An aircraft (1) having a wing (3) and a wing tip device (4) at the tip of the wing (3), the wing tip device (4) having front and rear spars (14, 13), wherein the wing tip device (4) has a cross-brace spar (18) that links the front and rear spars and is oriented such that it is oblique to the front and rear spars (14, 13).

A method for manufacturing the trailing edge ribs and the bearing ribs of trailing edges of aircraft lifting surfaces, in which the trailing edge ribs and the bearing ribs are made by joining simple C-shaped parts and/or simple L-shaped parts so as to obtain the final trailing edge ribs and bearing ribs. The manufacturing of the simple C-shaped parts uses the same tooling both for the trailing edge ribs and the bearing ribs, and the manufacturing of the simple L-shaped parts uses the same tooling both for the trailing edge ribs and the bearing ribs.

A wing assembly include at least one fuel tank having a tank outboard end. In addition, the wing assembly includes a stout wing rib located proximate the tank outboard end and extending between a front spar and a rear spar. The wing assembly also includes at least one outboard wing rib located outboard of the stout wing rib and defining an outboard wing bay. The wing assembly also includes an upper skin panel and a lower skin panel each coupled to the front spar, the rear spar, the stout wing rib, and the outboard wing rib. A plurality of bead stiffeners are coupled to the upper skin panel and/or the lower skin panel and are spaced apart from each other within the outboard wing bay.

Sound absorbers and airframe components comprising such sound absorbers are disclosed. In one embodiment, an airframe component comprises an aerodynamic surface (48) and a sound absorber (38). The sound absorber (38) comprises a perforated panel (40) having a front side exposed to an ambient environment outside of the airframe component and an opposite back side. The panel (40) comprises perforations extending through a thickness of the panel for permitting passage of sound waves therethrough. The sound absorber (38) also comprises a boundary surface spaced apart from the perforated panel. The boundary surface and the back side of the perforated panel (40) at least partially define a cavity in the airframe component for attenuating some of the sound waves entering the cavity via the perforations in the perforated panel (40).

An apparatus is provided for analysis of a leading edge rib of a fixed leading edge section of an aircraft wing. The apparatus may identify geometric or inertial properties of a plurality of stiffeners of the rib in which respective stiffeners are represented by a collection of geometry within a solid model of the rib, and perform an analysis to predict a failure rate of the leading edge rib under an external load. From the failure rate, the apparatus may determine a structural integrity of the leading edge rib under the external load. Identifying the properties may include, extracting a section cut of the geometry that corresponds to and has one or more properties of the respective stiffener, and identifying the properties of the cross-section and thereby the respective stiffener based on a correlation of the cross-section to a generic profile of a plurality of different cross-sections.

A structural assembly including a first member having an external side and an internal side, the first member defining a first member through-bore, a second member having an external side and an internal side, the second member defining a second member through-bore aligned with the first member through-bore, and a mechanical fastening system including a bushing at least partially received in the first member through-bore, the bushing defining a bushing through-bore and including a flange, wherein the flange is positioned in a gap between the internal side of the first member and the external side of the second member, a nut plate connected to the internal side of the second member, the nut plate defining a clearance bore aligned with the second member through-bore and the bushing through-bore, the nut plate including a nut, and a bolt extending through the bushing through-bore and into threaded engagement with the nut.

An apparatus is provided for analysis of a leading edge rib of a fixed leading edge section of an aircraft wing. The apparatus may identify geometric or inertial properties of a plurality of stiffeners of the rib, and based thereon perform an analysis to predict a failure rate of the leading edge rib under an external load. From the failure rate, the apparatus may determine a structural integrity of the leading edge rib under the external load. Performing the analysis may include importing a plurality of section cuts into a finite element model of the rib and thereby identifying nodes proximate the section cuts. Under an external load, internal load distributions may be extracted from elements proximate the nodes and elements, and the failure rate of the leading edge rib under the external load may be predicted based on the internal load distributions of the elements.

A rib is disclosed for use in a torque box of a wing structure provided on an aircraft. The wing structure has a skin panel and a stringer coupled to the skin panel. The rib includes a web defining at least one stringer hole sized to receive the stringer, a shear tie coupled to the web and configured to engage the skin panel, and a clip positioned adjacent the at least one stringer hole. The clip has a base coupled to and aligned with the web, a head extending at an angle relative to the base and configured to engage the stringer, and a transition portion extending between the base and the head.

An aircraft (102) having a wing assembly (101) including a fixed wing (105) with a wing tip device (103). The wing tip device (103) is moveable between: a flight configuration; and a ground configuration. The outer end of the fixed wing (105) terminates at an outer rib (115), and the inner end of the wing tip device (103) terminates at an inner rib (117). The outer and inner ribs (115, 117) are located on opposing sides of an interface between the fixed wing (105) and the wing tip device (103). The fixed wing-skin (119) terminates inwardly of the interface, but the outer rib (115) has a surface-forming portion (127) forming an extension of the fixed wing-skin towards the interface. The wing tip device-skin (121) terminates outwardly of the interface, but the inner rib has a surface-forming portion (129) forming an extension of the wing tip device-skin towards the interface.

A vehicle is provided including a structure including a skin defining an outside surface exposed to ambient cooling flow and an inside surface. The structure includes a first structural member extending from the inside surface of the skin and a second structural member extending from the inside surface of the skin; and a thermal management system including a heat exchanger assembly positioned adjacent to, and in thermal communication with, the inside surface of the skin, the heat exchanger assembly positioned at least partially between the first and second structural members of the structure.