel includes an outboard upper skin and a plurality of outboard upper stringers operatively coupled to the outboard upper skin;
wherein the center upper wing panel includes a center upper skin and a plurality of center upper stringers operatively coupled to the center upper skin; and
wherein for at least a substantial span of the upper joint, every second center upper stringer of the plurality of center upper stringers terminates without being directly coupled to the upper joint assembly.

8. The upper joint of claim 1 , wherein the upper joint assembly further includes:
an upper T-fitting operatively coupled to the splice plate opposite the lower T-fitting.

9. The upper joint of claim 1 ,
wherein the outboard upper wing panel includes an outboard upper skin and a plurality of outboard upper stringers operatively coupled to the outboard upper skin;
wherein the center upper wing panel includes a center upper skin and a plurality of center upper stringers operatively coupled to the center upper skin; and
wherein the plurality of center upper stringers includes a subset of center upper stringers that are not coupled directly to an inboard compression fitting of the plurality of inboard compression fittings.

10. The upper joint of claim 1 ,
wherein the outboard upper wing panel includes an outboard upper skin and a plurality of outboard upper stringers operatively coupled to the outboard upper skin;
wherein the center upper wing panel includes a center upper skin and a plurality of center upper stringers operatively coupled to the center upper skin; and
wherein for at least a substantial fore/aft span of the upper joint, every second center upper stringer of the plurality of center upper stringers is not coupled directly to an inboard compression fitting of the plurality of inboard compression fittings.

11. The upper joint of claim 1 , wherein for at least a substantial fore/aft span of the upper joint, each of the plurality of inboard compression fittings is coupled to the lower flange directly across from an outboard compression fitting of the plurality of outboard compression fittings.

12. An aircraft, comprising:
a fuselage; and
a wing assembly operatively coupled to the fuselage, wherein the wing assembly includes:
a left wing box;
a right wing box;
a wing center section; and
two upper joints according to claim 1 , including a left upper joint and a right upper joint, wherein the left upper joint interconnects the left wing box and the wing center section, and wherein the right upper joint interconnects the right wing box and the wing center section.

13. The upper joint of claim 1 ,
wherein the outboard upper wing panel is constructed substantially of a first material;
wherein the center upper wing panel is constructed substantially of a second material that is different from the first material; and
wherein the splice plate and the lower T-fitting are constructed of a third material that is different from the first material and the second material.

14. The upper joint of claim 13 , wherein the first material is a fiber reinforced composite material, wherein the second material is an aluminum alloy, and wherein the third material is a titanium alloy.

15. The upper joint of claim 1 ,
wherein the outboard upper wing panel includes an outboard upper skin and a plurality of outboard upper stringers operatively coupled to the outboard upper skin;

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Charles Jordan Daniel
• Hamada Jason

Classifications

• B64C3/00

  Wings (ornithopter wings B64C33/02) · CPC title

• B64C3/182 Primary

  Stringers, longerons · CPC title

• B64C1/26 Primary

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

• B64C3/187

  Ribs · CPC title

• B64C2001/0072

  from composite materials · CPC title