This application claims priority to Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Application No. PCT/EP2004/007920 filed on Jul. 15, 2004 entitled, “CARGO DECK AND A METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING SAID DECK,” which claims priority to German Patent Application No. 103 32 798.3, filed Jul. 18, 2003; which claims priority to German Patent Application No. 103 39 507.5, filed Aug. 27, 2003; which claims priority to German Patent Application No. 103 39 508.3, filed Aug. 27, 2003; which claims priority to German Patent Application No. 10 2004 011 163.4, filed Mar. 8, 2004; which claims priority to German Patent Application No. 10 2004 011 164.2, filed Mar. 8, 2004; all of the above disclosures are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
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The invention relates to a cargo deck for a cargo compartment of an aircraft as well as to a method of assembling such a cargo deck.
From the document DE AS 21 62 042 a cargo deck of this kind is known, in which in the region of a loading-space door a first section of the cargo deck is formed by a plurality of ball mats, PDUs and similar functional units. Adjacent to this entrance region are a plurality of floor panels, between or on which are disposed roller conveyors, latches and additional PDUs, so that items of freight such as containers can be transported in through the cargo-compartment door and then onward, in the long direction of the aircraft, to their final storage position. Once in the storage positions, the containers are anchored by means of latches.
In the conventionally constructed cargo decks transverse beams are initially installed in the fuselage of the aircraft, on which are subsequently mounted profile elements to receive the latches, PDUs or transport rollers, with floor panels or ball mats situated between them. In the region of the cargo-compartment door the construction is still more elaborate. Here a kind of table is installed, on which the said functional units (PDUs, latches etc.) are disposed, and on which the ball mats are mounted (while leaving the PDUs etc. free). In every case, therefore, initially supporting structures are attached to the aircraft fuselage, on which the structures that form the cargo-compartment floor are subsequently mounted. The conventional construction of the cargo deck is thus complicated and furthermore results in a heavy weight.
The object of the invention is to provide a cargo deck and a method for its assembly that reduces complexity, regarding construction as well as manufacture and installation in the aircraft as compared to the prior art.
This object is achieved by the provision of a cargo deck for a cargo compartment of an aircraft with an outer skin wherein said cargo deck is adapted and made up of a plurality of floor modules that are fixed within the cargo compartment and constitute the cargo deck, and at the outer skin of the aircraft longitudinal beams are attached on which the floor modules are mounted. Moreover the cargo deck is adapted to receive loads and comprises a plurality of the floor modules, which are fixed within the cargo compartment as previously discussed and define the cargo deck, and a plurality of longitudinal beams attached to the outer skin on which the floor modules are mounted.
One feature of the invention is that it no longer involves the conventional structure in which the transverse beams are each individually attached to the aircraft fuselage and then the elements that form the cargo-compartment floor are mounted on them. Instead, modules are constructed that comprise sections of the cargo deck including the associated supporting structures (transverse beams), and these modules are then attached as a whole to the longitudinal beams. The result is not only a considerably simplified construction of the cargo deck, because the modules can be (pre-)assembled outside the fuselage of the aircraft; in addition, a considerable simplification is achieved because the modules are not attached directly to the outer skin or the ribs, but rather to the longitudinal beams. That is, whereas during manufacture of the aircraft fuselage there is a degree of tolerance regarding the distances by which the ribs are separated, the longitudinal beams can be finished outside the fuselage and hence with a high degree of precision. This means that the corresponding fixation devices for fixing the modules to the longitudinal beams can be attached accurately, so that when the modules are installed in the aircraft fuselage the entire arrangement can be fitted precisely into position.
Preferably the longitudinal beams consist of a material having a thermal expansion coefficient that corresponds substantially to that of the outer skin. This is especially important when the outer skin of the aircraft consists of a composite material, e.g. carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, a material that is extremely light. On the other hand, this material is only relatively poorly suitable for construction of a cargo-compartment floor, because it is relatively sensitive to impacts in locally restricted regions. Therefore the cargo-compartment floor is preferably made of light metal, in particular of aluminum components. The modules can now in turn be fixed to the longitudinal beams in such a way that changes in length of the longitudinal beams relative to the modules are accommodated (e.g., owing to corresponding tolerances of the fixation elements). When vertical loads are imposed, such tolerances play no role. To receive loads imposed in the long direction of the aircraft, each of the modules is connected to the outer skin at only two points, which are situated on opposite sides of the cargo compartment.
The longitudinal beams and/or the ribs are preferably provided with bores, rapid-closure elements or similar fixation devices for attachment of the floor modules, so that this simple method of attachment can be used.
