Assembly of components to bodies
AssigneeAirbus Operations GmbH
InventorsPierre Zahlen, Guilherme Barsali, Dominique Chasteau
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for assembling a component to an aircraft body portion comprises using a funnel device to guide a portion of the component relative to the body portion for movement into a desired position for assembly. Also a funnel device which is configured to be supported by a body portion in a predetermined position and orientation relative to an orifice of the body portion during an assembly process. Also, a pintle mounting portion of an aircraft landing gear assembly is funneled into a predetermined position relative to a pintle mount portion of an aircraft body.
Claims10
A method for assembling a component to an aircraft body portion, the method comprising:
- using a funnel device to guide a portion of the component relative to the body portion for movement into a desired position for assembly, the body portion defining an orifice for receiving a mounting pin;
- locating the funnel device in a predetermined position relative to the orifice of the body portion;
- and
- supporting the funnel device in a predetermined position relative to the body portion,
- wherein the funnel device is configured to receive and guide a mounting portion of the component, the mounting portion defining an orifice for receiving the mounting pin, and
- wherein the method further comprises:
- placing the mounting portion proximal the funnel device and applying force to the component to move the mounting portion into and through the funnel device, whereby the mounting portion is funneled such that the orifice of the mounting portion is brought into approximate axial alignment with the orifice of the body portion.
A funnel device configured to be supported by a body portion in a predetermined position and orientation relative to an orifice of the body portion during an assembly process, the funnel device further configured to funnel a portion of a component into a predetermined position relative to the body portion, to thereby position an orifice of the component in a desired position relative to the orifice of the body portion,
- wherein the funnel device comprises at least one internal guide surface formed by at least one wall, and defines a through passage having a mouth end portion to receive a protruding portion of the component, the through passage having a cross sectional area that gradually narrows from the mouth end portion towards an opposite end portion of the through passage, the opposite end portion having a cross sectional area configured to receive and locate the protruding portion in the predetermined position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.