Fuselage structure for accommodating tails and canards of different sizes and shapes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9849966-B2
Application number	US-201514975115-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2015
Priority date	Dec 18, 2015
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

An aircraft includes a fuselage with structural interfaces for connection to any one or more of a variety of vertical tails, horizontal tails and canards. Vertical tails, horizontal tails and/or canards of different sizes, shapes, sweep angles, box chords, and/or root chords may connect to the fuselage without changing the structural layout or configuration of the fuselage structural interfaces.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage comprising an aft portion,
the aft portion including at least one front vertical structural interface and at least one rear vertical structural interface,
the at least one front vertical structural interface connected to a front spar of a first vertical tail or to a front spar of a second vertical tail,
the at least one rear vertical structural interface connected to a rear spar of a first vertical tail or to a rear spar of a second vertical tail,
wherein the first and second vertical tails are of different sizes.

2. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the front spars of the first and second vertical tails each define a sweep angle, the rear spars of the first and second vertical tails each define a sweep angle, the first and second vertical tails each have a leading edge that defines a sweep angle, the first and second vertical tails each have at least one trailing edge that defines a sweep angle, the first and second vertical tails each have a vertical box chord, the first and second vertical tails each have a vertical root chord,
wherein the first and second vertical tails have at least one structural difference selected from the group consisting of different sweep angles of the front spars, different sweep angles of the rear spars, different sweep angles of the leading edges, different sweep angles of the trailing edges, different vertical box chords, and different vertical root chords.

3. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the front spar of the first vertical tail is connected to a first front vertical structural interface and the front spar of the second vertical tail is connected to a second front vertical structural interface, the first front vertical structural interface being different from the second front vertical structural interface.

4. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the rear spar of the first vertical tail is connected to a first rear vertical structural interface and the rear spar of the second vertical tail is connected to a second rear vertical structural interface, the first rear vertical structural interface being different from the second rear vertical structural interface.

5. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the aft portion of the fuselage includes at least one front horizontal structural interface and at least one rear horizontal structural interface,
the at least one front horizontal structural interface connected to a front spar of a first horizontal tail or to a front spar of a second horizontal tail,
the at least one rear horizontal structural interface connected to a rear spar of the first horizontal tail or to a rear spar of the second horizontal tail,
wherein the front spars of the first and second horizontal tails each define a sweep angle, the rear spars of the first and second horizontal tails each define a sweep angle, the first and second horizontal tails each have a leading edge that defines a sweep angle, the first and second horizontal tails each have at least one trailing edge that each defines a sweep angle, the first and second horizontal tails each have a horizontal box chord, the first and second horizontal tails each have a horizontal root chord, and the first and second horizontal tails each have a size,
wherein the first and second horizontal tails have at least one structural difference selected from the group consisting of different sweep angles of the front spars, different sweep angles of the rear spars, different sweep angles of the leading edges, different sweep angles of the trailing edges, different horizontal box chords, different horizontal root chords, and/or different sizes.

6. The aircraft of claim 5 wherein the front spar of the first horizontal tail is connected to a first front horizontal structural interface and the front spar of the second horizontal tail is connected to a second front horizontal structural interface, the first front horizontal structural interface being different from the second front horizontal structural interface.

7. The aircraft of claim 5 wherein the rear spar of the first horizontal tail is connected to a first rear horizontal structural interface and the rear spar of the second horizontal tail is connected to a second rear horizontal structural interface, the first rear horizontal structural interface being different from the second rear horizontal structural interface.

8. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the fuselage further comprises a forward portion,
the forward portion including at least one front canard structural interface and at least one rear canard structural interface,
the at least one front canard structural interface connected to a front spar of a first canard or to a front spar of a second canard,
the at least one rear canard structural interface connected to a rear spar of the first canard or to a rear spar of the second canard,
wherein the front spars of the first and second canards each define a sweep angle, the rear spars of the first and second canards each define a sweep angle, the first and second canards each have a leading edge that defines a sweep angle, the first and second canards each have at least one trailing edge that each defines a sweep angle, the first and second canards each have a canard box chord, the first and second canards each have a canard root chord, and the first and second canards each have a size,
wherein the first and second canards have at least one structural difference selected from the group consisting of different sweep angles of the front spars, different sweep angles of the rear spars, different sweep angles of the leading edges, different sweep angles of the trailing edges, different canard box chords, different canard root chords, and/or different sizes.

9. The aircraft of claim 8 wherein the front spar of the first canard is connected to a first front canard structural interface and the front spar of the second canard is connected to a second front canard structural interface, the first front canard structural interface being different from the second front canard structural interface.

10. The aircraft of claim 8 wherein the rear spar of the first canard is connected to a first rear canard structural interface and the rear spar of the second canard is connected to a second rear canard structural interface, the first rear canard structural interface being different from the second rear canard structural interface.

11. An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage comprising an aft portion,
the aft portion including at least one front horizontal structural interface and at least one rear horizontal structural interface,
the at least one front horizontal structural interface connected to a front spar of a first horizontal tail or to a front spar of a second horizontal tail,
the at least one rear horizontal structural interface connected to a rear spar of the first horizontal tail or to a rear spar of the second horizontal tail,
wherein the first and second horizontal tails are of different sizes.

12. The aircraft of claim 11 wherein the front spars of the first and second horizontal tails each define a sweep angle, the rear spars of the first and second horizontal tails each define a sweep angle, the first and second horizontal tails each have a leading edge that defines a sweep angle, the first and second horizontal tails each have at least one trailing edge that each defines a sweep angle, the first and second horizontal tails each have a horizontal box chord, the first and second horizontal tails each have a horizontal root chord,
wherein the first and second horizontal tails have at least one structural difference selected from the group consisting of different swee

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Schmidt Gregory M
• Walton Samuel Thomas

Classifications

• B64C5/04

  Noseplanes · CPC title

• B64C5/02 Primary

  Tailplanes · CPC title

• B64C39/12

  Canard-type aircraft · CPC title

• B64C2211/00

  Modular constructions of airplanes or helicopters · CPC title

• B64C3/185

  Spars · CPC title