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US 10,766,598 B2Granted
Wing-to-fuselage joints and aircraft including the same
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsKenneth H. Griess, Gary E. Georgeson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Wing-to-fuselage joints and aircraft including the same. An aircraft includes a fuselage with an outer fuselage skin that at least partially defines an outer surface of the fuselage and a wing assembly operably coupled to the fuselage via a wing-to-fuselage joint. The wing assembly includes a left wing region with a lower left-wing-region skin and an upper left-wing-region skin, a right wing region with a lower right-wing-region skin and an upper right-wing-region skin, and a center wing region with a lower center-wing-region skin. The outer fuselage skin is coextensive with the lower center-wing-region skin.
Claims26
An aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage, wherein the fuselage comprises an outer fuselage skin that at least partially defines an outer surface of the fuselage;
- and
- a wing assembly operably coupled to the fuselage via a wing-to-fuselage joint, wherein the wing assembly comprises:
- a left wing region comprising a lower left-wing-region skin that at least partially defines a lower left-wing-region airfoil surface and an upper left-wing-region skin that at least partially defines an upper left-wing-region airfoil surface;
- a right wing region comprising a lower right-wing-region skin that at least partially defines a lower right-wing-region airfoil surface and an upper right-wing-region skin that at least partially defines an upper right-wing-region airfoil surface;
- a center wing region between the left wing region and the right wing region and comprising a lower center-wing-region skin;
- and
- a forward-most center wing spar and an aft-most center wing spar within the center wing region;
- wherein the wing-to-fuselage joint includes a single skin segment that at least partially defines both the outer fuselage skin and the lower center-wing-region skin;
- and
- wherein the single skin segment has a lateral width at a transition between the center wing region and the fuselage forward of the center wing region that is at least 25% of a maximum longitudinal distance between the forward-most center wing spar and the aft-most center wing spar.
8 more elements
An aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage, wherein the fuselage comprises an outer fuselage skin that at least partially defines an outer surface of the fuselage;
- and
- a wing assembly operably coupled to the fuselage via a wing-to-fuselage joint, wherein the wing assembly comprises:
- a left wing region comprising a lower left-wing-region skin that at least partially defines a lower left-wing-region airfoil surface and an upper left-wing-region skin that at least partially defines an upper left-wing-region airfoil surface;
- a right wing region comprising a lower right-wing-region skin that at least partially defines a lower right-wing-region airfoil surface and an upper right-wing-region skin that at least partially defines an upper right-wing-region airfoil surface;
- a center wing region between the left wing region and the right wing region and comprising a lower center-wing-region skin;
- and
- a forward-most center wing spar and an aft-most center wing spar within the center wing region;
- wherein the wing-to-fuselage joint includes a single skin segment that at least partially defines both the outer fuselage skin and the lower center-wing-region skin;
- and
- wherein the single skin segment has a lateral width at a transition between the center wing region and the fuselage rearward of the center wing region that is at least 25% of a maximum longitudinal distance between the forward-most center wing spar and the aft-most center wing spar.
8 more elements
An aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage, wherein the fuselage comprises an outer fuselage skin that at least partially defines an outer surface of the fuselage;
- and
- a wing assembly operably coupled to the fuselage via a wing-to-fuselage joint, wherein the wing assembly comprises:
- a left wing region comprising a lower left-wing-region skin that at least partially defines a lower left-wing-region airfoil surface and an upper left-wing-region skin that at least partially defines an upper left-wing-region airfoil surface;
- a right wing region comprising a lower right-wing-region skin that at least partially defines a lower right-wing-region airfoil surface and an upper right-wing-region skin that at least partially defines an upper right-wing-region airfoil surface;
- and
- a center wing region between the left wing region and the right wing region and comprising a lower center-wing-region skin and an upper center-wing-region skin;
- wherein the wing-to-fuselage joint includes a first single skin segment that at least partially defines both the outer fuselage skin and the lower center-wing-region skin;
- wherein the wing-to-fuselage joint includes a second single skin segment that at least partially defines both the upper left-wing-region skin and the upper center-wing-region skin;
- and
- wherein the wing-to-fuselage joint further includes a third single skin segment that at least partially defines both the upper right-wing-region skin and the upper center-wing-region skin.
8 more elements
An aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage, wherein the fuselage comprises an outer fuselage skin that at least partially defines an outer surface of the fuselage;
- a wing assembly operably coupled to the fuselage via a wing-to-fuselage joint, wherein the wing assembly comprises:
- a left wing region comprising a lower left-wing-region skin that at least partially defines a lower left-wing-region airfoil surface and an upper left-wing-region skin that at least partially defines an upper left-wing-region airfoil surface;
- a right wing region comprising a lower right-wing-region skin that at least partially defines a lower right-wing-region airfoil surface and an upper right-wing-region skin that at least partially defines an upper right-wing-region airfoil surface;
- and
- a center wing region between the left wing region and the right wing region and comprising a lower center-wing-region skin and an upper center-wing-region skin;
- and
- a wheel well within the fuselage rearward of the center wing region and comprising a wheel-well pressure deck constructed at least partially of an upper wheel-well skin;
- wherein the wing-to-fuselage joint includes a first single skin segment that at least partially defines both the outer fuselage skin and the lower center-wing-region skin;
- and
- wherein the wing-to-fuselage joint includes a second single skin segment that at least partially defines both the upper wheel-well skin and the upper center-wing-region skin.