The floor modules are attached to the longitudinal beams in such a way that substantially no forces acting in the longitudinal direction of the aircraft can be introduced from the floor modules into the longitudinal beam.
Preferably a single pair of longitudinal beams is provided for connection to the floor modules, i.e. one longitudinal beam on each side of the cargo compartment.
At the floor modules transverse beams are preferably provided, with which to attach the floor modules to the longitudinal beams, so that exactly specifiable fixation points are present. The floor modules or their transverse beams comprise supporting feet for attachment to the ribs. In general two such supporting feet suffice to achieve sufficient stability, but of course it is also possible to use larger numbers of supporting feet. For fixation of the supporting feet to the ribs, the above-mentioned manufacturing tolerances do not play any important role, because the supporting feet can be made elastic in the direction of the aircraft long axis, so that manufacturing differences can easily be compensated. That is, the supporting feet are almost exclusively needed to receive vertical loads, whereas forces in all other directions are transmitted into the outer skin by way of the longitudinal beams and hence the above-mentioned fixation points.
Preferably the ribs for fixation of the modules and/or the longitudinal beams comprise fixation elements that are attached to the ribs either in a zone between the outer skin and an edge region of the rib or else to the edge region itself, in which case no drilling is needed. This measure ensures that the ribs retain their function of stiffening the outer skin, despite the fact that the modules or longitudinal beams are mounted on them.
Preferably the modules are decoupled from one another with reference to forces in the long direction of the aircraft. This achieves a further improvement with regard to the compensation of thermally induced length changes, as well as an increase in assembly tolerance.
Furthermore, the above-mentioned objective is achieved by a method of assembling a cargo deck consisting of floor modules within an aircraft that is constructed from multiple barrel-shaped fuselage sections of an external skin reinforced by ribs, said method comprising at least the following steps:
a) production of floor modules;
b) production of longitudinal beams, including the provision of bores, rapid-closure elements or similar fixation devices for attaching the floor modules to the longitudinal beams;
c) fixation of sections of the longitudinal beams within the fuselage sections;
d) insertion of the floor modules into the fuselage section, and attaching them to the longitudinal beams.
Hence an important idea underlying the method so designed resides in the fact that on one hand the floor modules can be manufactured outside the aircraft fuselage, while on the other hand it is extremely simple to install the floor modules, because of the (lightweight) longitudinal beams, which can likewise be produced outside the aircraft fuselage and make installation of the floor modules very easy. Fixation of the longitudinal beams within the aircraft fuselage is in turn very uncomplicated, likewise because of their low weight and simple construction.
Preferably the longitudinal beams have a length no greater than that of the fuselage modules. As a result, the fuselage modules can be constructed so as to be substantially completely separate from one another, and need not be connected to one another until a final step of assembly has been reached. The transport of such fuselage sections (called “barrels” in technical jargon) can be done at various sites, as is customary in particular when several firms are collaborating on such a major project.
Preferably the step d) above is followed by another step e) in which feet on the transverse beam of the floor module are attached to the ribs. This fixation is relatively simple, because the floor modules are already at substantially the correct place (or have even been attached to the longitudinal beams) and hence at least a vertical positioning has already been correctly carried out.
Preferably after the step e), i.e. after the modules have been fixed in position within the fuselage, lining elements for the walls and ceiling are pushed into the fuselage sections and attached there. During this process the wall and ceiling lining elements have preferably been connected to one another, so that a separate fixation of these two elements with respect to one another during the final installation can be eliminated.
The floor modules can not only be installed in the fuselage sections while these are still separate from one another, but rather it is possible and even necessary, if fuselage sections of a particular length have been selected, to install at least some of the floor modules after the fuselage sections have been put together. In this case the modules and where appropriate also the wall and ceiling linings have preferably been dimensioned such that they can be loaded into the aircraft through the cargo-compartment door, transported to the appropriate destination site and then attached there.
Preferably while the floor modules are still outside the aircraft, i.e. prior to the step d), they are provided with sections of conductors for fluids and/or electrical current, or channels through which conductors or similar installation devices can be passed; after the step d) these are connected to one another. Here, again, it is easy to understand that pre-assembly outside the aircraft considerably facilitates the work of final installation.
Preferably at least parts of floor panels, ball mats or similar deck sections of the modules are fixed to the modules after the step e). This makes it possible to keep the bilge space (below the cargo deck) free for any other mounting procedures that may be undertaken.
The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for identical parts or parts with identical actions.
As shown in
Within the cargo compartment 9 are mounted deck sections 20 that together constitute a cargo deck. In the bilge space (below the deck sections 20) are disposed installation channels 13, conductors etc., which serve to supply both the passenger compartment and the cargo compartment with fluids (air, water, waste water, etc.) or electricity (as a source of energy, for data transmission, etc.).
