FR2789144A1 - Aircraft panel seal has internal reinforcing member with projections for joining to panel by fixings - Google Patents

Abstract

The panel seal consists of a seal element (3) with an inner reinforcing member (5) which projects from the seal element to form a fastening zone (7) with holes (23) for fixings joining it to the edge of the panel. The seal is made from an elastomer or thermoplastic material with main and secondary (13) lips. The reinforcing member is of a composition material or metal and the fixings are in the form of nuts and bolts with washers.

Description

JOINT FOR PANELS AND AIRCRAFT COMPRISING SUCH A JOINT

  The present invention mainly relates to a seal for

  panels and to a structure, in particular to an aircraft comprising such a seal.

  It is usual to cover structural elements of an aircraft with panels. In particular, an airliner has panels covering the masts supporting the reactors called Karrnan panels while the junction between the wings and the cabin is covered with panels.

called Belly Fairing.

  One end of these panels is usually provided with a seal whose waterproof application makes it possible to reduce noise and improve the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft. Unfortunately, the joints of known types are, on the one hand, of insufficient rigidity to allow an effective application to ensure a good seal and, on the other hand, have a large thickness imposing a large space between the end of the panel (on which the

joint) and the application surface.

  It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a seal, in particular for panels of an aircraft, making it possible to ensure an excellent seal. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a joint allowing the panel to be mounted at a low angle to the structure

application of the seal.

  It is also an object of the present invention to provide a seal

with low mass.

  It is also an object of the present invention to provide a seal

  2 5 allowing rapid assembly with the panel for which it is intended.

  It is also an object of the present invention to provide an aesthetic seal, the colors of which match those of the part of the aircraft on

which he rode.

  It is also an object of the present invention to provide a seal

  3 0 minimizing the possibility of incorrect mounting.

  These objects are achieved by a seal according to the present invention comprising a proper seal, made for example of elastomer, plastomer and / or alloy or mixture of the two, in which is

  incorporated a rigid or elastic reinforcement projecting from the packing.

  The part of the frame protruding from the trim allows the joint to be fixed to a panel. The frame may have a small thickness so as to allow fixing at the end of the panel having a small footprint and allowing

  in particular the attachment to a panel arranged near a structure.

  Advantageously, the seal has two lips optimizing

sealing in both directions.

  The main subject of the present invention is a seal comprising a seal and fixing means on the edge of a panel, characterized in that it comprises a frame of the seal itself, said reinforcement projecting from the gasket itself to form a zone of attachment to the end of a

sign.

  The present invention also relates to a seal, characterized in that the area of the frame, of attachment is provided with receiving openings, of attachment means, having an axis passing through said opening. The present invention also relates to a seal, characterized in that it comprises a washer secured to said zone of

  securing said frame and surrounding said opening.

  The present invention also relates to a seal, characterized in that it comprises a nut secured to said area of attachment

  2 o of said frame and surrounding said opening.

  The present invention also relates to a seal, characterized in that the seal itself has a main lip and, in that the frame, is arranged substantially along the median plane

of the main lip.

  The present invention also relates to a seal, characterized in that the seal itself comprises furthermore

a secondary lip.

  The present invention also relates to a seal, characterized in that it comprises a bead arranged at a zone of

  3 0 contact with an application surface.

  The present invention also relates to a seal,

  characterized in that the lining itself is made of elastomer.

  The present invention also relates to a seal, characterized in that the lining itself is made of material

thermoplastic.

  The present invention also relates to a seal,

  characterized in that the frame is made of composite material.

  The present invention also relates to a seal,

  characterized in that the frame is made of metal.

  The present invention also relates to a seal, characterized in that the seal itself has a zone intended to be applied to an application surface provided with a coating with low

friction rate, in particular in PTFE.

  The present invention also relates to an aircraft characterized in that it is provided with at least one panel, one end of which comprises

a seal according to the invention.

  The invention will be better understood by means of the description below.

  after and annexed figures given as nonlimiting examples, and in which: - Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a seal according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view, on a smaller scale, of the joint of Figure 1 mounted on a panel and applied to a structure; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a joint according to the present invention; - Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view, on a smaller scale, of the joint of Figure 3 mounted on a panel and applied to a structure; - Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a seal according to the present invention; - Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of a seal according to the present invention; - Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a fifth

  exemplary embodiment of a seal according to the present invention.

