Aircraft including a fuselage sponson

Abstract

An aircraft having a sponson extending substantially transversely relative to a main body of the fuselage of the aircraft and substantially perpendicularly relative to a vertical anteroposterior plane of symmetry P of the main body of the fuselage when the aircraft is standing on a horizontal support, the sponson including a notch locally reducing a cross-section of the sponson in a connection zone of the sponson, the connection zone being suitable for being arranged in the immediate proximity of the main body of the fuselage of the aircraft from which the sponson emerges transversely, the notch being open at least to a front outside face and to a top outside face of the sponson and being suitable for receiving a bottom portion of a sliding side door when in its open position.

Claims

1. An aircraft comprising: a main body of a fuselage; at least one sliding side door suitable for moving in translation along a longitudinal direction, the sliding side door being movable between a closed position arranged towards a front portion of the main body of the fuselage and an open position arranged towards a rear portion of the main body of the fuselage; at least one sponson emerging transversely from the main body of the fuselage substantially perpendicularly relative to a vertical anteroposterior plane of symmetry of the main body of the fuselage when the aircraft is standing on a horizontal support, the at least one sponson including a notch locally reducing a cross-section of the at least one sponson in a connection zone of the at least one sponson, the connection zone being arranged in the immediate proximity of the main body of the fuselage of the aircraft from which the at least one sponson emerges transversely, the notch being open at least to a front outside face and to a top outside face of the at least one sponson, and serving to receive a bottom portion of the sliding side door when arranged in its open position; wherein the notch of the at least one sponson comprises: a bottom inside face extending substantially horizontally when the aircraft is standing on a horizontal support and leading to the front outside face of the at least one sponson; a sloping inside face sloping towards the rear of the fuselage of the aircraft and extending between the bottom inside face and the top outside face of the at least one sponson; and an internal partition arranged substantially parallel to the main body facing the internal partition, the internal partition co-operating firstly with the bottom inside face and the sloping inside face and secondly with the front outside face and the top outside face of the at least one sponson.

2. An aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the sloping inside face slopes relative to the bottom inside face at a mean resulting angle lying in the range 120? to 150? as measured in a plane substantially parallel to the vertical anteroposterior plane of symmetry.

3. An aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the sloping inside face of the notch has a longitudinal section that is rectilinear in shape.

4. An aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the sloping inside face of the notch has a longitudinal section that is concave in shape.

5. An aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the sloping inside face of the notch has a longitudinal section that is complex in shape.

6. An aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the notch presents a depth along a vertical axis that lies in the range 25% to 95% of the total height along the vertical axis of the at least one sponson on another longitudinal section of the at least one sponson not including the notch.

7. An aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the notch presents, at least at the front outside face of the at least one sponson, a width along a transverse axis and lying in the range 100 mm to 350 mm.

8. An aircraft according to claim 1, wherein a junction between the bottom inside face of the notch and the sloping inside face of the notch includes a connection fillet.

9. An aircraft according to claim 1, wherein a junction between the bottom inside face of the notch and the sloping inside face of the notch includes a connection edge.

10. An aircraft according to claim 1, wherein a junction between the sloping inside face of the notch and the top outside face of the at least one sponson includes a rounded connection tangent.

11. An aircraft according to claim 1, wherein a junction between the sloping inside face of the notch and the top outside face of the at least one sponson includes a connection edge.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention and its advantages appear in greater detail in the context of the following description of embodiments given by way of nonlimiting illustration with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an aircraft in accordance with the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a side view in section of a fuselage sponson in accordance with the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 is a face view of a fuselage sponson in accordance with the invention; and

(5) FIGS. 4 to 6 show three embodiments of fuselage sponsons in accordance with the invention.

(6) Elements that are present in more than one of the figures are given the same references in each of them.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) It should be observed that three mutually orthogonal axes x, y, and Z are shown in FIGS. 1 to 6.

(8) The axis X is said to be longitudinal in so far as it extends between the front and rear ends of the aircraft. The term length is used relative to a longitudinal dimension of the aircraft along this longitudinal axis X.

(9) An axis Y is said to be transverse. The term width relates to a transverse dimension of the aircraft along this transverse direction.

(10) Finally, a third axis Z is said to be in elevation and corresponds to the height dimensions of the structures described. The term height thus relates to a dimension in elevation of the aircraft along said elevation axis. The axis Z is substantially vertical when the aircraft is standing on substantially horizontal ground.

(11) As shown in FIG. 1, the aircraft 20 comprises a main body 2 of a fuselage 3 with an anteroposterior plane of symmetry P defined by the axes X and Z. Such a plane P is thus vertical when the aircraft is arranged on a horizontal support.

(12) Furthermore, such an aircraft 20 includes at least one sponson 1 of the fuselage 3 emerging transversely from the main body 2 of the fuselage 3 along the axis Y. Such a sponson 1 also has a connection zone 6 enabling it to be secured to the main body 2 of the fuselage 3, and a notch 4 for positioning a sliding door 22 relative to the sponson 1.

(13) Specifically, and as shown in FIG. 2, the sliding door 22 can move in translation along a longitudinal direction D that is substantially parallel to the axis X. This movement in translation takes place between a closed position 18 of the sliding door 22 and an open position 19 of the sliding door 22. Furthermore, the closed position 18 is arranged in a front portion 12 of the main body 2, and the open position 19 is arranged in a rear portion 13 of the main body 2.

