Aircraft Wing Structure
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorJustin Grey Albright
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aircraft wing includes a center wing section having a continuous structure that spans beyond a first side of an aircraft fuselage and beyond a second side of the aircraft fuselage. The aircraft wing also includes a first outboard wing section attached to a first end of the center wing section by a first truss system that is accessible via a first closeout panel. The first end of the center wing section in on the first side of the aircraft fuselage. The aircraft wing also includes a second outboard wing section attached to a second end of the center wing section by a second truss system that is accessible via a second closeout panel. The second end of the center wing section is on the second side of the aircraft fuselage.
Claims20
An aircraft structure comprising:
- an aircraft wing comprising:
- a center wing section having a continuous structure that spans beyond opposite sides of an aircraft fuselage and which terminates respectively at center wing section ends;
- a pair of outboard wing sections each having an inboard end, and each outboard wing section is attached to a center wing section end of by a truss system that is accessible via a closeout panel;
- wherein:
- the center wing section and the outboard wing sections each have a top portion and a bottom portion each having one or more span-wise extending stringers;
- at least one stringer on the bottom portion of the center wing section terminates at a spaced distance from at least one stringer on the bottom portion of an outboard wing section to define a spanwise stringer gap at the location of the closeout panel;
- each truss system comprises:
- an upper fitting coupling a stringer on the top portion of the center wing section to a stringer on the top portion of an outboard wing section;
- a lower fitting extending across the spanwise stringer gap and interconnecting a stringer on the bottom portion of the center wing section to a stringer on the bottom portion of an outboard wing section;
- a center wing section strut extending between the upper fitting and the lower fitting at the center wing section end;
- and
- an outboard wing section strut extending between the upper fitting and the lower fitting at the inboard end of the outboard wing section.
A method of fabricating an aircraft structure, the method comprising:
- attaching an inboard end of each of a pair of outboard wing sections of an aircraft wing to one of a pair of center wing section ends of a center wing section of the aircraft wing by a truss system that is accessible via a closeout panel, wherein the center wing section has a continuous structure that spans beyond opposite sides of an aircraft fuselage and which terminates respectively at the center wing section ends;
- wherein:
- the center wing section and the outboard wing sections each have a top portion and a bottom portion each having one or more span-wise extending stringers;
- at least one stringer on the bottom portion of the center wing section terminates at a spaced distance from at least one stringer on the bottom portion of an outboard wing section to define a spanwise stringer gap at the location of the closeout panel;
- each truss system comprises:
- an upper fitting coupling a stringer on the top portion of the center wing section to a stringer on the top portion of an outboard wing section;
- a lower fitting extending across the spanwise stringer gap and interconnecting a stringer on the bottom portion of the center wing section to a stringer on the bottom portion of an outboard wing section;
- a center wing section strut extending between the upper fitting and the lower fitting at the center wing section end;
- and
- an outboard wing section strut extending between the upper fitting and the lower fitting at the inboard end of the outboard wing section
- mounting a pair of engines onto the center wing section respectively on the opposite sides of the fuselage, wherein each of the outboard wing sections is outboard of one of the engines.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.