Abstract: A ball-joint support for thin parts, through which a ball-joint is operably coupled to a thin part, and where the ball-joint includes an inner part with a central coaxial orifice through which a longitudinal axis is introduced, and an outer part that engages complementarily to the inner part is provided. The ball joint support includes a cap including a central through hole in which the ball joint is embedded inside via the outer part, and externally, the cap is embedded in a cylindrical opening included in the thin part, and mechanical means for axial retention of the thin part to the cap, wherein the thickness of the cap is greater than the thickness of the thin part where the cap engages.

Abstract: An aircraft frame and a method for obtaining an aircraft frame, which frame is made of composite material, and which frame comprises several partitions (20) that form, when joined, the aforementioned frame in its entirety, with these partitions (20) comprising sections (1) with a length (2), and sections (1) that are being arranged on the inside of the skin (3) that forms the fuselage of the aircraft. This fuselage is integrally embodied in a single piece, with the length (2) of the sections (1) being the maximum possible, In such a way that the maximum separation (5) between the frame section (1) and the skin (3), with the separation (5) being measured by the inside of the aforementioned skin (3), is lower than the limit value permitted for the use of a liquid sealant.

Abstract: A covering of a fuselage for aircraft having propeller engines, including an opening which is surrounded by a structural frame formed by ribs and stringers of the aircraft around the area of maximum acoustic impact of the propeller engines. The opening further includes a non-structural panel joined to the structural frame by a non-rigid joint which considerably attenuates the vibrations through such joint, thus reducing the indirect acoustic noise and the indirect structural noise generated by the propeller engines inside the passenger cabin of the aircraft.

Abstract: Optimization of structures subjected to hot gas streams. The invention refers to a fairing (10) for aircraft horizontal stabilizer (3) comprising a front part (11) and a rear part (12), the front part (11) covering a limited extent of the fairing (10) surface, which is the part of the fairing (10) receiving hot air stream (6) coming from the aircraft engines (4), this front part (11) being made of an anti-erosion material, the rear part (12) covering the rest of the surface of the fairing (10), this rear part (12) being made of a material resisting the aerodynamic loads existing on the fairing (10). The invention also refers to an aircraft comprising a horizontal stabilizer (3) with a fairing (10) such as the one described.

Abstract: A protection device includes a flexible laminar body resistant to impacts, arranged separately from the body to be protected and put in the way of the beam of possible trajectories with which a foreign object could impact on the object to be protected, and it includes a plurality of energy absorption elements, provided with device clamping elements over a support structure positioned outside of the beam of possible trajectories, in order for the flexible laminar body to intercept an impact trajectory by the foreign object, resulting in its deformation and the subsequent progressive extension of the energy absorption elements reducing the loads to be supported by the support structure. The protection device is applied to prevent birds or other objects from impacting on sensitive areas of aircraft. The protection device is of a textile nature of reduced weight.

Abstract: A joint construction for an aeronautical structure made from composite material having an internal structural element and an adjoining skin element which define the aeronautical structure, which includes a coupling element disposed between and contiguous with the internal structural element and the adjoining skin element, wherein the coupling element has opposing adjoining diagonally configured end portions which form a wedge shaped diagonal joint therebetween which terminates at the internal structural element at one end and the skin element at the other end, and a plurality of rivets extending from the internal structured element to the adjoining skin, across the coupling element and across the diagonal joint.

Abstract: Methods and systems for optimizing the design of aerodynamic surfaces are provided. They include in the design process of an aerodynamic surface of a body which moves through a flow field, the following: preparation of a CFD simulation of said body; resolution of the CFD calculation for specific conditions of the flow field and for obtaining flow lines of the flow on said surface; calculation of at least one geometrical variable of the surface, such as, for example, the normal curvature, according to the direction of said flow lines; and simultaneous visualization of the surface of said body and of at least one geometric variable. Additionally, at least one variable of the aerodynamic flow, such as, for example, a pressure gradient, may be calculated and visualized.

Abstract: A drainage mast (13) for draining liquids from an APU compartment (11) of an aircraft with a first end (15) connected to the APU compartment (11) and a second end (17) for discharging said liquids to the atmosphere. The drainage mast (13) is configured with at least a sector having decreasing cross section areas towards the second end (17). The area of the initial cross section of said sector is lesser than the area of any cross section of the drainage mast (13) closer to the first end (15). The invention also refers to an aircraft comprising the drainage mast (13).

Abstract: Protective shield against ice impacts on aircraft, wherein the shield comprises plies of composite material (1) having microcapsules (2), each microcapsule containing a healing agent (5). When a crack (4) produced on the shield reaches at least a microcapsule (2), the healing agent is spilled in the delaminated area. Some catalyst particles (3) can be included in the material and in that case, the healing agent (5) is polymerized reacting with the catalyst particles (3). If no catalyst particles (3) are included in the material, the healing agent (5) may also actuate when manually heated. Such kinds of materials allow recovering at least partially the impact strength of the shields after impact, which is particularly important in case of ice impacts that can be repetitive during operations in icing conditions.

Abstract: An aircraft versatile power system (1) comprises an air breathing engine (2), a power converter (6), and a motor (4). The power converter (6) transforms shaft motion provided by the air breathing engine (2) into another type of energy. The motor (4) uses the energy provided by the power converter (6) to move a motor shaft (14), and the motor shaft (14) turns the landing gear wheels (3), generating aircraft movement. The air breathing engine (2) also produces thrust, enabling an aircraft dual propulsive operation either by the landing gear wheels (3) movement, or by direct thrust through the nozzle (25).

