Aircraft fuselage structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9487285-B2
Application number	US-201414225562-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2014
Priority date	Mar 26, 2013
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

Provided is an aircraft fuselage structure having an outer skin, a support structure arrangement comprising a multiplicity of frame elements and a floor structure arrangement having a multiplicity of floor support struts. The aircraft fuselage structure provides a connection between the floor structure arrangement and the support structure arrangement which is as simple and quick to produce as possible, while not significantly increasing the weight or weakening the structure. Either the floor structure arrangement or the support structure arrangement can have at a connection there between a male connector element or a female connector element. The male connector element can have a peg which extends in the engagement direction and which has a circumferential outer surface which is provided with a multiplicity of circumferential projections. The female connector element can have a cavity, the inner surface of which is provided with a multiplicity of circumferential tabs.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft fuselage structure comprising:
an outer skin that encloses an inner space, which has an inner surface facing the inner space and which extends along an aircraft longitudinal axis;
a support structure arrangement comprising a multiplicity of frame elements, which extend in a circumferential direction along the inner surface of the outer skin and which are spaced apart from one another in a direction parallel to the aircraft longitudinal axis; and
a floor structure arrangement comprising:
a floor panel that extends in a plane parallel to the aircraft longitudinal axis,
a multiplicity of floor support beams that extend along a lower surface of the floor panel and are perpendicular to the aircraft longitudinal axis, and
a multiplicity of floor support struts that extend from the multiplicity floor support beams at the lower surface of the floor panel to the multiplicity of frame elements,
wherein the floor structure arrangement is connected to the support structure arrangement via connections;

wherein
either the floor structure arrangement or the support structure arrangement comprises, at one of the connections, a male connector element and the other of the floor structure arrangement and the support structure arrangement comprises, at one of the connections, a female connector element;
in that the male connector element is brought into engagement, in an engagement direction, with the female connector element;
in that the male connector element comprises a peg that extends in the engagement direction and that comprises a circumferential outer surface, wherein a multiplicity of circumferential projections are arranged on the outer surface, the multiplicity of circumferential projections extending away from the circumferential outer surface at an angle to the engagement direction and being spaced apart from one another; and
in that the female connector element comprises a cavity that is configured to accommodate the peg, and that is surrounded by a circumferential inner surface of the female connector element, wherein the circumferential inner surface comprises a multiplicity of circumferential tabs that extend from the circumferential inner surface to a center of the cavity and which are designed to be accommodated between the multiplicity of circumferential projections of the peg.

2. The aircraft fuselage structure according to claim 1 , wherein either the multiplicity of frame elements or the multiplicity of floor support struts comprise the male connector element and the other of the multiplicity of frame elements and the multiplicity of floor support struts comprise the female connector element.

3. The aircraft fuselage structure according to claim 2 , wherein the multiplicity of frame elements comprise the female connector element and the multiplicity of floor support struts comprise the male connector element.

4. The aircraft fuselage structure according to claim 3 , wherein the female connector element is fastened to the multiplicity of frame elements by a clamping device that grips the multiplicity of frame elements.

5. The aircraft fuselage structure according to claim 3 , wherein the male connector element is attached to an end of each of the multiplicity of floor support struts that is remote from the floor panel in such a way that the peg is arranged as an extension of the multiplicity of floor support struts.

6. The aircraft fuselage structure according to claim 1 , wherein the peg and the cavity are cylindrical in shape.

7. The aircraft fuselage structure according to claim 1 , wherein the multiplicity of circumferential projections are inclined in a direction away from the engagement direction and the tabs are inclined in the engagement direction.

8. The aircraft fuselage structure according to claim 1 , wherein both the circumferential outer surface of the peg and the circumferential inner surface of the female connector element comprise a hard plastic material.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Gmbh
• Eads Deutschland Gmbh

Inventors

• Goehlich Robert Alexander
• Gahn Alexander
• Fink Kai
• Vichniakov Alexei

Classifications

• B64C1/061 Primary

  Frames · CPC title

• B64C1/18

  Floors · CPC title