8 more elements
An aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage;
- and
- a wing assembly operably coupled to the fuselage, wherein the wing assembly comprises:
- a left wing region;
- a right wing region;
- a center wing region between the left wing region and the right wing region and comprising a lower center-wing-region skin and an upper center-wing-region skin;
- and
- a forward-most center wing spar and an aft-most center wing spar within the center wing region;
- wherein a maximum vertical distance between the lower center-wing-region skin and the upper center-wing-region skin is at least 25% of a maximum longitudinal distance between the forward-most center wing spar and the aft-most center wing spar.
6 more elements
An aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage;
- and
- a wing assembly operably coupled to the fuselage, wherein the wing assembly comprises:
- a left wing region;
- a right wing region;
- a center wing region between the left wing region and the right wing region;
- and
- a single forward-most wing spar that spans the left wing region, the center wing region, and the right wing region.
5 more elements
An aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage;
- and
- a wing assembly operably coupled to the fuselage, wherein the wing assembly comprises:
- a left wing region;
- a right wing region;
- a center wing region between the left wing region and the right wing region;
- a single left forward-most wing spar that spans the left wing region and a left half of the center wing region;
- and
- a single right forward-most wing spar that spans the right wing region and a right half of the center wing region.
6 more elements
An aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage, wherein the fuselage comprises an outer fuselage skin that at least partially defines an outer surface of the fuselage;
- a wing assembly operably coupled to the fuselage via a wing-to-fuselage joint, wherein the wing assembly comprises:
- a left wing region comprising a lower left-wing-region skin that at least partially defines a lower left-wing-region airfoil surface and an upper left-wing-region skin that at least partially defines an upper left-wing-region airfoil surface;
- a right wing region comprising a lower right-wing-region skin that at least partially defines a lower right-wing-region airfoil surface and an upper right-wing-region skin that at least partially defines an upper right-wing-region airfoil surface;
- and
- a center wing region between the left wing region and the right wing region and comprising a lower center-wing-region skin;
- and
- a wheel well defined within the fuselage aft of the center wing region;
- wherein the wing assembly further comprises a keel beam extending from at least partially within the center wing region rearward across the wheel well;
- wherein the wing-to-fuselage joint includes a single skin segment that at least partially defines both the outer fuselage skin and the lower center-wing-region skin;
- and
- wherein the single skin segment at least partially defines both of the lower center-wing-region skin and the keel beam.
9 more elements
An aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage, wherein the fuselage comprises an outer fuselage skin that at least partially defines an outer surface of the fuselage;
- and
- a wing assembly operably coupled to the fuselage via a wing-to-fuselage joint, wherein the wing assembly comprises:
- a left wing region comprising a lower left-wing-region skin that at least partially defines a lower left-wing-region airfoil surface and an upper left-wing-region skin that at least partially defines an upper left-wing-region airfoil surface;
- a right wing region comprising a lower right-wing-region skin that at least partially defines a lower right-wing-region airfoil surface and an upper right-wing-region skin that at least partially defines an upper right-wing-region airfoil surface;
- and
- a center wing region between the left wing region and the right wing region and comprising a lower center-wing-region skin;
- wherein the lower left-wing-region skin and the lower right-wing-region skin are coextensive with the lower center-wing-region skin;
- and
- wherein at any lateral cross-section along a left transition between the lower left-wing-region skin and the lower center-wing-region skin and at any lateral cross-section along a right transition between the lower right-wing-region skin and the lower center-wing-region skin, a change in radius of curvature is less than 5%.
7 more elements
An aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage, wherein the fuselage comprises an outer fuselage skin that at least partially defines an outer surface of the fuselage;
- and
- a wing assembly operably coupled to the fuselage via a wing-to-fuselage joint, wherein the wing assembly comprises:
- a left wing region comprising a lower left-wing-region skin that at least partially defines a lower left-wing-region airfoil surface and an upper left-wing-region skin that at least partially defines an upper left-wing-region airfoil surface;
- a right wing region comprising a lower right-wing-region skin that at least partially defines a lower right-wing-region airfoil surface and an upper right-wing-region skin that at least partially defines an upper right-wing-region airfoil surface;
- a center wing region between the left wing region and the right wing region and comprising a lower center-wing-region skin;
- and
- a single forward-most wing spar that spans the left wing region, the center wing region, and the right wing region.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.