US 10,850,826 B2Granted

Aircraft wing space frame

AssigneeThe Boeing Company

InventorMahesh Krishna Chengalva

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Aircraft wings have an interior volume that incorporates a space frame as a primary supporting structure of the wing, and enables securement of an aircraft fuselage to the wing. The space frame includes carbon fiber rods arranged to handle tensile and compression loads otherwise carried by conventional wing spars, ribs, and stringers normally connected to heavy structural metal wing box joints at the sides of a fuselage for attachment of left and right wings. The space frame also includes sleeve and shaft connectors secured to the carbon fiber rods, the connectors arranged in truss-like configurations for preventing buckling of the carbon fiber rods. The space frame is designed to extend at least midspan between wings, so that traditional wing box joints on a fuselage can be eliminated. Finally, wing skin panels secured to the space frame are designed to support only aerodynamic loads of flight.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An aircraft wing comprising:

an exterior skin defining an interior volume;
the interior volume having a space frame configured to support all tensile, compression, bending and torsional loads applied to the wing during flight, landing, and ground operations of the aircraft wing;
wherein the space frame is defined by a first array of carbon fiber rods extending spanwise within the interior volume, and a second array of carbon fiber rods extending chordwise within the interior volume;
the first and second arrays secured together by a first plurality of connectors, and wherein the exterior skin is secured to the space frame by a second plurality of connectors;
wherein the first array of carbon fiber rods comprises upper and lower carbon fiber rods, and the space frame further comprises a third array of midspan carbon fiber rods that also secure the upper carbon fiber rods to the lower carbon fiber rods via the first plurality of connectors;
wherein the midspan carbon fiber rods comprise a distinct load path within the space frame, the midspan carbon fiber rods being configured to extend spanwise from an aircraft fuselage to a midspan portion of the interior volume of the wing;
wherein the fuselage and the midspan portion each include a plurality of vertical elements that space the upper carbon fiber rods from the lower carbon fiber rods;
and
wherein each midspan carbon fiber rod is fixed to, and extends between, at least one pair of the vertical elements.

6 more elements

A space frame comprising a pair of integrated left and right aircraft wings having an exterior skin defining an interior volume of the wings;

the space frame comprising:
a first array of carbon fiber rods configured to extend spanwise within the interior volume at least midspan of each wing, and a second array of carbon fiber rods configured to extend chordwise from a leading edge to a trailing edge within the interior volume;
the first and second arrays secured together by a first plurality of connectors, and the exterior skin is secured to the space frame by a second plurality of connectors;
wherein the first array of carbon fiber rods comprises upper and lower spanwise extending carbon fiber rods, and the space frame further comprises a third array of midspan carbon fiber rods that also secure the upper carbon fiber rods and the lower carbon fiber rods together via the first plurality of connectors;
wherein the midspan carbon fiber rods comprise a distinct load path within the space frame, the midspan carbon fiber rods being configured to extend spanwise from an aircraft fuselage to a midspan portion of the interior volume of each wing;
wherein the fuselage, and the midspan portion of each wing, include a plurality of vertical elements that space the upper carbon fiber rods from the lower carbon fiber rods;
and
wherein each midspan carbon fiber rod is fixed to, and extends between, at least one pair of the vertical elements.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.