Aircraft wing

• US 5,735,486 A
• Filed: 08/09/1996
• Issued: 04/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Inventors: Sigle, Christof, Pabsch, Arno, Piening, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): Mojica, Virna Lissi
• Application Number:
  US08/696,029
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 244/123, 244/124, 244/131, 244/133, 244/35 R, 416/229, 416/230
• US Class Current: 244/124
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 3/20 Integral or sandwich constructions

Abstract

In a wing with wing shells with good shear strength made of fibrous composite materials, particularly fiber-reinforced plastics, for aircraft, members taking up tensile and compressive forces are attached to the inside of the wing shells. These members have unidirectional fibers extending longitudinally of the wing. Stringers spaced longitudinally of the wing are provided on the inside of the wing shells, their fiber component being formed by a fiber ply joined to the fiber ply of the wing shell. Unidirectional fibre bundles are arranged between spaced stringers, the bundles being embedded with good shear strength in the synthetic resin matrix of the wing shells, extending longitudinally of the wing and having a substantially rectangular cross-section.

Claims

1. A wing for an aircraft comprising:

wing shells fabricated from fibre-reinforced plastics material having high shear strength, each wing shell including an outer fiber ply, an inside, a center portion, and a tip;

a plurality of spaced apart stringers located on the inside of the wing shells and extending longitudinally substantially along the entire length of the wing, the spaced apart stringers each having a fiber component formed by a fiber ply which is joined to the fiber ply of the wing shell; and

a plurality of fiber bundles arranged between spaced apart stringers as unidirectional stiffening elements, each wing shell having a synthetic resin matrix having high shear strength in which the fiber bundles are embedded, said fiber bundles extending longitudinally along the length of the wing and having a substantially rectangular cross section.

2. The wing as set forth in claim 1, said fiber bundles each having a fiber volume which decreases from the center portion of the wing shells to their tip.

3. The wing as set forth in claim 1, said fiber ply of each wing shell having a fiber volume which varies from the center portion of the wing shell to its tip portion.

4. The wing as set forth in claim 1 further comprising at least one intermediate wall extending in a direction parallel to the stringers and dividing widthwise the space between two adjacent stringers.

5. The wing as set forth in claim 4, said intermediate wall having a height which substantially corresponds to a height of the fiber bundles.

6. The wing as set forth in claim 4, each wing shell having a torsion skin with an inner fiber ply, each stringer and the intermediate wall being formed by folding at least the inner fiber ply of the torsion skin of the wing shell.

7. The wing as set forth in claim 6, said fiber component of each stringer and the intermediate wall being formed by strips of ply which are sewn onto the fiber ply of the torsion skin of the wing shell.

8. The wing as set forth in claim 6, the fiber plies forming the folds being sewn at least onto the inner fiber plies of the wing shell, at a foot of the folds.

9. The wing as set forth in claim 6, the dividing walls having upper edges which are provided with lengths of ply that lie on top of the fiber bundles.

10. The wing as set forth in claim 1, said fiber bundles having outer sides covered by a fiber ply with fibers extending transversely across the longitudinal direction of the bundles.

11. The wing as set forth in claim 10 further comprising fiber plies folded at an angle and stitched to the fiber ply covering the outer sides of the fiber bundles to form a cover, the folded plies extending transversely to fiber strands in the direction of the profile, and engaging over upright limbs of the stringers to form the fiber component of the stringers.

12. A wing for an aircraft comprising:

wing shells fabricated from fiber-reinforced plastics material having high shear strength, each wing shell including an outer fiber ply, an inside, a center portion, and a tip;

a plurality of spaced apart stringers located on the inside of the wing shells and extending longitudinally substantially along the entire length of the wing, the spaced apart stringers each having a fiber component formed by a fiber ply which is joined to the fiber ply of the wing shell;

a plurality of fiber bundles arranged between spaced apart stringers as unidirectional stiffening elements, each wing shell having a synthetic resin matrix having high shear strength in which the fiber bundles are embedded, said fiber bundles extending longitudinally along the length of the wing and having a substantially rectangular cross section; and

at least one intermediate wall extending in a direction parallel to the stringers and dividing widthwise the space between two adjacent stringers.

13. A wing for an aircraft comprising:

wing shells fabricated from fiber-reinforced plastics material having high shear strength, each wing shell including an outer fiber ply, an inside, a center portion, and a tip, each wing shell further having a torsion skin with an inner fiber ply;

a plurality of spaced apart stringers located on the inside of the wing shells and extending longitudinally substantially along the entire length of the wing, the spaced apart stringers each having a fiber component formed by a fiber ply which is joined to the fiber ply of the wing shell, each stringer being formed by folding at least the inner fiber ply of the torsion skin of the wing shell; and

a plurality of fiber bundles arranged between spaced apart stringers as unidirectional stiffening elements, each wing shell having a synthetic resin matrix having high shear strength in which the fiber bundles are embedded, said fiber bundles extending longitudinally along the length of the wing and having a substantially rectangular cross section.

14. A wing for an aircraft comprising:

wing shells fabricated from fiber-reinforced plastics material having high shear strength, each wing shell including an outer fiber ply, in inside, a center portion, and a tip;

a plurality of spaced apart stringers located on the inside of the wing shells and extending longitudinally substantially along the entire length of the wing, the spaced apart stringers each having a fiber component formed by a fiber ply which is joined to the fiber ply of the wing shell;

a plurality of fiber bundles arranged between spaced apart stringers as unidirectional stiffening elements, each wing shell having a synthetic resin matrix having high shear strength in which the fiber bundles are embedded, said fiber bundles extending longitudinally along the length of the wing and having a substantially rectangular cross section, said fiber bundles having outer sides covered by a fiber ply with fibers extending transversely across the longitudinal direction of the bundles; and

fiber plies folded at an angle and stitched to the fiber ply covering the outer sides of the fiber bundles to form a cover, the folded plies extending transversely to fiber strands in the direction of the profile, and engaging over upright limbs of the stringers to form the fiber component of the stringers.