Circumferential skin joints for aerospace structures, methods of assembling the joints, and methods of manufacturing fuselage members that define the joints

A method of assembly of a circumferential skin joint, the method comprising:

• sliding a first tapered mating surface of a first composite fuselage member having a first composite skin against a second tapered mating surface of a second composite fuselage member having a second composite skin, wherein the first composite skin comprises a first chamfer that at least partially defines a first distal end of the first composite fuselage member, wherein the first chamfer defines the first tapered mating surface that extends circumferentially around an outer surface of the first composite fuselage member, wherein the second composite skin comprises a second chamfer that at least partially defines a second distal end of the second composite fuselage member, wherein the second chamfer defines the second tapered mating surface that extends circumferentially around an inner surface of the second composite fuselage member, and further wherein the sliding the first tapered mating surface against the second tapered mating surface includes sliding the first tapered mating surface against the second tapered mating surface such that the first chamfer is interior to the second chamfer;
• and
• fastening the first chamfer to the second chamfer to define the circumferential skin joint between the first composite fuselage member and the second composite fuselage member and to at least partially define a composite fuselage of an aerospace structure.

A method of manufacturing a first composite fuselage member, the method comprising:

• selecting a slope of a first tapered mating surface of the first composite fuselage member;
• forming a first laminate defining an overall shape of a first composite skin of the first composite fuselage member;
• and
• forming the first tapered mating surface within the first laminate;
• wherein the first composite skin comprises a first chamfer that at least partially defines a first distal end of the first composite fuselage member;
• wherein the first chamfer defines the first tapered mating surface, such that the first tapered mating surface extends circumferentially around an outer surface of the first composite fuselage member;
• and
• wherein the first tapered mating surface of the first composite fuselage member is configured to be coupled to a complementary second tapered mating surface of a second composite fuselage member to form a circumferential skin joint of a composite fuselage of an aerospace structure.