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US 6,766,984 B1Granted
Stiffeners for aircraft structural panels
AssigneeICOM Engineering, Inc.
InventorCarlos M. Ochoa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aircraft structural panel (10) of the skin-stiffener type such as is commonly used in aircraft construction, has a skin (15) supported by uniformly spaced stiffeners or frames (39). Stiffeners (39) are secured to skin (15) and extend outwardly from the associated skin (15). Each stiffener (39) has a horizontal body (38), an inner mounting flange (41), and an outer bowed flange (42). Mounting flange (41) and bowed flange (42) have free edges and respective inturned beads or curls (44, 46) are formed thereon for stiffening of flanges (41) and (42).
Claims22
An aircraft structural panel comprising:
- a sheet skin portion;
- an elongate stiffener secured to said sheet skin portion, said stiffener defining in cross section a web and a flange extending outwardly at each extreme of said web, each of the flanges having a free edge;
- and
- a tubular bead extending along the free edge of each flange for reinforcing said stiffener;
- wherein the tubular beads are inturned and of an elliptical cross section with a minor axis that is at least about 40 percent of the major axis.
2 more elements
An aircraft structural panel comprising:
- an aircraft panel skin having a curved shape and defining an inner surface and an outer surface;
- a plurality of generally parallel elongate stringers each extending along the inner surface of said panel skin and extending outwardly from said panel skin;
- a plurality of generally parallel elongate curved stiffeners each aligned to be substantially transverse to a longitudinal axis of an elongate stringer;
- said stiffeners defining in cross section a web and a flange extending outwardly from each end of said web, each of the flanges having a free edge;
- and
- a tubular bead extending along the free edge of each flange for reinforcing said stiffeners, wherein the tubular beads are inturned and of an elliptical cross section with a minor axis that is at least about 40 percent of the major axis.
3 more elements
A structural panel for use on an aircraft fuselage comprising:
- a plurality of generally parallel spaced elongate structural frames;
- a plurality of generally parallel spaced stringers attached to said frames and extending in perpendicular relation to the longitudinal axes of said frames;
- a skin extending over and attached to said frames and said stringers;
- said frames defining in cross section a web and a flange extending outwardly at each end of said web, each of the flanges having a free edge;
- and
- a tubular bead extending along the free edge of each flange for reinforcing said frames;
- wherein the tubular beads are inturned and of an elliptical cross section with a minor axis that is at least about 40 percent of the major axis.
4 more elements
An aircraft structural panel comprising:
- a sheet skin portion;
- an elongate stiffener secured to said sheet skin portion, said stiffener defining in cross section a web and a flange extending outwardly at each extreme of said web, each of the flanges having a free edge;
- and
- a tubular bead extending along the free edge of each flange for reinforcing said stiffener, wherein each bead has a closed end to define an enclosed area;
- and a curled end portion of said bead extends within said enclosed area from said closed end to provide additional reinforcement.
2 more elements
An aircraft structural panel comprising:
- an aircraft panel skin having a curved shape and defining an inner surface and an outer surface, a plurality of generally parallel elongate stringers extending along the inner surface of said panel skin;
- a plurality of generally parallel elongate curved stiffeners aligned to be transverse to the longitudinal axes of said stringers;
- said stiffeners defining in cross section a web and a flange extending outwardly from each end of said web, each of the flanges having a free edge;
- and
- a tubular bead extending along the free edge of each flange for reinforcing said stiffener;
- wherein at least one of said flanges is a bowed flange.
3 more elements
A structural panel for use on an aircraft fuselage comprising:
- a plurality of generally parallel spaced structural frames;
- a plurality of generally parallel spaced stringers attached to said frames and extending in perpendicular relation thereto;
- a skin extending over and attached to said frames and said stringers;
- said frames defining in cross section a web and a flange extending outwardly at each end of said web, each of the flanges having a free edge;
- and
- a tubular bead extending along the free edge of each flange for reinforcing said frames;
- wherein at least one of said flanges is a bowed flange.
4 more elements
An aircraft structural panel comprising:
- a sheet skin portion;
- an elongate stiffener secured to said sheet skin portion, said stiffener defining in cross section a web and a flange extending outwardly at each extreme of said web, each of the flanges having a free edge;
- and
- a tubular bead extending along the free edge of each flange for reinforcing said stiffener wherein at least one of the tubular beads is inturned and of an elliptical cross section with a minor axis that is at least about 40 percent of the major axis.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.