Arrangement for fastening stringers to aircraft wing ribs

A fastening element intended to fasten the components in the aircraft wing frame together, and the wing frame comprising at least one transverse elongated wing rib and at least one longitudinal stringer above the wing rib and correspondingly at least one stringer beneath the wing rib, and

• the fastening element being an elongated part which can be arranged onto the vertical side surface of the wing rib,
• the fastening element comprising a substantially plate-like flexible portion with a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge, whereby the first longitudinal edge of the flexible portion can be arranged onto the vertical side surface of the wing rib,
• the second longitudinal edge of the flexible portion in the fastening element comprises a stiffener, and a first fastening portion is formed at the first end of the stiffener and correspondingly a second fastening portion is formed at the second end of the stiffener for fastening the upper surface stringer and correspondingly the lower surface stringer of the wing,
• the structure of the stiffener in the fastening element is stiff and capable of carrying vertical loads, and
• the flexible portion in the fastening element is formed to be bendable in the transverse direction of the fastening element allowing the stiffening portion to be moved in the longitudinal direction of the wing rib by bending the flexible portion.

A wing rib, which is a part of the aircraft wing frame, the wing rib being an elongated part made of fibre reinforced plastic intended to be arranged in the transverse direction of the wing and to which the longitudinal stringers on the upper and lower surface sides of the wing are intended to be fastened,

• the wing rib comprises a first vertical side surface and a second vertical side surface, whereby at least one side surface of the wing rib comprises at least one elongated fastening element, which is transverse in relation to the longitudinal axis of the wing rib and protrudes from the side surface, for connecting the stringer on the upper surface of the wing and the stringer on the lower surface of the wing to the wing rib,
• the fastening element comprises a stiffening portion, whose first end includes a first fastening portion and the second end a second fastening portion for fastening the stringers of the wing, and the stiffener in the fastening element is formed so as to carry the vertical loads between the stringers,
• a substantially plate-like flexible portion formed to bend in the transverse direction of the fastening element is placed between the stiffening portion and the wing rib, thus allowing the stiffening portion to be moved in the longitudinal direction of the wing rib by bending the flexible portion,
• the fastening element is made of fibre reinforced plastic and the fastening element is integrated into the structure of the wing rib so that at least a part of the reinforcing fibres and plastic matrix in the fastening element and the wing rib is common, the fastening element thus being a fixed structural part of the wing rib.