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AssigneeDeutsche Aerospace Airbus GmbH
InventorsGuenter Beuck, Hans-Juergen Mueller, Ralf Schliwa
Estimating the term…
An energy absorbing structural unit is attached outside the fuselage belly of an aircraft having at least two decks arranged one over another. At least the lower deck, of which the floor is adjacent to the fuselage belly, includes passenger cabin compartments and/or service facilities. The energy absorbing structure is an energy absorbing structural unit (5) that is attached outside of the existing aircraft fuselage (2) approximately vertically below the passenger cabin compartment (9) and/or service facilities provided on the lower deck of the aircraft. The energy absorbing structural unit absorbs impact energy arising in a crash or emergency landing of the aircraft. Because impact energy is absorbed by the external structural unit rather than or in addition to the structure of the aircraft fuselage and air frame, it is possible to provide lower deck passenger cabin space that may be continuously occupied by passengers and crew even during the take-off and landing phases of a flight. In this manner it is possible to increase the passenger capacity of an aircraft.
A multi-deck high-capacity passenger aircraft comprising a fuselage (2) with an upper fuselage portion and a lower fuselage belly (7), a passenger deck comprising a deck floor arranged in said fuselage belly without a hold space below said deck floor and having at least one of a passenger cabin compartment (9) and a passenger service facility arranged on said passenger deck, said aircraft further comprising an energy absorbing structural unit (5) arranged outside of and attached to said fuselage belly (7) at least in an area substantially vertically below said at least one passenger cabin compartment and passenger service facility arranged on said passenger deck.
An energy absorbing structural unit configured and adapted to be attached to the outside of a convex curved fuselage belly of a high-capacity passenger aircraft, said structural unit (5) comprising an upper pan member (12), a lower pan member (13) and a damping core structure (14) enclosed between said upper pan member (12) and said lower pan member (13), wherein said upper pan member has a concave curved shape adapted to mate with the convex curved shape of the fuselage belly, and wherein said lower pan member has an aerodynamically streamlined outer contour surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.