CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of and priority to French patent application 19 09572 filed on Aug. 30, 2019, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure herein relates to an assembly comprising a support tower and at least two support systems, each bearing a panel of a fuselage section of an aircraft and a production line using such an assembly.

BACKGROUND

A fuselage of an aircraft consists of several sections fixed in the extension of one another and each section is itself made up of several panels fixed to one another.

In a production line for such a fuselage, when the panels have to be fixed to one another, cradles are disposed around in order to horizontally support the panels and an access is mounted to allow operators to intervene in fixing operations. Then, to go from one station to another, the panels are transported by travelling overhead cranes.

Such a production line therefore requires a significant maneuvering space because of the presence of the cradles and of the access, as well as costly utilities such as the travelling overhead cranes.

It is therefore necessary to find a utility which simplifies the production of the sections of a fuselage.

SUMMARY

One object of the disclosure herein is an assembly comprising a support tower and at least two support systems, each bearing a panel of a fuselage section of an aircraft, in which the support tower allows the section to be held vertically while it is being manufactured.

To this end, an assembly is disclosed comprising a support tower and at least two support systems, each support system bearing a panel of a section of an aircraft fuselage and comprising four fixing points, the support tower comprising:a tower extending along an axis X,a seat on which the tower is mounted and which is rotationally mobile about the axis X, andfor each fixing point, a fixing base mounted on a three-dimensional adjustment system mounted on the tower and motorized to displace the fixing base in two horizontal directions and one vertical direction, in which each fixing point and the associated fixing base can be locked with one another to ensure the fixing of one with the other, and can be unlocked to allow them to be separated.

Such an assembly makes it possible to hold the different elements of the section vertically during assembly and thus allows for a space saving on the ground and a saving on utilities for the transfer.

According to a particular embodiment, each three-dimensional adjustment system takes the form of three motorized cross tables of which a first is mounted to slide in the tower, a second is mounted to slide on the first and a third is mounted to slide on the second.

According to a particular embodiment, each three-dimensional adjustment system is common for two fixing bases intended to receive two adjacent fixing points of the same panel.

Advantageously, the three-dimensional adjustment system comprises an adaptation beam which bears a fixing base at each of its ends, two adjustment carriages disposed one on top of the other relative to the direction of the axis X, and translationally mobile along the tower parallel to the axis X, for each adjustment carriage, an adaptation arm of which one end is mounted to rotate freely about a horizontal axis on the adjustment carriage and of which the other end is mounted to rotate freely about a horizontal axis on the adaptation beam, for each fixing base, a vertical adjuster on which the fixing base is fixed and which ensures a vertical adjustment, a first secondary cross table on which the vertical adjuster is mounted, which is motorized and which ensures a translation in a first horizontal direction, a second secondary cross table on which the first secondary cross table is mounted, which is motorized and which ensures a translation in a second horizontal direction at right angles to the first horizontal direction, and a main cross table that is motorized and mounted between the adaptation beam and the second secondary cross table and which ensures a horizontal displacement.

Advantageously, the tower comprises at least two levels, and one level has, at the level of the joint between two adjacent panels, a retractable platform.

Advantageously, the tower comprises at least two levels, each level having a deck positioned facing a joining line between two panels, and the tower has, for each deck, a retractable platform.

Advantageously, the assembly comprises a fixing head intended to fix two adjacent panels to one another, and the support tower comprises guiding rails fixed to the tower and along which the fixing head is displaced.

Advantageously, the support tower comprises a rocker, a securing base and moving mechanism, the seat is mounted to be rotationally mobile about the axis X on the rocker, the rocker is mounted to be rotationally mobile on the securing base about a horizontal rocking axis, and the moving mechanism(s) is/are provided and configured to displace the rocker about the rocking axis.

Advantageously, the panel is equipped with profiled elements drilled with holes, the fixing of the panel to the support system is ensured by a plurality of fixing systems, each fixing system comprises a shoe fixed to the support system, an actuator fixed to the shoe and comprising a retractable block, a bearing arm mounted to be rotationally mobile on the shoe between a bearing position and a separated position and an actuation system intended to rock the bearing arm, the actuator bears against a face of the profiled element and the block in extended position penetrates into a hole, and the bearing arm is rocked into bearing position to bear against the other face of the profiled element.

Advantageously, the support system comprises two support subsystems, each support subsystem comprises two main fittings fixed to the panel, one central fitting fixed between the two main fittings and two lateral fittings where each is fixed to one of the main fittings on the side opposite the central fitting, and each lateral fitting and the central fitting comprise at least one foot bearing against the internal face of the panel and that can be adjusted into position at right angles to the internal face.

The disclosure herein also proposes a production line for fuselage sections of an aircraft comprising:a storage station where panels used in the production of sections are stored, where each panel is fixed onto a support system of an assembly according to the preceding variant,a preparation station comprising a plurality of stands, each stand being designed to support a support tower of the assembly according to the preceding variant,a handling robot that moves between the storage station and the preparation station in order to position each of the at least two support systems and its panel on the support tower,an assembly station where the panels mounted on the support tower are fixed to one another to form a section,a rocking station comprising structure for rocking the support tower and the section that it bears, from the vertical position to the horizontal position so as to bring the axis of the section into horizontal position,a reception station comprising at least one cradle which receives the section when it is rocked by the rocking station, anda transfer station comprising a transfer path and a pallet truck which travels on the transfer path and which is designed to transport the support tower from a stand to the assembly station, then from the assembly station to the rocking station.

The subject matter herein also discloses a production line for fuselage sections of an aircraft comprising:a storage station where panels used in the production of sections are stored, where each panel is fixed to a support system of an assembly according to the preceding variant,a transfer zone where the panels are brought from the storage station on a transport carriage,a preparation station where each panel is fixed to a tower of an assembly according to the preceding variant, and which comprises a rocking system which makes it possible to rock the transport carriage from a horizontal position to a vertical position facing the tower to be fixed thereto,an assembly station where the panels mounted on the support tower are fixed to one another to form a section,a rocking station comprising structure for rocking the support tower and the section that it bears, from the vertical position to the horizontal position so as to bring the axis of the section into horizontal position, anda reception station comprising at least one cradle which receives the section when it is rocked by the rocking station.

