Foolproofing system for pipes by means of an obstacle inside a connector in an aircraft duct

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9840335-B2
Application number	US-201514976407-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2015
Priority date	Dec 22, 2014
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

In an aircraft duct formed with pipes connected in pairs via connectors in which the pipes are mounted with the possibility of axial displacement, there exists a risk that a pipe of the duct, with a dimension greater that the dimension of the nominal pipe, is mounted instead and in place of the latter. In this case, the wrongly mounted pipe would risk not having sufficient clearance in axial translation. In order to solve this problem, it is disclosed to equip one of the relevant connectors with an obstacle limiting the travel of the nominal pipe and preventing the mounting of a pipe with a greater dimension belonging to the duct. A method for assembling an aircraft portion is also proposed, in order to benefit from the particularities of the duct.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft portion, comprising:
a structure, and
a duct configured to circulate a fluid and comprising a plurality of pipes and a plurality of connectors fixed to the structure and connecting the pipes two-by-two,
the plurality of pipes includes pipes of different lengths, each pipe having a first end situated on a first side of the duct and a second end, and
a first abutment situated on a second side of the duct,
each connector including a connector internal passage that fluidically connects two pipe internal passages respectively belonging to the two pipes that the connector connects to each other;
each connector including two cavities surrounding the connector internal passage and in which are respectively inserted respective ends of two consecutive pipes, namely a first cavity situated on the second side of the duct and a second cavity situated on the first side of the duct;
the first and second cavities of each connector having respective axes;
the first and second cavities of each connector being delimited internally by respective radially internal walls of annular shape respectively centered on the respective axes of the first and second cavities;
the first and second cavities of each connector being delimited externally by respective radially external walls also of annular shape and respectively centered on the respective axes of the first and second cavities;
each connector including an internal support delimiting the first and second cavities of the connector and connecting the respective radially internal walls of the first and second cavities to the respective radially external walls of the first and second cavities,
each pipe being movable in axial translation relative to the two connectors that the pipe connects to each other;
each connector including a second abutment that limits the travel in translation of the pipe received in the first cavity of the connector towards the first side of the duct by cooperating with the first end of the pipe and a third abutment that limits the travel in translation of the pipe received in the second cavity of the connector towards the second side of the duct by cooperating with the first abutment of the pipe;
wherein the plurality of connectors comprises at least a first connector and a second connector such that:
the respective internal supports of the first and second connectors have the same conformation;
the first cavity of the first connector and the second cavity of the second connector respectively receive the first and second ends of a first pipe of the plurality of pipes;
the first end and the first abutment of the first pipe are separated from each other by a first distance;
the internal support of the first connector and the third abutment that is part of the second connector are separated from each other by a second distance measured parallel to the respective axes of the first cavity of the first connector and the second cavity of the second connector;
the first connector and the second connector are positioned so that the plurality of pipes comprises a second pipe the first end and the first abutment of which are separated from each other by a third distance strictly greater than the first distance and strictly less than the second distance;
wherein the first connector includes a first obstacle arranged in the first cavity of this first connector, the first obstacle forming the second abutment of the first connector and being separated from the third abutment of the second connector by a fourth distance less than or equal to the third distance and measured parallel to the respective axes of the first cavity of the first connector and the second cavity of the second connector, and
wherein the second abutment of said second connector is formed by the internal support of the second connector or by a second obstacle arranged so that the relative position of the second obstacle and the internal support of the second connector is different from the relative position of the first obstacle and the internal support of the first connector.

2. The aircraft portion as claimed in claim 1 , wherein any pipe of said duct, the first end and the first abutment of which are separated from each other by a fifth distance strictly greater than the first distance, is such that said fifth distance is greater than or equal to the fourth distance.

3. The aircraft portion as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first obstacle is perforated.

4. The aircraft portion as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the internal support of each connector is perforated.

5. The aircraft portion as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first obstacle is spaced apart from the internal support of the first connector.

6. The aircraft portion as claimed in claim 1 , said aircraft portion being a fuselage section or a set of fuselage sections.

7. The aircraft portion as claimed in claim 1 , said aircraft portion being a wing or a rear tail assembly.

8. An aircraft including an aircraft portion comprising:
a structure, and
a duct configured to circulate a fluid and comprising a plurality of pipes and a plurality of connectors fixed to the structure and connecting the pipes two-by-two,
the plurality of pipes includes pipes of different lengths, each pipe having a first end situated on a first side of the duct and a second end, and
a first abutment situated on a second side of the duct,
each connector including a connector internal passage that fluidically connects two pipe internal passages respectively belonging to the two pipes that the connector connects to each other;
each connector including two cavities surrounding the connector internal passage and in which are respectively inserted respective ends of two consecutive pipes, namely a first cavity situated on the second side of the duct and a second cavity situated on the first side of the duct;
the first and second cavities of each connector having respective axes;
the first and second cavities of each connector being delimited internally by respective radially internal walls of annular shape respectively centered on the respective axes of the first and second cavities;
the first and second cavities of each connector being delimited externally by respective radially external walls also of annular shape and respectively centered on the respective axes of the first and second cavities;
each connector including an internal support delimiting the first and second cavities of the connector and connecting the respective radially internal walls of the first and second cavities to the respective radially external walls of the first and second cavities,
each pipe being movable in axial translation relative to the two connectors that the pipe connects to each other;
each connector including a second abutment that limits the travel in translation of the pipe received in the first cavity of the connector towards the first side of the duct by cooperating with the first end of the pipe and a third abutment that limits the travel in translation of the pipe received in the second cavity of the connector towards the second side of the duct by cooperating with the first abutment of the pipe;
wherein the plurality of connectors comprises at least a first connector and a second connector such that:
the respective internal supports of the first and second connectors have the same conformation;
the first cavity of the first connector and the second cavity of the second connector respectively receive the first and second ends of a first pipe of the plurality of pipes;
the first end and the first abutment of the first pipe are separated from each other by a first distance;
the internal support of the first connector and the third abutment that is part of the

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sas
• Airbus Operations Gmbh
• Airbus Sas
• Airbus Operations Sas

Inventors

• Becks Ralf
• Courpet Alexis
• Barre Thomas
• Bourbon Olivier
• Biteau Matthieu
• Roques Jean-Marc
• Buresi Christophe
• Lenoir Brice
• Villeroux Philippe

Classifications

• B64D37/32 Primary

  Safety measures not otherwise provided for, e.g. preventing explosive conditions · CPC title

• F16L27/0804

  the fluid passing axially from one joint element to another · CPC title

• B64F5/10

  Manufacturing or assembling aircraft, e.g. jigs therefor · CPC title

• F16L27/12

  allowing substantial longitudinal adjustment or movement (by use of screw-thread F16L15/02) · CPC title

• B64D37/005 Primary

  Accessories not provided for in the groups B64D37/02 - B64D37/28 · CPC title