Wing panel assembly

An apparatus for fabricating stiffened wing panel components for large commercial jet transport airplanes, said stiffened wing panel components including wing panel planks having elongated curved aluminum plates to which are fastened stiffening stringers an a parallel array extending longitudinally along said panel, said apparatus comprising:

• a yoke assembly, including
• first support structure mounted on a saddle, said saddle supported on a track extending along a longitudinal edge of an elongated pit for movement along said tracks in an “X” direction;
• a downwardly opening U-shaped yoke mounted on said support structure for movement therewith longitudinally along said pit in said “X” direction, said yoke having two arms depending from an upper cross member;
• a first pivotal mount for said yoke on said support structure and an actuator for pivoting said yoke on said first pivotal mount about an “A” axis parallel to said “X” direction;
• a second pivotal mount for said yoke on said support structure and a rotational actuator for rotating said yoke on said second pivotal mount about a vertical “B” axis normal to said “X” direction;
• a fixture supported on a vertically adjustable elevator mounted in said pit, said fixture having a plurality of headers for supporting and holding said wing panel component at a desired vertical position, as adjusted by said elevator, for fastener installation operations by said tools on said yoke.

An apparatus for fabricating a stiffened wing panel component in accordance with a desired curvature, said stiffened wing panel component including an elongated wing panel plank to which is fastened stiffening stringers an array extending longitudinally along said plank, said apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of headers for mounting said plank at index locations and against reference surfaces of said headers having said desired curvature;
• guides mounted in an elongated pit for moving said headers in to a precise vertical position for convenient access to said plank;
• a stringer positioning device for positioning a stringer against said wing panel plank accurately at a desired position;
• a downwardly opening yoke having spaced arms for supporting tools for clamp-up, drilling and fastener installation for fastening said stringers to said plank, said tools mounted on said arms of said yoke for performing clamp-up, drilling and fastener installation functions to fasten said stringer to said wing panel plank on said headers;
• a support structure for suspending said yoke over said elongated pit with said arms on opposite sides of said plank, said support structure having linear mobility in a “Z” direction laterally of said pit and in an “X” direction longitudinally of said pit, and also having rotational mobility about a vertical “B” axis and about an “A” axis parallel to said “X” axis;
• and
• a controller and circuit for generating signals and conducting said signals to an elevator actuator for moving said headers in a generally vertical direction to position said wing panel plank at an elevation corresponding to a next stringer to be attached to said wing plank.

An apparatus for fabricating wing panels for airplane wings at a desired chordwise curvature and spanwise curvature, said wing panels having a plurality of elongated wing planks attached together with splice stringers along adjacent longitudinal edges and stiffened with stiffening stringers, said apparatus comprising:

• a first set of headers of a fixture on which said planks are assembled and held at said desired curvature;
• an elevator for supporting said fixture in an elongated pit for precise adjustment of said fixture and said assembled wing planks in a generally vertical direction;
• a stringer positioning device for positioning a stringer against said assembled wing planks accurately in accordance with said wing design;
• a downwardly opening yoke having opposing arms suspended over said pit on a support structure;
• operating tools mounted on said arms of said yoke for performing clamp-up, drilling and fastener installation functions with said tools to fasten said stringer to said assembled wing panel planks on said fixture;
• horizontal rails for supporting said support structure longitudinally of said pit along a “X” axis to position said yoke and said tools mounted thereon sequentially at fastener positions spaced along said stringer;
• and
• motive apparatus for moving said elevator in a generally vertical direction to position said assembled wing panel planks at a desired elevation corresponding to a next stringer to be attached to said wing planks.