(14) Thus, when the sliding door 22 is in the open position 19, a bottom portion 27 of the door is received in the notch 4 in the sponson 1. Such a notch then has a bottom inside face 15 facing substantially parallel to the axis X and leading to a front outside face 7 of the sponson 1.

(15) Such a notch 4 also has a sloping inside face 16 rising towards the rear portion 13 of the main body 2. This sloping inside face 16 extends between the bottom inside face 15 and a top outside face 8 of the sponson 1.

(16) In addition, and as shown in FIG. 3, the notch 4 also has an internal partition 17 forming a fairing to avoid outside air penetrating into the inside volume defined by the sponson 1. Such an internal partition 17 that extends both between the two inside faces 15 and 16 of the notch 4 and between the front and top faces 7 and 8 of the sponson 1.

(17) Furthermore, at least at the front outside face 7 of the sponson 1, such a notch 4 presents a width l along the axis Y lying in the range 100 mm to 350 mm, e.g. being equal to 170 mm. Having such a width for the notch 4 then enables the sponson 1 to act as a step for facilitating maintenance operations on the aircraft 20.

(18) Also, section planes C1 and C2 that are parallel to the XZ plane are shown in FIG. 3. A first section plane C1 passes through the notch 4 of the sponson 1, while a second section plane C2 does not pass through the notch 4.

(19) Furthermore, and as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, various embodiments of sponsons 11, 21, 31 are envisaged representing three combinations combining three alternative shapes for the lateral inside faces 16, 26, 36, first and second examples of junctions 30, 40, 41 between the bottom inside face 15, 25, 35 and the sloping inside face 16, 26, 36, and first and second variants of junctions 37, 45, 47 between the sloping inside face 16, 26, 36 and the top outside face 8.

(20) Naturally, the invention is not limited to these three combinations that are given by way of nonlimiting indication. The invention thus also applies to any other combination of the three alternative shapes for the lateral inside faces 16, 26, 36, the two example junctions 30, 40, 41 between the bottom inside face 15, 25, 35 and the sloping inside face 16, 26, 36, and the two variant junctions 37, 45, 47 between the sloping inside face 16, 26, 36 and the top outside face 8.

(21) Thus, in a first embodiment of the sponson 11 as shown in the first section plane C1 in FIG. 4, the sloping inside face 16 of the notch 14 has a longitudinal section of rectilinear shape in accordance with a first alternative for the shape of the sloping inside face 16. Its angle of inclination a relative to the bottom inside face 15 is thus formed directly by the angular difference between these two faces 15 and 16.

(22) Furthermore, a junction 30 between the bottom inside face 15 and the sloping inside face 16 is shown in this example in the form of a connection edge 32 in accordance with the second example junction 30 between the bottom inside face 15 and the sloping inside face 16. Likewise, a junction 37 between the sloping inside face 16 and the top outside face 8 of the sponson 11 is shown in the form of a connection edge 38 in accordance with the second variant junction 37 between the sloping inside face 16 and the top outside face 8.

(23) In a second embodiment of the sponson 21 as shown in the first section plane C1 in FIG. 5, the sloping inside face 26 of the notch 24 has a longitudinal section of concave shape, in accordance with a second alternative for the shape of the sloping inside face 26, which concave shape may be parabolic for example. The angle of inclination a of the sloping inside face 26 relative to the bottom inside face 25 is thus formed by the angular difference between the bottom inside face 25 and the rectilinear direction corresponding to the mean of the points of the sloping inside face 26.

(24) Furthermore, a junction 40 between the bottom inside face 25 and the sloping inside face 26 is shown in this example in the form of a connection fillet 42 in accordance with the first example junction 40 between the bottom inside face 25 and the sloping inside face 26. A junction 47 between the sloping inside face 26 and the top outside face 8 of the sponson 21 is shown in the form of a connection edge 38 in accordance with the second variant junction 47 between the sloping inside face 26 and the top outside face 8.

(25) Finally, in a third embodiment of the sponson 31 as shown in the first section plane C1 in FIG. 6, the sloping inside face 36 of the notch 34 has a longitudinal section of complex shape in accordance with a third alternative for the shape of the sloping inside face 36. By way of example, such a complex shape may be sinusoidal. As in the second embodiment of the sponson 21, in this configuration, the angle of inclination a of the sloping inside face 36 relative to the bottom inside face 35 is thus formed by the angular difference between the bottom inside face 35 and the rectilinear direction corresponding to the mean of the points of the sloping inside face 36.

(26) Furthermore, a junction 41 between the bottom inside face 35 and the sloping inside face 36 is shown in this example in the form of a connection fillet 43 in accordance with the first example junction 41 between the bottom inside face 35 and the sloping inside face 36. Likewise, a junction 45 between the sloping inside face 36 and the top outside face 8 of the sponson 31 is shown in the form of a rounded connection tangent 46 in accordance with the first variant junction 45 between the sloping inside face 36 and the top outside face 8.

(27) In addition, and as shown in the three sponson embodiments 11, 21, 31, the depth b along the axis Z of the notch 14, 34, 34 is advantageously selected to be substantially equal to 80% of the total height H of the sponson 11, 21, 31 as measured in the second section plane C2.

(28) Naturally, the present invention may be subjected to numerous variations as to its implementation. Although several embodiments are described, it should readily be understood that it is not conceivable to identify exhaustively all possible embodiments. It is naturally possible to envisage replacing any of the means described by equivalent means without going beyond the ambit of the present invention.