Structural element for an aircraft fuselage that prevents lateral-torsional buckling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9944378-B2
Application number	US-201414502670-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2014
Priority date	Dec 21, 2011
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a structural element for an aircraft fuselage, generally shaped in the form of a longitudinally elongate section. The element comprises two wings, each wing including: a portion that extends uninterrupted along the entire length of the section, and legs spaced apart from one another and extending from said uninterrupted portion such as to define an opening between two consecutive legs. One of the legs of one wing is arranged to face at least part of the opening defined between two consecutive legs of the other wing. Consequently, the structural element can be produced from a single fibrous preform on a curved tool, minimizing waste material and reducing the weight of said element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A structural element for an aircraft fuselage, comprising:
the structural element is elongate in a longitudinal direction and comprises two wings,
each wing comprising a part which extends uninterrupted over the entire length of the structural element and legs which are spaced apart from one another and extend from this uninterrupted part so as to define an opening between two consecutive legs, one of the legs of a wing being arranged opposite at least part of the opening defined between two consecutive legs of the other wing.

2. The structural element for an aircraft fuselage according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the two wings extends perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the profile.

3. The structural element for an aircraft fuselage according to claim 1 , wherein the opening of a first wing of the two wings is configured to receive at least two through elements of elongate shape in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the structural element.

4. The structural element for an aircraft fuselage according to claim 1 , wherein the openings of each wing are configured to receive two through elements of elongate shape in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the structural element.

5. The structural element for an aircraft fuselage according to claim 1 , wherein the opening of one of the two wings is configured to receive a single through element of elongate general shape in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the structural element.

6. The structural element for an aircraft fuselage according to claim 1 , wherein each wing comprises, at the free end of each leg, a foot which extends in a plane.

7. The structural element for an aircraft fuselage according to claim 6 , wherein the structural element is curved such that its curvature is locally perpendicular to the plane in which extends the foot of each leg.

8. The structural element for an aircraft fuselage according to claim 6 , wherein the legs of at least one wing are perpendicular to the feet of the wing.

9. The structural element for an aircraft fuselage according to claim 7 , wherein the openings of said at least one wing whose legs are substantially perpendicular to the feet of the wing are intended to each receive a single through element of elongate general shape in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the profile.

10. The structural element for an aircraft fuselage according to claim 5 , wherein the legs of at least one wing form an obtuse angle with respect to the plane in which the foot of each leg extends.

11. The structural element for an aircraft fuselage according to claim 5 , wherein each of the legs of the wings is perpendicular to the feet of each wing.

12. The structural element for an aircraft fuselage according to claim 1 , wherein the height of each wing varies along the longitudinal direction of the structural element.

13. The structural element for an aircraft fuselage according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the element varies along the longitudinal direction of the profile.

14. A method for manufacturing a structural element for an aircraft fuselage according to claim 1 , comprising a step of:
forming, on a tooling, a flat preform of the structural element.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein each wing of the structural element for an aircraft fuselage comprises, at the free end of each leg, a foot which extends in a plane, the tooling having a curvature whose radius of curvature is perpendicular to said plane.

16. An aircraft having a structural element for an aircraft fuselage, comprising:
the structural element is elongate in a longitudinal direction and comprises two wings,
each wing comprising a part which extends uninterrupted over the entire length of the structural element and legs which are spaced apart from one another and extend from this uninterrupted part so as to define an opening between two consecutive legs, one of the legs of a wing being arranged opposite at least part of the opening defined between two consecutive legs of the other wing.

Assignees

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

Inventors

• Alby Sebastien
• Giuseppin Laurent
• Mueller Markus

Classifications

• B64C2001/0081

  from metallic materials · CPC title

• B64C3/182

  Stringers, longerons · CPC title

• B64C3/187

  Ribs · CPC title

• B64C1/064

  Stringers; Longerons · CPC title

• B64C3/18

  Spars; Ribs; Stringers · CPC title