One-piece composite bifurcated winglet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9738375-B2
Application number	US-201314097413-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2013
Priority date	Dec 5, 2013
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

A method and apparatus for forming a winglet formed as a one-piece composite for an aircraft is presented. The winglet comprises a first blade, a second blade, and a root region. The first blade includes a first leading edge and a first trailing edge. The second blade includes a second leading edge and a second trailing edge. The second blade is positioned at an angle to the first blade. The root region is co-cured with the first blade and the second blade to form the winglet. The root region is configured to receive an attachment system for attaching the winglet to a wing of the aircraft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A winglet for an aircraft, such that the winglet comprises one piece that comprises:
a first blade that comprises:
first plies that comprise a first composite material and form an outboard skin of the first blade;
second plies that comprise:
a second composite material and form an inboard skin of the first blade that extends upward, relative to a top surface of a wing of the aircraft; and
the first plies co-cured to the second plies along both a non-metallic leading edge and a trailing edge of the first blade, such that, at an end, farthest from the top surface of the wing, of the first blade, an opening separates the non-metallic leading edge of the first blade from the trailing edge of the first blade;

a second blade that comprises:
third plies that comprise a third composite material and form an outboard skin of the second blade; and
fourth plies that comprise a fourth composite material and form an inboard skin of the second blade that extends downward relative to a bottom surface of the wing of the aircraft, the third plies co-cured to the fourth plies along both a non-metallic leading edge and a trailing edge of the second blade; and

a root region that comprises a channel that comprises composite plies that comprise a non-metallic first support and a non-metallic second support, each aligned substantially orthogonal to a chord line for the root region, the channel configured to receive an attachment system that comprises an extension between the first non-metallic support and the second non-metallic support and planar surfaces, connected substantially orthogonal to the extension, configured to connect to at least one of the supports within the root region, the attachment system configured to attach, at least via the extension, the winglet to the wing of the aircraft such that the root region comprises:
the second plies and the fourth plies bonded together such that the non-metallic leading edge of the first blade and the non-metallic leading edge of the second blade form a co-cured continuous curved non-metallic leading edge of the root region and a trailing edge of the first blade and a trailing edge of the second blade form a co-cured continuous tapered trailing edge of the root region; and
additional plies co-cured to the first plies and to the third plies to form an outboard portion of the root region such that the outboard skin of the first blade, the outboard portion of the root region, and the outboard skin of the second blade, comprise a single continuous surface.

2. The winglet of claim 1 , wherein the first blade is an upper blade of the winglet and the second blade is a lower blade of the winglet, and the first composite material, the second composite material, the third composite material, and the fourth composite material each comprise an identical component.

3. The winglet of claim 1 , further comprising:
the root region configured to receive the attachment system in the channel such that in operation the root region secures to the attachment system using at least one of: an adhesive, a weld, a bond, and a number of fasteners and
an interior of the first blade and an interior of the second blade each configured to preclude entry of the attachment system into an interior of at least one of: the first blade and the second blade.

4. The winglet of claim 1 , wherein at least one: of the trailing edge of the first blade, and the trailing edge of the second blade, physically associate with a lightning strip.

5. The winglet of claim 4 , further comprising the lightning strip co-cured into the winglet.

6. The winglet of claim 1 , wherein the winglet comprises at least one of: a carbon fiber reinforced polymer, a fiberglass, an aramid fiber, and a nylon.

7. The winglet of claim 1 , further comprising connections, between the root region and both the first blade and the second blade, that comprise continuous co-cured fastener-less bonds.

8. A manufacture that comprises a one-piece bifurcated winglet that comprises:
an upper blade, that inclines above a tip of a wing, and comprises:
first plies that comprise a first composite material and form an outboard skin of the upper blade; and
second plies that comprise a second composite material and form an inboard skin of the upper blade, the second plies co-cured to the first plies at both a non-metallic leading edge and a trailing edge of the upper blade;

a lower blade that declines below the tip of the wing, and comprises:
third plies that comprise a third composite material and form an outboard skin of the lower blade; and
fourth plies that comprise a fourth composite material and form an inboard skin of the lower blade, the third plies co-cured to the fourth plies at both a non-metallic leading edge and a trailing edge of the lower blade, such that, at an end, farthest from the tip of the wing, of the lower blade, an opening separates the non-metallic leading edge of the lower blade from the trailing edge of the lower blade;

a root region that comprises:
a top surface that comprises the second plies;
a bottom surface that comprises the fourth plies, the second plies bonded to the fourth plies, such that the non-metallic leading edge of the upper blade and the non-metallic leading edge of the lower blade form a co-cured continuous curved non-metallic leading edge of the root region and a trailing edge of the upper blade and a trailing edge of the lower blade form a co-cured continuous tapered trailing edge of the root region;
an outboard skin of the root region co-cured to the outboard skin of the upper blade and the outboard skin of the lower blade; and
a central channel that comprises a first support and a second support, each support comprised of non-metallic composite plies that align with an edge of a spar in the upper blade and an edge of a spar in the lower blade, such that the first support and the second support each stand substantially orthogonal to a chord line for the root region, configured to receive an attachment system, that comprises:
an extension between the first support and the second support; and
planar surfaces, connected substantially orthogonal to the extension, configured to connect to at least one of the supports within the root region.

9. The manufacture of claim 8 , wherein the first composite material, the second composite material, the third composite material, and the fourth composite material each comprise a same material.

10. The manufacture of claim 8 , wherein the root region further comprises fifth plies that comprise a fifth composite material that comprises an outboard skin of the root region bonded to the first plies and to the third plies.

11. The manufacture of claim 10 , wherein the first composite material, the second composite material, the third composite material, the fourth composite material, and the fifth composite material each comprise a same composition.

12. The manufacture of claim 11 , further comprising the composition comprising at least one of: a carbon fiber reinforced polymer, fiberglass, aramid fiber, and nylon.

13. The manufacture of claim 8 , further comprising the central channel configured to attach to the tip of the wing via at least the extension of the attachment system connected within the central channel, without a direct connection to at least one of: the upper blade and the lower blade.

14. The manufacture of claim 8 , wherein the upper blade comprises a longer length than the lower blade.

15. The manufacture of claim 8 , further comprising connections, between the root region and both the upper blade and the lower blade, that comprise c

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Witte Philipp
• Stawski Stanley Warren
• Kleshchev Fedor A
• Zarfos Joshua William
• Naidu Parth R

Classifications

• Y02T50/164

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B32B5/02

  characterised by structural features of a {fibrous or filamentary} layer {(layer formed of metallic wires B32B15/02; layer formed of natural mineral fibres B32B19/02; layer formed of wood fibres B32B21/02)} · CPC title

• B29K2105/0872

  Prepregs · CPC title

• B32B27/08

  of synthetic resin · CPC title

• B64C23/065 Primary

  at the wing tips · CPC title