EP-4737329-A2 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURED AIRFRAME STRUCTURE HAVING A PLURALITY OF REINFORCEMENT ELEMENTS

Abstract

Additive manufactured airframe structure having a plurality of additive manufactured airframe segments operable to be linked together in an assembled direction. Each of the plurality of additive manufactured airframe segments are separate from one another in an unassembled configuration. Plurality of reinforcement elements operable to be received in a receiving portion of the plurality of airframe segments and extending through the plurality of airframe segments in a normal direction. Receiving portion is located on the interior of a respective one of the plurality of airframe segments.

Inventors

• GUNDLACH, JOHN F.
• ALLEN, JACOB S.

Assignees

• Firestorm Labs, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20221221

Claims (11)

1. An additive manufactured airframe structure comprising: a plurality of additive manufactured airframe wing segments operable to be linked together in an assembly direction to form an aircraft wing, wherein each of the plurality of additive manufactured airframe wing segments are separate from one another in an unassembled configuration, and wherein each of the plurality of additive manufactured airframe wing segments comprise: a plurality of receiving channels that run through each of the additive manufactured airframe wing segments; a plurality of reinforcement elements operable to be received in a corresponding set of a plurality of receiving channels of each of the additive manufactured airframe wing segments and to extend through the plurality of additive manufactured airframe wing segments in the assembly direction; wherein the receiving channels are located on the interior of a respective one of the plurality of additive manufactured airframe wing segments, wherein the plurality of additive manufactured airframe segments form an assembled airframe component, and wherein the assembled airframe component is a wing.
2. The additive manufactured airframe structure as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of additive manufactured airframe wing segments form one or more hollow interior chambers and the receiving channels are adjacent to at least one of the one or more hollow interior chambers.
3. The additive manufactured airframe structure as recited in claim 2, wherein the receiving channels forms a substantially hollow portion corresponding in size to one of the plurality of reinforcement elements.
4. The additive manufactured airframe structure as recited in claim 2 or 3, wherein the receiving channels is formed as a tab that extends into the at least one of the one or more hollow interior chambers.
5. The additive manufactured airframe structure as recited in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of reinforcement elements are rods.
6. The additive manufactured airframe structure as recited in claim 5, wherein the rods are carbon fiber rods.
7. The additive manufactured airframe structure as recited in claim 5 or 6, wherein the rods are pultruded rods.
8. The additive manufactured airframe structure as recited in any of claims 5 to 7, wherein the rods are bonded to at least a section of respective receiving channels through adhesion.
9. The additive manufactured airframe structure as recited in any of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: a plurality of additive manufactured fuselage segments operable to be linked together in an assembled direction, wherein each of the plurality of additive manufactured fuselage segments are separate from one another in an unassembled configuration; a plurality of fuselage reinforcement elements operable to be received in a fuselage receiving channel of the plurality of fuselage segments and extending through the plurality of fuselage segments in a normal direction; wherein the fuselage receiving channel is located on the interior of the respective one of the plurality of fuselage segments.
10. The additive manufactured airframe structure as recited in claim 9, wherein the assembled airframe component is a fuselage.
11. The additive manufactured airframe structure as recited in any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the plurality of reinforcement elements are tubes.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17/559,829, titled ADDITIVE MANUFACTURED AIRFRAME STRUCTURE HAVING A PLURALITY OF REINFORCEMENT ELEMENTS and filed on December 22, 2021, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to an additive manufactured airframe structure that can include a wing, fuselage, payload bays, booms, rotor blades, propellers, landing gear, and/or other airframe component. BACKGROUND Additive manufacturing of parts is desirable as it provides the ability to rapidly change out parts and keep the stock of parts low. However, the current technology does not provide for assembling structures from several components without loss in one or more of the mechanical properties of the structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The novel features of the disclosure are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. A better understanding of the features and advantages of the present inventive concept will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative examples, in which the principles of the disclosure are utilized, and the accompanying drawings of which: FIG. 1 illustrates an isometric view of an airframe including a plurality of airframe structures that have a plurality of additive manufactured airframe segments, according to at least one instance of the present disclosure;FIG. 2 illustrates an isometric view of a wing segment having a plurality of reinforcement elements extending therethrough, in an unassembled configuration, according to at least one instance of the present disclosure;FIG. 3 illustrates an isometric view of a wing component having two wing segments in a partially assembled configuration, according to at least one instance of the present disclosure;FIG. 4 illustrates an isometric view of a wing component having a plurality of wing segments in a partially assembled configuration, according to at least one instance of the present disclosure;FIG. 5 illustrates an isometric view of a wing component having a plurality of wing segments in an assembled configuration, according to at least one instance of the present disclosure;FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a wing segment, according to at least one instance of the present disclosure;FIG. 7 illustrates an isometric cross-sectional partial view of a pair of wing segments, according to at least one instance of the present disclosure;FIG. 8 illustrates an isometric cross-sectional view of a wing segment, according to at least one instance of the present disclosure;FIG. 9 illustrates an isometric view of a fuselage segment in an unassembled configuration, according to at least one instance of the present disclosure;FIG. 10 illustrates an isometric view of two of fuselage segments in a partially assembled configuration, according to at least one instance of the present disclosure;FIG. 11 illustrates an isometric view of a plurality of fuselage segments in a partially assembled configuration, according to at least one instance of the present disclosure;FIG. 12 illustrates an isometric view of a plurality of fuselage segments in an assembled configuration, according to at least one instance of the present disclosure;FIG. 13 illustrates another isometric view of a plurality of fuselage segments in a partially assembled configuration, according to at least one instance of the present disclosure;FIG. 14 illustrates a cross-sectional view of one of the plurality of fuselage segments, according to at least one instance of the present disclosure; andFIG. 15 illustrates an isometric view of an airframe including a plurality of airframe structures that have a plurality of additive manufactured airframe segments in a partially assembled configuration, according to at least one instance of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," "including," "has," "having" or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, product, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited only those elements but can include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, process, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, "or" refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present). The term substantially, as used herein, is defined to be essentially conforming to the particular dimension, shape or other word that substantially modifies, such that the component need not be exact. For example, substantially cylindrical means that the object resembles a cylinder, but can h