Abstract: A compact inlet design including a single bulkhead and/or an acoustic panel extending into nacelle lip region for noise reduction.

Abstract: Techniques for securing computer executable software for tracking usage of at least one software application are presented. The computer executable software for tracking usage of at least one software application can include tracking software installed on a client and monitoring software installed on the client, where the monitoring software is hidden from users of the tracking software. The techniques can include tracking, by the tracking software, a usage of the at least one software application by the client; obtaining, by the tracking software, a status of the monitoring software; and restarting the monitoring software, by the tracking software, in response to obtaining a status of the monitoring software indicating that the monitoring software is not executing.

Abstract: An aircraft fuselage end cargo door mechanism including a hinge rotatably coupling an aircraft fuselage end cargo door to a fuselage. The hinge being coupled to both the aircraft fuselage end cargo door and the fuselage so that an entirety of an axis of rotation of the aircraft fuselage end cargo door, defined by the hinge, relative to the fuselage is located forward of an entirety of a major joint line between the aircraft fuselage end cargo door and the fuselage. An uppermost portion of the major joint line comprises a joint line radius where a portion of the joint line radius formed by the aircraft fuselage end cargo door pivots within another portion of the joint line radius formed by the fuselage.

Abstract: A waste drain system is configured to be coupled to a toilet. The waste drain system includes a conduit including a main body defining an internal passage having a central longitudinal axis, and one or more cutting blades extending from the main body toward the central longitudinal axis. The one or more cutting blades are configured to cut one or more items that pass through the internal passage.

Abstract: Composite assemblies are described that include composite spars that are co-cured with one or more sacrificial members on their flanges, forming an integrated sacrificial surface for the composite spars. In one embodiment, the composite assembly includes a composite spar having a web and flanges that project from sides of the web. The composite assembly further includes a sacrificial member of composite materials co-cured with the composite spar on an outer surface of at least one of the flanges. In addition, the sacrificial member has an outer surface that has been machined into conformance with an inner surface of at least one skin panel for an aircraft structure to form a contact surface with the at least one skin panel.

Abstract: A tie-rod with a swivel tie-rod end includes a tie-rod central rod and a first tie-rod end including a swivel joint. The first tie-rod end is connected to the tie-rod central rod by the swivel joint. The swivel joint is operable to enable rotation of the first tie-rod end with respect to the tie-rod central rod while maintaining a common longitudinal axis between the first tie-rod end and the tie-rod central rod. The tie-rod further includes a second tie-rod end connected to the tie-rod central rod.

Abstract: A joining system includes a holding fixture assembly configured to hold a fuselage skin. The stringers are temporarily attached to the fuselage skin. The joining system includes an upper beam assembly including an upper beam and a lower beam assembly. The lower beam assembly includes a lower beam and at least one lower heating element. The holding fixture assembly is coupled to the upper beam assembly. The holding fixture assembly is coupled to the lower beam assembly. The upper beam is movable relative to the lower beam to clamp the at least one of the plurality of stringers and the fuselage skin together prior to and during welding.

Abstract: Implementations provide gas atomized metal matrix composite (“GAMMC”)-based feedstock for cold spray additive manufacturing (“CSAM”) enabling complex structural repairs. The feedstock is prepared by arranging a metal matrix composite (MMC) material in a gas atomization system, wherein the MMC material includes metal particles and ceramic particles. The feedstock is further prepared by performing gas atomization of the MMC material using the gas atomization system to atomize the MMC material, and producing a feedstock powder comprised of metal particles that are embedded with the ceramic particles from the atomized MMC material. The GAMMC-based feedstock comprises metallic (for binding to the substrate of the damaged part) and ceramic (for reinforcement) particles bonded together such that the ceramic particles bond directly to and within the metallic particles.

Abstract: A method of forming a reinforced panel may include engaging a reinforcement component having a faying surface with a first portion of a heated press, engaging an uncured panel component with an opposing second portion of the press, the panel component having a faying surface complementarily-configured with respect to the faying surface of the reinforcement component, treating the faying surface of the reinforcement component such that the faying surface is active for co-bonding with respect to the panel component, actuating the press to direct the first and second portions of the press toward each other, such that the faying surfaces are complementarily engaged under pressure; and heating the first and second portions of the press to a curing temperature associated with the panel component to substantially simultaneously co-bond the faying surfaces of the reinforcement component and the panel component together, cure the panel component, and form the reinforced panel.

Abstract: A computer vision method and computer vision system can be used to process a time-based series of images. For a subject image of the time-based series, a light intensity value is identified for each pixel of a set of pixels of the subject image. A light intensity threshold is defined for the subject image based on a size of a bounding region for an object detected within a previous image of the time-based series captured before the subject image. A modified image is generated for the subject image by one or both of: reducing the light intensity value of each pixel of a lower intensity subset of pixels of the subject image that is less than the light intensity threshold, and increasing the light intensity value of each pixel of a higher intensity subset of pixels of the subject image that is greater than the light intensity threshold.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a tool. A film is applied to a reference part. A vacuum is applied to cause the film to conform to a surface of the reference part such that an adhesive side of the film faces outward from the reference part and a release side of the film conforms to and contacts the reference part. A plurality of composite plates is adhered to the adhesive side of the film over a plurality of flat portions of the reference part. An adhesive material is applied to fill in a plurality of gaps between the plurality of composite plates. The adhesive material is cured to form the tool.

