Airframe production

• Main Author: STEVEN NEIL SANDERSON
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 06.01.2016
• Subjects: AEROPLANES; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COMBINED OPERATIONS; CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; CONTROLLING; COSMONAUTICS; DESIGNING, MANUFACTURING, ASSEMBLING, CLEANING, MAINTAINING ORREPAIRING AIRCRAFT, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; GROUND OR AIRCRAFT-CARRIER-DECK INSTALLATIONS SPECIALLYADAPTED FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH AIRCRAFT; HANDLING, TRANSPORTING, TESTING OR INSPECTING AIRCRAFTCOMPONENTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; HELICOPTERS; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULARARTICLES; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS ORELEMENTS; OTHER WORKING OF METAL; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; REGULATING; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A method of producing a first part of an aircraft airframe 4 for attachment to a second part of an aircraft airframe 5 is provided. The method comprises: providing an initial structure, the initial structure being part of the first part of the aircraft airframe 4; providing a reference structure 64 representative of the second part of the airframe 5; positioning the initial structure with respect to the reference structure 64 such that its position/orientation relative to the reference structure 64 is the same as the position/orientation relative to the second part of the airframe 5 that it would have if the part of the airframe 4 was attached to the second part of the airframe 5; specifying an inner mould line 92; applying, to an outer surface of the initial structure. material 90; and machining the material 90 such that the position/orientation of the outer surface of the material 90 with respect to the reference structure 64 is the same as the position/orientation with respect to the second part of the airframe 5 that the inner mould line would have if the first part of the airframe 4 was attached to the second part of the airframe 5.