As can be seen in
For stiffening the deck sections 20 and transmitting vertically imposed loads, transverse beams 30 are provided below the flat elements 21, 22 and profile elements 23; these beams comprise feet 31, 32 and, at their outer edges, bearing surfaces 33. The feet 31, 32 of the transverse beams 30 are fixed to ribs 11, whereas the bearing surfaces 33 are seated on longitudinal profiles 35 that are attached to the ribs 11 along an outer zone of the aircraft fuselage. In addition, the transverse beams 30 comprise peripheral collars 34, to which are attached other guide elements for containers that will be received.
After the deck sections 20 have been installed in the loading space they are connected to one another by means of the profile elements 23, as shown in
The deck sections 20 shown in
The modular deck sections thus constructed are endowed with a stiffness with respect to shear forces, owing to the rigid connection between the flat sections 21, 22 and the profile elements 23, such that longitudinal forces, introduced for instance by way of latches 44 in the middle of a deck section (see
To transmit the longitudinal forces from the deck sections 20 to the outer skin 12 of the aircraft fuselage 10 intermediate elements 50 are provided, which in the following will be described in detail with reference to
The intermediate elements 50 are very short in relation to the overall length (in the aircraft long direction) of the deck sections 20, and in the example shown here they are provided at only one end of each outer profile element 23 of a deck section 20. This ensures that when the materials used for outer skin 12 and deck sections 20 are extended to different degrees, for instance owing to temperature differences, and have different coefficients of expansion, no tensions can arise between the outer skin and the deck sections 20. That is, in the long direction of the aircraft one end of each deck section 20 is fixed to the aircraft fuselage 10, whereas its other end is seated so as to be floating in the aircraft long direction. Only forces directed perpendicular to the long axis of the aircraft are transmitted over the entire length of the deck sections 20 in the aircraft fuselage 10.
The embodiment of the invention shown in
In the following, the mounting is described in greater detail with reference to
As shown in
This installation, and of course also a dismantling for the purpose of exchange as well as subsequent installation of the wall/ceiling lining element, can be done through the cargo-compartment door 14.
This clearly also applies to the deck sections or modules, as shown in
In the following another way to attach the transverse beam 30 or longitudinal profile 35 to the outer skin is explained. At this juncture it should be emphasized that the outer skin concerned in the present description and shown in the drawings can also be “compact”, e.g. constructed in sandwich form, so that the ribs 11 or other (customary) longitudinal elements for stiffening the outer skin 12 as shown in the drawings are no longer visible at least from outside the skin (if they are even present as structures at all), because the present procedure produces an outer skin that is smooth even on its inner surface.
The embodiment shown in
The embodiment of the invention shown in
In the embodiment of the invention shown in
At this juncture it should once again be emphasized that a substantial point resides in the fact that the longitudinal forces are introduced over the entire floor regions and (as determined statically) are transferred to the outer skin at end corners of the floor modules and/or at ends of the transverse beams.
List of Reference Numerals
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
103 32 798 | Jul 2003 | DE | national |
103 39 507 | Aug 2003 | DE | national |
103 39 508 | Aug 2003 | DE | national |
10 2004 011 163 | Mar 2004 | DE | national |
10 2004 011 164 | Mar 2004 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP2004/007920 | 7/15/2004 | WO | 00 | 5/22/2006 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2005/012083 | 2/10/2005 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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2412778 | Kosek | Dec 1946 | A |
2625118 | Lechner | Jan 1953 | A |
3381921 | McDonough et al. | May 1968 | A |
3612316 | Baldwin et al. | Oct 1971 | A |
4479621 | Bergholz | Oct 1984 | A |
4780043 | Fenner et al. | Oct 1988 | A |
4875645 | Courter | Oct 1989 | A |
4989809 | Arnold | Feb 1991 | A |
5170968 | Helmner | Dec 1992 | A |
5322350 | Hinson | Jun 1994 | A |
5827022 | Tovani | Oct 1998 | A |
6039288 | Huber et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6070831 | Vassiliev et al. | Jun 2000 | A |
6554225 | Anast et al. | Apr 2003 | B1 |
7338013 | Vetillard et al. | Mar 2008 | B2 |
7475850 | Vetillard et al. | Jan 2009 | B2 |
20060065781 | Kress et al. | Mar 2006 | A1 |
20070194175 | Kismarton et al. | Aug 2007 | A1 |
20080213058 | Simmons et al. | Sep 2008 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
21 62 042 | Jul 1972 | DE |
201 22 116 | Jun 2004 | DE |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20070176048 A1 | Aug 2007 | US |