Aircraft with a subfloor region that accommodates an auxiliary compartment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9932104-B2
Application number	US-201615014090-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2016
Priority date	Feb 6, 2015
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

An aircraft with a fuselage and a floor structure that is arranged inside the fuselage, the floor structure and the fuselage defining a subfloor region between the floor structure and a fuselage underside of the fuselage, the subfloor region accommodating at least one auxiliary compartment, wherein an equipment bay with at least one auxiliary equipment is arranged within the subfloor region, the at least one auxiliary equipment being at least essentially stowable in the equipment bay in a stow mode and the at least one auxiliary compartment being at least partly arranged in a region between the equipment bay and the floor structure such that the at least one auxiliary compartment separates the equipment bay from the floor structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotorcraft with a fuselage, the rotorcraft comprising:
a floor structure that is arranged inside the fuselage defining a subfloor region between the floor structure and a fuselage underside of the fuselage;
an equipment bay with at least one auxiliary equipment arranged within the subfloor region, the at least one auxiliary equipment being at least partly stowable in the equipment bay in a stow mode; and
at least one auxiliary compartment being at least partly arranged in a region between the equipment bay and the floor structure such that the at least one auxiliary compartment separates the equipment bay from the floor structure;
wherein the at least one auxiliary equipment is forcibly moved in the equipment bay by a crash load from a stow position associated with the stow mode into at least one crash position in the equipment bay to reduce force on the auxiliary equipment.

2. The rotorcraft according to claim 1 , wherein the equipment bay comprises at least one outer wall that separates the at least one auxiliary equipment from the at least one auxiliary compartment.

3. The rotorcraft according to claim 1 , wherein the subfloor region is provided with a frame structure defined by transversal frame components and longitudinal frame components, the at least one auxiliary equipment being mounted to predetermined transversal and/or longitudinal frame components of the frame structure.

4. The rotorcraft according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one auxiliary equipment comprises a shaft that is mounted to the predetermined transversal and/or longitudinal frame components of the frame structure.

5. The rotorcraft according to claim 4 , wherein the shaft is mounted to the predetermined transversal and/or longitudinal frame components of the frame structure by means of structural frame attachments.

6. The rotorcraft according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of the structural frame attachments is provided with a crash fuse mount that holds the shaft, the crash fuse mount being adapted for absorbing energy in a crash load case.

7. The rotorcraft according to claim 6 , wherein the crash fuse mount comprises at least one crash fuse element that is provided with predetermined breaking points, the predetermined breaking points being adapted for breaking in the crash load case.

8. The rotorcraft according to claim 7 , wherein the structural frame attachments are mounted to the predetermined transversal and/or longitudinal frame components of the crashworthy frame structure by means of associated fixation means.

9. The rotorcraft according to claim 1 , wherein the equipment bay comprises an access door for closing the equipment bay in the stow mode, preferably sealingly.

10. The rotorcraft according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of fuel tanks is arranged around the equipment bay within the subfloor region, wherein the at least one auxiliary compartment defines a top fuel tank.

11. The rotorcraft according to claim 1 , wherein the equipment bay is arranged within the subfloor region on the side of at least one lateral fuel tank, wherein the at least one auxiliary compartment defines a top fuel tank that is an integral part of the at least one lateral fuel tank.

12. The rotorcraft according to claim 11 , wherein the equipment bay is separated from the at least one lateral fuel tank by at least one longitudinal frame component.

13. The rotorcraft according to claim 1 , wherein the equipment bay is arranged within the subfloor region behind at least one front fuel tank and/or in front of at least one rear fuel tank, wherein the at least one auxiliary compartment defines a top fuel tank that is an integral part of the at least one front fuel tank and/or the at least one rear fuel tank.

14. The rotorcraft according to claim 13 , wherein the equipment bay is separated from the at least one front fuel tank and/or the at least one rear fuel tank by at least one transversal frame component.

15. The rotorcraft according to claim 1 , wherein at least one auxiliary equipment is a cargo hook arrangement, wherein the equipment bay defines a cargo hook compartment.

16. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of fuel tanks is arranged around the equipment bay within the subfloor region, wherein the at least one auxiliary compartment defines a top fuel tank.

17. An aircraft with a fuselage, the aircraft comprising:
a floor structure that is arranged inside the fuselage defining a subfloor region between the floor structure and a fuselage underside of the fuselage, wherein the subfloor region is provided with a crashworthy frame structure defined by transversal frame components and longitudinal frame components;
an equipment bay arranged within the subfloor region;
at least one auxiliary equipment at least partly stowable in the equipment bay in a stow mode, the at least one auxiliary equipment comprising a shaft that is mounted to the predetermined transversal and/or longitudinal frame components of the frame structure with structural frame attachments;
at least one auxiliary compartment being at least partly arranged in a region between the equipment bay and the floor structure such that the at least one auxiliary compartment separates the equipment bay from the floor structure,
wherein at least one of the structural frame attachments is provided with a crash fuse mount that holds the shaft, the crash fuse mount being adapted for absorbing energy in a crash load case.

18. The aircraft according to claim 17 , wherein the crash fuse mount comprises at least one crash fuse element that is provided with predetermined breaking points, the predetermined breaking points being adapted for breaking in the crash load case.

19. The aircraft according to claim 18 , wherein the structural frame attachments are mounted to the predetermined transversal and/or longitudinal frame components of the crashworthy frame structure by means of associated fixation means.

Assignees

• Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH

Inventors

• Behrens Michael
• Wahnfried Markus
• Loeser Frank
• Mores Sebastian

Classifications

• B64D1/22

  Taking-up articles from earth's surface · CPC title

• B64D37/04

  Arrangement thereof in or on aircraft · CPC title

• B64D45/00

  Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64C1/18 Primary

  Floors · CPC title

• B64D9/00

  Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like · CPC title