Abstract: Techniques for controlling a process to prevent injury are presented. The techniques include obtaining a location estimation of a mobile transmitter affixed to an object, where the location estimation is relative to a location of a fixed receiver, and where the obtaining the location estimation includes sending an ultra wideband communication from the mobile transmitter to the fixed receiver and acquiring the ultra wideband communication by a phased antenna array of the fixed receiver; assessing, based on the location estimation, that the mobile transmitter is within an impermissible location; determining that the location estimation is sufficiently accurate based on a distance between the location estimation and the fixed receiver; and interrupting the process upon both assessing that the mobile transmitter is within an impermissible location and determining that the location estimation is sufficiently accurate.

Abstract: An aircraft, a center wing box assembly for an aircraft, and a spanwise beam section for a center wing box assembly that includes a segmented structural configuration with an optimized access hole to accommodate user access into an interior space of the center wing box for purposes of assembly and maintenance. The center wing box assembly includes a first spanwise beam section, a second spanwise beam section, spaced from the first spanwise beam section, and a plurality of chord members serving as load-bearing structural reinforcement members for the first spanwise beam section and the second spanwise beam section. The chord members extend across the space between the first spanwise beam section and the second spanwise beam section to connect the first spanwise beam section and the second spanwise beam section in a manner which defines an access hole at the interior space.

Abstract: An apparatus for electrophoretic control of surfaces is described, including a vehicle component having an outer surface, a substrate, and a coating layer positioned on the substrate, where the coating layer includes electrostatically controlled ink microcapsules, a first pigment having a first color and a negative charge, a second pigment having a second color and a positive charge. The apparatus includes a layer array with a plurality of thin film transistors (TFTs) disposed laterally across the layer array. The apparatus includes a layer array that is positionable to be in proximity to the coating layer. A method for electrophoretic control of surfaces is also described, including placing a layer array in proximity to an outer surface of a component or panel, imparting a first electrical charge from the layer array to change a visual appearance of the outer surface from a first visual appearance to a second visual appearance.

Abstract: A coupling system and method are configured to secure one or more spars of a wing of an aircraft to one or more struts. The coupling system and method include a plurality of interface joints that secure the one or more spars to the one or more struts. At least a portion of a front surface of the one or more spars is linearly aligned with at least a portion of a rear surface of the one more struts.

Abstract: A method for flight constraints service includes receiving data items at a first computer, transforming the data items into formatted items, transforming metadata items associated with constraints into the formatted items, storing the formatted items in a database, receiving a request at the first computer to view a requested formatted item, generating a geospatial data interchange format file from the requested formatted item, transferring the geospatial data interchange format file from the first computer to a second computer, creating a visual presentation of the geospatial data interchange format file with the second computer, and presenting the visual presentation in a human-readable format at an output device. The data items have multiple data types. The formatted items includes multiple constraints. The constraints include multiple first constraints and multiple second constraints.

Abstract: A heatsink, a method of manufacturing the heatsink, and an induction welding apparatus including the heatsink. The heatsink includes a carrier sheet and a plurality of tiles. The carrier sheet comprises an electrically non-conductive material and has a contoured profile. The plurality of tiles comprises a thermally conductive and electrically non-conductive material. Each tile of the plurality of tiles has a bonding surface bonded to the carrier sheet and a contact surface opposite the bonding surface. The contact surface is configured to contact a structure to be induction welded.

Abstract: Systems and methods for inertial navigation aided by signals of opportunity (SOOP). One system includes a network operations center (NOC), a reference station, and mobile user equipment. Another system includes a NOC and user equipment without a reference station. In the latter system, the NOC comprises an antenna, a NOC receiver that generates SOOP data derived from SOOP, a computer system that generates SOOP source location/ephemeris data and inter-source clock bias data based on SOOP data generated by the NOC receiver, and a communication device to broadcast the data. The user equipment comprises an antenna, a navigation receiver that generates SOOP data derived from SOOP detected by the antenna of the user equipment, and a navigation computer system that calculates a navigation solution, including a SOOP-derived estimated position of the user equipment, based on SOOP source location/ephemeris data and inter-source clock bias data broadcasted by the NOC and SOOP data generated by the navigation receiver.

Abstract: Described herein are methods of forming uncured sealant assemblies and also methods of forming seals between various parts using such assemblies. In some examples, an uncured sealant assembly comprises two protective layers and an uncured sealant layer, disposed in between. The uncured sealant assembly is stored and provided at a cure-inhibiting temperature, selected to minimize the curing rate of the uncured sealant layer. The size and the shape of the uncured sealant layer are specifically selected to ensure the complete coverage of the faying surfaces, filling of all gaps and voids between the faying surfaces, and controlling the shape and size of uncured sealant squeeze out between the faying surfaces. In some examples, the size and shape of the uncured sealant layer maybe be specifically selected to have no uncured sealant squeeze out between parts.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods of coating a substrate. A method includes depositing a conductive coating including an electrically conductive material over the substrate to form a conductive layer having a sheet resistivity of about 10?/? to about 1000?/?. The method includes depositing an anti-icing layer comprising nanomaterials over the conductive layer to form a coating system.