Method of manufacturing an aerodynamic structure
AssigneeAirbus Operations GmbH
InventorsDavid Brakes, Benjamin Bishop
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of manufacturing an aerodynamic structure, for example, an aircraft wing tip, is disclosed. The method includes providing an upper cover having a plurality of lugs, providing a lower cover having a plurality of lugs, measuring the distance between a lug on the upper cover and corresponding lug on the lower cover, selecting, from the plurality of different sized links, a link suitably sized to correspond to the measured distance between the lug on the upper cover and corresponding lug on the lower cover, connecting the selected link to the lug on the upper cover and corresponding lug on the lower cover; and repeating those steps such that each lug on the upper cover is joined to a corresponding lug on the lower cover.
Claims15
A method of manufacturing an aircraft wing tip, the method comprising the following steps:
- (a) providing an upper cover comprising a plurality of lugs;
- (b) providing a lower cover comprising a plurality of lugs;
- (c) measuring the distance between a lug on the upper cover and corresponding lug on the lower cover with an optical measuring apparatus;
- (d) selecting, from a plurality of different sized links, a link suitably sized to correspond to the measured distance between the lug on the upper cover and corresponding lug on the lower cover with an electronic selection apparatus;
- (e) connecting the selected link to the lug on the upper cover and corresponding lug on the lower cover with a machine assembly apparatus, wherein at least one lug on the upper cover is connected to two corresponding lugs on the lower cover, wherein at least one lug on the lower cover is connected to two corresponding lugs on the upper wing cover, and wherein the pairs of the links are preassembled with clips and slave bolts;
- and
- (f) repeating steps (c) to (e) such that each lug on the upper cover is joined to a corresponding lug on the lower cover.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.