Vent member, wing panel, and main wing for aircraft

• US 9,926,082 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Komoda, Ushio, Motohashi, Hideto
• Primary Examiner(s): Woldemaryam, Assres H
• Application Number:
  US14/353,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20140299713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,946 Days
• Field of Search: 2441231, 2441233, 24412312, 244119, 244120, 244121
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 3/182 Stringers, longerons
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 3/187 Ribs
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 3/26 Construction, shape, or attachment of separate skins, e.g. panels
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 3/34 Tanks constructed integrally with wings, e.g. for fuel or water
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 37/06 Constructional adaptations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 37/20 Emptying systems

Abstract

An opening portion of a vent member is prevented from being blocked, and thus ventilation is reliably performed. A plurality of opening portions (40A, 40B) are formed in a single vent stringer (20), and thus even in a case where one of the opening portions (40A, 40B) is blocked, ventilation is secured by the other opening portion. At this time, since the opening portions (40A, 40B) are formed in surfaces different from each other in the vent stringer (20), a possibility that both the opening portions (40A, 40B) may be simultaneously blocked is less.

Claims

1. A vent member of an aircraft that is formed along an inner surface of a wing panel having an outer surface forming an outer surface of a wing and the inner surface facing an inside of the wing and is continuous in a longitudinal direction of the wing panel, the vent member being a fully enclosed conduit defining a flow path between opposite terminal ends that are open that conveys air between the opposite terminal ends, said fully enclosed conduit extending continuously in a longitudinal direction of the wing between the opposite terminal ends and comprising a first opening portion formed in close proximity to at least one of the terminal ends of the vent member such that a plurality of opening portions are formed at one end of the vent member,

wherein the fully enclosed flow path extending between the opposite terminal ends is defined by a pair of ribs extending upwardly from the inner surface of the wing panel and a separate cover arranged to close a space between tip portions of the ribs,

the pair of ribs is formed integrally with the wing panel on the inner surface of the wing panel and is continuous in the longitudinal direction of the wing panel and the opening portion formed in close proximity to at least one of the terminal ends of the vent member is provided in the separate cover facing the inner surface of the wing panel.

2. The vent member according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of opening portions are formed in surfaces different from each other in the vent member.

3. The vent member according to claim 1, wherein the cover is coupled to the tip portions of the ribs by a fastener.

4. The vent member according to claim 1, wherein the first opening portion is formed so as to be an opening end in an end portion of the cover and is formed such that a cross-sectional area of the cover on both sides of the first opening portion is gradually reduced toward a terminus of the cover.

5. The vent member according to claim 4, further comprising;

an end plate provided in proximity to the terminus of the cover so as to close the space between the tip portions of the pair of ribs.

6. The vent member according to claim 3, wherein the wing panel is formed from a metal matrix, and the ribs are integrally formed with the wing panel by being cut out from the same metal matrix as the wing panel.

7. The vent member according to claim 1,

wherein the pair of ribs are formed integrally with the wing panel on the inner surface of the wing panel and is continuous in a longitudinal direction of the wing panel.

8. The vent member according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of opening portions are formed in surfaces different from each other in the vent member.

9. The vent member according to claim 1, wherein the wing panel is part of a main wing for the aircraft.

10. The vent member according to claim 1, wherein a central region of the vent member is devoid of the opening portions, and all of the opening portions provided to the vent member are formed closer to the terminal ends of the cover than the central region.

11. The vent member according to claim 1, wherein the ribs, the cover and the inner surface of the wing collectively define an opening portion at each of the terminal ends of the enclosed flow path to convey air between the opening portion at each of the terminal ends.

12. The vent member according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of opening portions is formed in a side wall of the vent member and another of the plurality of opening portions is formed in one of an adjacent side wall or an opposite side wall of the vent member.