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US 10,843,821 B2Granted
Predictive preparation of material for joint assembly
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsRoger W. Engelbart, John William Adams, James C. Kennedy
Life of this patent
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AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsRoger W. Engelbart, John William Adams, James C. Kennedy
Estimating the term…
A method and system may be provided for determining a set of parameters for preparing a skin for assembly to a substructure. The skin may be nondestructively inspected to gather a data set relating to the skin thickness. Sets of as-built thickness values for the skin and of deviations from a nominal map of the skin thickness may be calculated. A mating area for the skin and substructure and a set of one or more locations for fastener holes in the mating area may be determined. A set of parameters for the one or more fastener holes and a set of one or more fastener lengths may be generated using the deviations. A tool may cut the one or more fastener holes using the set of parameters and the skin and substructure may be fastened using fasteners selected according to the generated set of one or more fastener lengths. The system may be used with a numerically-controlled machine, a nondestructive inspection system, and may include a computer coupled to the nondestructive inspection system for calculating the parameters for preparing the holes and the lengths of the one or more fasteners.
A method for determining a set of parameters for preparing a skin for assembly to a substructure, the skin defining an inner surface, an outer surface opposite the inner surface, and a skin thickness between the inner and outer surfaces, the substructure defining a mating surface for the skin, wherein a digital model associated with the skin includes a nominal map of the skin thickness, the method comprising the steps of:
A method for refining a set of drilling parameters used by a numerically-controlled machine to prepare a skin and a substructure for a joint assembly, the skin defining an inner surface, an outer surface opposite the inner surface, and a skin thickness between the inner and outer surfaces, the substructure defining a mating surface for the skin, wherein a digital model associated with the skin includes a nominal map of the skin thickness, and wherein the numerically-controlled machine includes a set of one or more locations for fastener holes, the method comprising the steps of:
A system for cutting a set of one or more fastener holes in a skin and a substructure using a numerically-controlled machine and a nondestructive inspection system, the skin defining an inner surface, an outer surface opposite the inner surface, and a skin thickness between the inner and outer surfaces, wherein a digital model associated with the skin includes a nominal map of the skin thickness, and wherein the nondestructive inspection system is configured to inspect the skin to gather a data set relating to the skin, and wherein the numerically-controlled machine includes a set of one or more locations and drilling parameters for the set of one or more fastener holes, the system comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.