  In FIGS. 1 to 7, the same references have been used for

  3 0 designate the same elements.

  In Figures 1 and 2, we can see a first example of a gasket 1 according to the present invention provided with a proper gasket 3 in which is incorporated a frame 5, extended outside of the gasket proper seal 3, in a fixing zone 7 allowing the assembly 3 5 of the joint 1 with, for example, one end 9 of a panel 11, such as a Karman panel or a fairing, for example a Belly Fairing. Advantageously, the main lip is slightly curved in the direction of its application surface, in particular a structure 15. The main lip is advantageously supplemented by a secondary lip 13 projecting from the frame 5 and, advantageously, slightly directed towards the attachment zone 7. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the main lip applied to the structure 15, for example of an aircraft, prevents the penetration of fluids from the exterior E towards the interior 1, while the secondary lip 13 prevents the fluid outlet from inside / outside E. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the armature 5 is in one piece and extends over substantially the entire length of the main lip of the lining 3. However, the anchoring of the gasket 3 can be improved by openings allowing the formation of bridges of material forming the gasket 3 itself through said openings. Similarly, depending on the desired mechanical behavior, the reinforcement 5 may include discontinuities or, it is possible to use several rigid or elastic layers, such as the layer 5 ′ illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, separated by the material forming the lining. seal itself. The secondary lip 13 may, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, not have its own reinforcement, or, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, may include a reinforcement 5 ", advantageously not secured to the reinforcement 5 so that the gasket itself 3 forms a hinge allowing the pivoting according to arrow 17 of the secondary lip 13 relative to the main lip when applying the gasket to the application surface 15. For example , as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lining 3 is further provided at the end of the main lip with a bead 19 increasing the surface of application of the lining on the structure 15 so as to avoid a risk of tearing or dislocation of the lining. As a variant, it is possible to produce the application end of the main lip in a material having

  harder than the rest of the packing.

  In FIG. 5, one can see an alternative embodiment of a seal 1 according to the present invention, the lip 13 of which has been offset backwards (on the left

  in the figure), this lip 13 is placed beyond a fixing opening 23.

  In FIG. 6, one can see a seal 1 according to the present invention, similar to the seal 1 in FIG. 5 but whose seal 3 of the main lip is arranged on only one of the main faces of the frame 5, the upper face, opposite the securing face of the secondary lip 13 in

the illustrated example.

  In FIG. 7, an exemplary embodiment of a seal according to the present invention can be seen, analogous to the seal illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, but

without secondary lip 13.

  It is understood that, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the seal 1 of FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 can be fitted with the reinforcements

  additional 5 'illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.

  It is understood that, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the joint 1 of FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6 can be provided with the armature

  additional 5 "illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.

  The orientation of the area 7 for attachment or assembly depends on the orientation to be given to the panel 11 with respect to the structure 15. In the example illustrated, the area 7 is located in the extension of the main lip. It is understood that the area 7 for fixing and assembling the frame 5 may have a large angle, adapted to the desired geometry, with the main lip of the seal itself. It should be noted that zone 7 has a very small thickness, while the secondary lip 13 can be crushed in contact with the application zone 15 of the seal 1 according to the present invention. As a result, the joint 1 according to the present invention makes it possible to fix the panels 11 at an angle a very small with respect to the structure 15 while leaving space for the means of

  attachment 21 inside the zone / delimited between the panel 11 and the structure 15.

  The panel 11 can be tangent to the structure 15 or on the contrary have a large angle which can range, for example, up to 70 The angle oa can, for example, be between 5 and 45, preferably between 7 and 30, for example equal to, 8 or 10. The seal 1 according to the present invention is, for example, in the form of a profile whose zone 7 is periodically provided with openings 23 of

  reception of the means 21 for fixing to a panel 11.

