US 5,517,895 AGranted

Apparatus and methods for mounting a weaponry support plank on the cabin area floor of a helicopter

OwnerPaul H. Sandersoninventor

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Abstract

A longitudinally central portion of a weaponry support plank is secured to the cabin area floor of a McDonnell Douglas 500/530 helicopter using a support and reinforcing system associated with forwardly and rearwardly disposed pairs of stiffening ribs anchored to the top side of the floor. Opposite end portions of the front and rear rib pairs are removed and are laterally enclosed in and anchored to elongated reinforcing structures each having opposite ends generally aligned with the opposite ends of its associated shortened rib. End members are anchored to the floor at the opposite ends of each pair of shortened ribs and are also anchored to the opposite ends of their associated reinforcing structure. Two front support strut members have upper sides fixedly secured in a spaced relationship to a front side edge of the central plank portion, and two rear support strut members have sides fixedly secured in a spaced relationship to the rear side edge of the central plank portion. The undersides of the support strut members are removably and pivotally secured to the end members by expansion pins extending along axes transverse to the stiffening ribs. In an alternate embodiment of the support and reinforcing system the front support strut members are provided with rearwardly projecting extension portions that are anchored to reinforced opposite end portions of the central floor stiffening rib.

Claims24

Dependent claims

Weaponry support apparatus for use in a helicopter having a cabin area floor extending in a front-to-rear direction along a portion of the length of the helicopter and having opposite side edges adjacent cabin area door openings, and a mutually spaced series of elongated, parallel stiffening ribs secured to the top side of the cabin area floor and longitudinally extending transversely to said front-to-rear direction, said series of stiffening ribs including front and rear pluralities thereof and an intermediate rib disposed between said front and rear pluralities thereof, said weaponry support apparatus comprising:

a series of reinforcing means, each individually extending over, being anchored to and covering the stiffening ribs in said front and rear pluralities thereof, for reinforcing the stiffening ribs in said front and rear pluralities thereof, each of said series of reinforcing means having opposite ends generally aligned with its associated stiffening rib;
first and second pairs of end members respectively positioned at the opposite ends of said front and rear pluralities of stiffening ribs, said first pair of end members being anchored to said cabin area floor and to the opposite ends of the reinforcing means associated with said front plurality of stiffening ribs, and said second pair of end members being anchored to said cabin area floor and to the opposite ends of the reinforcing means associated with said rear plurality of stiffening ribs;
a weaponry support plank having a longitudinally central portion extending transversely through said cabin area in an upwardly spaced relationship with said series of reinforcing means, said longitudinally central portion of said weaponry support plank having a forwardly facing first side edge and a rearwardly facing second side edge;
a spaced apart pair of front support strut members having top side portions fixedly anchored to said first side edge of said longitudinally central portion of said weaponry support plank, and bottom side portions removably secured to said first pair of end members for pivotal movement relative thereto about axes generally parallel to said front-to-rear direction;
and
a spaced apart pair of rear support strut members having top side portions fixedly anchored to said second side edge of said longitudinally central portion of said weaponry support plank, and bottom side portions removably secured to said second pair of end members for pivotal movement relative thereto about axes generally parallel to said front-to-rear direction.

3 more elements

A method of mounting a weaponry support plank on a helicopter having a cabin area floor extending in a front-to-rear direction along a portion of the length of the helicopter and having opposite first and second side edges adjacent cabin area door openings, and a mutually spaced series of elongated parallel stiffening ribs, each secured to the top side of the cabin area floor and longitudinally extending transversely to said front-to-rear direction from adjacent said first and second side edges of the cabin area floor, said stiffening ribs including front and rear pluralities thereof and an intermediate stiffening rib disposed between said front and rear pluralities thereof, said method comprising the steps of:

shortening each of said stiffening ribs in said front and rear pluralities thereof by removing opposite end portions therefrom;
reinforcing the shortened stiffening ribs by laterally enclosing each of them with a separate reinforcing structure anchored thereto and having opposite ends generally aligned with the opposite ends of the shortened stiffening rib;
anchoring four end members to said cabin area floor, at the opposite ends of each front and rear pair of reinforcing structures, and fixedly securing each end member to the adjacent ends of its associated pair of reinforcing structures;
providing four support strut members, each having top and bottom sides;
fixedly securing the top sides of two of said support strut members in a spaced apart relationship to a first side edge of a longitudinally central portion of the weaponry support plank;
fixedly securing the top sides of the other two of said support strut members in a spaced apart relationship to the second side edge of the longitudinally central portion of the weaponry support plank;
orienting said longitudinally central portion of the weaponry support plank in a manner such that it longitudinally extends parallel to said stiffening ribs;
and
removably securing said support strut members to said end members for pivotal movement relative thereto about axes generally transverse to said stiffening ribs.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.