Structural Joint Having Continuous Skin With Inside And Outside Stringers
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorMoushumi Shome
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods provide for a structural joint utilizing overlapping blade stringers coupled to opposing sides of a continuous skin. According to embodiments described herein, a structural joint includes a number of inside blade stringers associated with a first component are coupled to an inside surface of a continuous skin. A number of outside blade stringers associated with a second component may be coupled to an outside surface of the continuous skin. The inside blade stringers and outside blade stringers may overlap on opposing surfaces of the continuous skin.
Claims20
A structural joint, comprising:
- a continuous skin having an inside surface and an outside surface;
- a plurality of inside blade stringers coupled to the inside surface of the continuous skin and configured substantially parallel to one another, each inside blade stringer having a joint end;
- and
- a plurality of outside blade stringers coupled to the outside surface of the continuous skin and configured substantially parallel to one another, each outside blade stringer having a joint end,
- wherein the joint ends of the plurality of inside blade stringers and of the plurality of outside blade stringers overlap on opposing sides of the continuous skin.
A method of joining two structures, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of inside blade stringers, each of the plurality of inside blade stringers comprising an inside stringer base flange and an inside stringer web projecting away from the inside stringer base flange and tapering to a reduced height at a joint end of the inside blade stringer;
- coupling the plurality of inside blade stringers to a first structure;
- coupling the inside stringer base flange of each of the plurality of inside blade stringers to an inside surface of a continuous skin;
- providing a plurality of outside blade stringers, each of the plurality of outside blade stringers comprising an outside stringer base flange and an outside stringer web projecting away from the outside stringer base flange and tapering to a reduced height at a joint end of the outside blade stringer;
- coupling the plurality of outside blade stringers to a second structure;
- and
- coupling the outside stringer base flange of each of the plurality of outside blade stringers to an outside surface of the continuous skin, wherein the joint end of each inside blade stringer overlaps the joint end of each outside blade stringer on opposing sides of the continuous skin.
A structural joint, comprising:
- a continuous skin;
- a plurality of inside blade stringers configured substantially parallel to one another, each inside blade stringer comprising an inside stringer base flange coupled to an inside surface of the continuous skin and an inside stringer web having an open edge spaced a distance from the inside stringer base flange, the distance decreasing to a reduced height at a joint end of the inside blade stringer;
- and
- a plurality of outside blade stringers configured substantially parallel to one another, each outside blade stringer comprising an outside stringer base flange coupled to an outside surface of the continuous skin and an outside stringer web having an open edge spaced a distance from the outside stringer base flange, the distance decreasing to a reduced height at a joint end of the outside blade stringer,
- wherein the joint ends of the plurality of inside blade stringers and of the plurality of outside blade stringers overlap on opposing sides of the continuous skin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.