  This opening is made in the zone 7 which has a small thickness compared to the thickness of the gasket itself 3. The opening 23 makes it possible to receive fixing means 21 advantageously comprising a passing fixing axis through the opening 23, such as a bolt or a nut, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, a rivet or the like. As a variant, the joint 1 according to the present invention is directly glued or welded by the assembly zone 7 to the panel 11. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, a washer 25 is interposed between the zone 7 of assembly and nut. The washer and / or the nut can be directly secured to the zone 7 around the opening 23

  so as to reduce the assembly time of the aircraft.

  The seal 3 itself is, for example,

  made of elastomer, plastomer and / or a mixture of these two materials.

  Natural or synthetic rubber (for example silicone or ethylene propylene rubber) of hardness 40 to 90 Shore A is used, for example. The seal itself can receive any desired surface treatment and in particular a surface treatment. allowing the reduction of friction for example by depositing a layer of PTFE (polyethylene tetrafluoride) in particular on the contact zones between the lining 3 and the application surface 15. The embodiment of the seal according to the present invention illustrated in Figure 6 has a contact area 27 corresponding to the end of the seal comprising an end 27.1 of the frame 5 and an end 27.2 of the main lip of the seal 3 itself. Advantageously, the area 27 is flat or, at least, the surfaces 27.1 and 27.2 are tangent. Advantageously, the entire area 27,

  (i.e. zone 27.1 and zone 27.2) is covered by a PTFE coating.

  PTFE deposited by any suitable means such as bonding, projection or the like.

  Thus, the assembly is facilitated and the risk of the main lip, and especially the secondary lip 13 being turned in a direction opposite to the arrow 17, is avoided. On the contrary, the coefficient of friction can be increased, in particular by making the rough surface to improve the application of the lips on the surface

of application 15.

  The gasket itself 3 can receive pigments in the thickness or on the surface allowing the cabin to be decorated with

  the aircraft, in particular an airliner.

  The frame 5 may be metallic, in particular spring steel, stainless steel, titanium or a light alloy such as aluminum alloy. It can also be made of plastic or of composite material comprising, for example, glass, carbon or aramid fibers included in a

  plastic matrix such as epoxy.

  The seal has a hardness of, for example, between 40 Shore A and 90 Shore A, preferably between 70 Shore A and 80 Shore A. It can be made of compact material or on the contrary be provided with more zones. or less extensive in cellular material, preferably closed cells. The seal 1 according to the present invention is produced by extrusion or, advantageously, by

  overmolding of one or more reinforcements.

  The present invention applies in particular to the mechanical industry. The present invention applies mainly to the aeronautical industry.

Claims (13)

  1. A seal comprising a seal (3) and means for fixing to the edge (9) of a panel (11), characterized in that it comprises a frame (5) of the seal d '' proper seal (3), said frame projecting from the seal itself (3) to form a   zone (7) for joining with the end (9) of a panel (11).   2. A seal according to claim 1, characterized in that the zone (7) of the armature (5), of attachment is provided with openings (23) for receiving, of attachment means (21), comprising an axis passing through said opening (23).   3. Seal according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a washer (25) secured to said zone (7) for securing said   frame (5) and surrounding said opening (3).   4. A seal according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that it comprises a nut secured to said zone (7) for securing said   frame (5) and surrounding said opening (23).   5. Seal according to any one of claims   previous, characterized in that the seal itself (3) has a main lip and, in that the frame (5), is arranged substantially   2 0 according to the median plane of the main lip.   6. Seal according to any one of claims   previous, characterized in that the seal itself (3)   further includes a secondary lip (13).   7. Seal according to any one of claims   previous, characterized in that it comprises a bead (19) disposed at the level   an area of contact with an application surface (15).   8. Seal according to any one of claims   previous, characterized in that the lining itself (3) is made of elastomer.   30 9. Seal according to any one of claims 1 to   7, characterized in that the actual packing (3) is made of thermoplastic material.   10. Seal according to any one of claims   previous, characterized in that the frame is made of composite material.   3 5 11. Seal according to any one of claims 1   to 9, characterized in that the frame is made of metal.   12. Seal according to any one of claims   previous, characterized in that the seal itself has a zone (27) intended to be applied to an application surface (15)   fitted with a low friction coating, in particular PTFE.   13. Aircraft characterized in that it is provided with at least one panel (11), one end (9) of which has a seal (1) according to any one of previous claims.