Hybrid contoured load-spreading washer

• US 8,511,034 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2008
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Gregg, Paul S., Esposito, Jack, Firth, Lee C., Hunziker, Kenneth J.
• Primary Examiner(s): WENDELL, MARK R
• Application Number:
  US12/117,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20090003965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,930 Days
• Field of Search: 526/98, 248/429, 244/118.6, 296/65.13
• US Class Current: 52/698
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/015 Attaching seats directly to vehicle chassis
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 31/04 for maintaining a tensile load
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 43/00 Washers or equivalent devices; Other devices for supporting bolt-heads or nuts circlips F16B21/18; for indicating tensile load F16B31/02; forming a whole with the bolt or nut F16B33/00; locking bolts or nuts by means of a fixed plate or ring, or washer-like resilient plates F16B39/10, F16B39/24

Abstract

A hybrid contoured load-spreading washer is disclosed. An illustrative embodiment of the washer includes a washer body having a composite layer and a metal layer bonded to the composite layer and a fastener opening extending through the washer body. A floor beam seat track attachment assembly and a method of transmitting a load from a seat track to a floor beam web in a seat track attachment assembly are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a body comprising a fiber reinforced composite layer and a metal layer, said metal layer laminated to said fiber reinforced composite layer; and

an opening extending through said body to receive a fastener, a surface of the body is to correspond to and matingly engage a contour of an adjacent structure to enable a portion of a tensile load applied to the fastener to be distributed axially through the body to the structure, the surface non-perpendicular to an axis of the opening.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said fiber reinforced composite layer comprises graphite and epoxy.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said metal layer comprises a titanium alloy.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said fiber reinforced composite layer is biased along an axis disposed in generally parallel relationship with respect to a plane of said body.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a gap provided in said body to receive the contour of the adjacent structure.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tensile load comprises a crash load.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one body having a composite layer and a metal layer, said metal layer bonded to said composite layer, and a fastener opening extending through said composite layer and said metal layer, a surface non-perpendicular to said fastener opening comprises a contour to matingly engage an adjacent structure; and

a fastener is to extend through said fastener opening of said body and said composite layer of said body is to engage a floor beam cap, said fastener is to extend through a fastener opening of a seat track and the fastener opening of a floor beam cap, an interaction between the surface and the adjacent structure to enable a portion of a tensile load applied to the fastener to be distributed axially through the body to the structure.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a plurality of bodies and a plurality of fasteners.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said composite layer of said body comprises graphite and epoxy.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said metal layer of said body comprises a titanium alloy.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said composite layer of said body is biased along an axis disposed in generally parallel relationship with respect to a plane of said body.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said body has a generally triangular shape defined by three sides where one of said three sides comprises a concave notch shape.

13. A method of transmitting a load from a seat track to a floor beam web in a seat track attachment assembly having a floor beam cap between said seat track and said floor beam web, comprising:

providing at least one washer including a washer body having a composite layer and a metal layer, said washer body in engagement with a floor beam web, a metal layer bonded to said composite layer, and a fastener opening extending through said washer body;

extending a fastener through said at least one fastener opening in said seat track, said at least one fastener opening in said floor beam cap and said fastener opening in said washer body; and

transmitting a primary fastener load from said seat track to said floor beam web through said fastener and said washer body, respectively.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said composite layer of said washer body comprises graphite and epoxy and said metal layer of said washer body comprises a titanium alloy.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said composite layer of said washer body is biased along an axis disposed in generally parallel relationship with respect to a plane of said washer body.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising a plurality of web ridges provided in said floor beam web and a washer notch provided in said washer body and receiving one of said plurality of web ridges.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a body comprising a fiber reinforced composite layer and a metal layer, said metal layer bonded to said fiber reinforced composite layer, said metal layer comprising an outermost major area surface of said body; and

an opening extending through said body to receive a fastener, said body comprises three sides, one of said three sides comprises a shape that is to correspond to a contour of an adjacent structure to enable a substantial portion of a load applied to the fastener to be distributed through the body to the structure, the one of said three sides non-perpendicular to an axis of the opening.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a pair of sides disposed in angular relationship with respect to each other.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising a gap provided in said body and extending between said pair of sides.