US 12,552,515 B2 · Aerospace component joints for aircraft and related methods

Abstract

The aerospace component joints comprise a first component member comprising a first bonding face, a second component member comprising a second bonding face, one or more bond-enhancing features, and an adhesive layer forming a bond between the first and second bonding faces. The one or more bond-enhancing features comprises a plurality of reinforcing protrusions integral with the first component member, projecting from the first bonding face through the adhesive layer, and into the component member and/or one or more adhesive-receiving recesses defined in the first or second bonding faces and filled by the adhesive layer. The methods of preparing a component member for an aerospace component joint comprise integrating one or more bond-enhancing features into the component member. The methods of forming the aerospace component joint comprise positioning and adhesive-bonding the first bonding face to the second bonding face, and integrating the bond-enhancing feature(s) into the aerospace component joint.

Claims23

Dependent claims

An aerospace component joint for an aircraft, the aerospace component joint comprising:

a first component member comprising a first bonding face;
a second component member comprising a second bonding face that overlaps with the first bonding face along a bonded area of the aerospace component joint, wherein the first bonding face and the second bonding face are separated from one another along the bonded area by a gap;
an adhesive layer substantially filling the gap and forming an adhesive bond between the first bonding face and the second bonding face;
one or more bond-enhancing features, comprising at least one of:
a plurality of reinforcing protrusions integral with the first component member, wherein the plurality of reinforcing protrusions projects from the first bonding face, extends through the adhesive layer, and penetrates into the second component member through the second bonding face;
or
one or more adhesive-receiving recesses defined in one or both of the first bonding face and the second bonding face, wherein the adhesive layer substantially fills each adhesive-receiving recess of the one or more adhesive-receiving recesses.

4 more elements

A method of forming an adhesive-bonded aerospace component joint between a first component member comprising a first bonding face and a second component member comprising a second bonding face, the method comprising:

operably positioning the first bonding face and the second bonding face relative to one another, wherein the operably positioning comprises overlapping the first bonding face and the second bonding face with one another;
adhesive-bonding the first bonding face and the second bonding face with one another;
and
integrating one or more bond-enhancing features into the aerospace component joint, wherein the integrating comprises one or more of:
penetrating a plurality of reinforcing protrusions, which project from the first bonding face of the first component member, into the second component member through the second bonding face of the second component member;
and
substantially filling one or more adhesive-receiving recesses with an adhesive, wherein the one or more adhesive-receiving recesses are comprised in one or both of the first bonding face of the first component member and the second bonding face of the second component member.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Aerospace component joints for aircraft and related methods

Life of this patent

Aerospace component joints for aircraft and related methods

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23