FISH JOINT DEVICE HAVING AN IMPROVED MECHANICAL HOLD

• US 20140263836A1
• Filed: 01/17/2012
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Inventors: Guillemaut, Julien, Gallant, Guillaume
• Granted Patent: US 9,738,373 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/131
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/26 Attaching the wing or tail units or stabilising surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/02 by means of fastening members using screw-thread F16B5/0004 takes precedence; construction of screw-threaded connections F16B25/00 - F16B39/00

Abstract

The invention relates to a fish joint device intended to attach securely first and second structural elements of an aircraft to one another, having two fishplates positioned either side of the structural elements, and attached to them by a set of fishplate through fastenings. According to the invention, the fish joint device includes at least one intermediate fish joint plate which is positioned between one of said fishplates and said structural elements which said intermediate plate partly covers, and which is attached to these elements by a set of intermediate plate through fastenings which includes the set of fishplate through fastenings.

Claims

1. A fish joint device to attach securely first and second structural elements of an aircraft to one another, the device comprising two fishplates for positioning on either side of the structural elements, and comprising a set of fishplate through fastenings to attach the two fishplates to the structural elements, and

at least one intermediate fish joint plate which is positioned between one of said two fishplates and said structural elements which said intermediate fish joint plate partly covers, and which is attached to these elements by a set of intermediate plate through fastenings which include said set of fishplate through fastenings.

2. A fish joint device according to claim 1, wherein at least 50%, and preferably more than 66%, preferentially more than 75%, and even more preferentially 100%, of said set of intermediate plate through fastenings consist of said fishplate through fastenings.

3. A fish joint device according to claim 2, wherein said intermediate plate through fastenings are distributed in several rows which extend in parallel to a joining direction of said structural elements, each of which has the same number of through fastenings.

4. A fish joint device according to claim 1, wherein each of said fishplates and each intermediate fish joint plate is dimensioned so as to be capable of transmitting, between said structural elements, a level of forces greater than or equal to 50%, preferably 100%, and even more preferentially 150%, of a reference level equal to a quotient of a predefined maximum level of forces, divided by the number of fishplates and intermediate fish joint plate(s) of the device.

5. A fish joint device according to claim 1, in which at least one intermediate fish joint plate positioned in contact with said structural elements has a rigidity greater than that of the fishplate located on the same side as said intermediate plate relative to said structural elements.

6. A fish joint device according to claim 5, including at least one other intermediate fish joint plate positioned between said fishplate and said intermediate fish joint plate positioned in contact with said structural elements, and having a rigidity less than or equal to that of this latter intermediate plate.

7. A fish joint device according to claim 5, wherein said intermediate fish joint plate positioned in contact with said structural elements has a local thickness of between 50% and 80% of the combined local thickness of said fishplate and of each intermediate fish joint plate positioned between said fishplate and said structural elements.

8. A fish joint device according to claim 7, wherein said intermediate fish joint plate (40, 50) positioned in contact with said structural elements (1, 2) has a local thickness strictly greater than the local thickness of said fishplate (20, 30).

9. A fish joint device according to claim 7, wherein said fishplate has a local thickness of between 20% and 50% of the combined local thickness of said fishplate and of each intermediate fish joint plate positioned between said fishplate and said structural elements.

10. A fish joint device according to claim 1, wherein one of said fishplates comprises a metal material, in that the other fishplate comprises a a metal material or of a composite material, and in that each intermediate fish joint plate comprises a composite material.

11. An aircraft structure, having an aircraft wing surface including a wing surface element, forming a first structural element, and a fuselage box including a lower panel, forming a second structural element, together with a fish joint device according to claim 1 securely attaching to one another said wing surface element and said lower panel of the fuselage box.

12. A method for fishplating two structural elements of an aircraft by a device according to claim 1, comprising:

positioning the two fishplates, together with each intermediate fish joint plate of the device between one of the fishplates and said structural elements, on either side of said structural elements; and

attaching said fishplates and each intermediate fish joint plate to said structural elements by the set of intermediate plate through fastenings.