Abstract: Commercial aircraft (11) having a black box (41) comprising a flight data recorder (49) connected to suitable acquisition units (13, 14, 15) for recording information required for crash investigation purposes inside a container (43), wherein the aircraft (11) comprises a crash detection device (17); the black box (41) is installed in a suitable location for being ejected outside the aircraft in a crash event through a duct (21, 31) having its exit in a fuselage area where the ejected black box (41) would not impact on the aircraft; the aircraft (11) also comprises ejection means (23, 33), controlled by a black box ejection control unit (19) connected to said crash detection device (17), for ejecting the black box (41) through said duct (21, 31), when an impending crash is detected by said crash detection device (17).

Abstract: A method for manufacturing pieces of composite material having varied thicknesses is disclosed. The method includes a first stacking stage and a second forming and drying stage. In the second stage, a forming tool, which is adapted to the configuration of the piece, except in the zone affected by the change in thickness, is used. In the first stage, one or more pre-forms of the piece are stacked successively with some cloths having the dimensions needed for producing the change of thickness, some laminates of a peelable material, and some supplementary cloths in such a way that the resulting layers have the thickness needed to be adapted to the forming tool. At the end of the second stage, laminates resulting from the supplementary cloths and laminates of a peelable material are removed.

Abstract: An aircraft (1) horizontal stabilizer (2) which can vary its sweep angle (6) by rotating around an essentially vertical axis (4) with respect to the direction of flight of the aircraft (1) when the aircraft (1) is in flight at high speeds, close to the speed of sound, this axis (4) being contained in the plane of symmetry of the aforementioned aircraft (1), the aforementioned horizontal stabilizer (2) being is a single and structurally continuous component such that it does not transmit a bending moment to the fuselage (14) structure of the aircraft (1), which permits it to be of reduced weight, such that the horizontal stabilizer (2) rotates in a single way and a single direction around the axis (4) to achieve the sweep angle (6) required for high-speed flight.

Abstract: A method of improving a 2D or 3D multiblock-structured mesh of an object that moves through a fluid medium, such as an aircraft. The method is used in the design of the object in connection with a defined analytical scheme, the mesh having been generated with rectangular (2D) or hexahedral (3D) blocks under constraints that may cause the mesh to include irregular blocks comprising the following steps: finding irregular blocks in the mesh; degenerating the irregular blocks merging contiguous edges or sides in one edge or side so that triangular (2D) or pentahedral (3D) blocks are formed and extending the modifications all along the blocks that are propagated; and generating several rectangular (2D) or hexahedral (3D) regular blocks inside the triangular (2D) or pentahedral (3D) blocks. A system for carrying out the method.

Abstract: A computer-aided method suitable for assisting in the design of an aircraft by providing a variable distribution V over an aircraft surface inside a predefined parameter space by means of a reconstruction of the results obtained through computations for an initial group of points in the parameter space using a CFD model comprising in each of said computations the following steps: a) Selecting relevant shock wave structures being defined by its thickness ?sw, its position Sswand the variable jump ?V; b) Decomposing said variable distribution V into a smooth variable distribution Vsmooth and a shock wave variable distribution Vjump corresponding to said relevant shock wave structures; c) Obtaining the variable distribution V at any point of the parameter space as a reconstruction of the smooth variable distribution Vsmooth and the shock wave variable distribution Vjump obtained for said point.

Abstract: A computer-aided method for predicting particle uptake by a surface of an object moving in a flow current. The method includes preparing a discrete model of the object and the surrounding flow, including a projection area for projecting the particles formed by a mesh of cells with an identical size, and a mesh of cells of the surface. The method also includes simulating the projection of particles with a different size from the projection area on the surface, both the density Di of projected particles and their size distribution being identical for the cell. The method further includes obtaining for each cell of the surface the local uptake efficiency parameter by dividing the density Df of particles impacting against the cell by the density Di of particles projected from the projection area.

Abstract: An aircraft model for testing in a wind tunnel of width W including a fuselage, a truncated wing whose length L1 is less than the length L of a full scaled wing and additional components in the rear of the aircraft as, in particular, a horizontal tail plane, that produces the same downwash that arrives to the additional components as in a full scaled model. The shape of the truncated wing may be designed for having a similar lift distribution to the lift distribution of a full scaled wing along at least the maximum length L2 in the Y-axis of any component in the rear of the aircraft. The invention also relates to a method for designing the truncated wing.

Abstract: Trailing edge (3) of an aircraft stabilizer surface (1), where this surface (1) is manufactured of a composite material and comprises an outer cladding (40) and an inner cladding (41) that are connected by a connecting clip type element (20) on this trailing edge (3), the connecting clip type element (20) comprising at its ends some recesses (23) used for coupling to the inner zone of the upper and lower claddings (40, 41) of the stabilizer surface (1), such that the connecting clip type element (20) is flexible enough to be pinched so that its ends will be housed, by means of these recesses (23), between the outer and inner claddings (40, 41) of the aircraft stabilizer surface (1), whereby the outer zone of the stabilizer surface (1), on its trailing edge (3), is formed by a continuous aerodynamic surface without changes of gradient.

Abstract: Aircraft component with panels (11) stiffened with stringers (15) configured with a central section (17) and some feet (19) in which there are zones of potential intersections or interferences of said stringers (15) with spars (25) and ribs (27), in which the configuration of the ends of the stringers (15) affected by said intersections or interferences includes a first section (41) in which the height of the central section (17) of the stringer (15) is reduced until it disappears and the width of the feet (19) is increased until it reaches a predetermined width A and a second section (43) with some extended feet (23) of said predetermined width A and no central section (17), including in said first section (41) the mechanical means (31) for binding the end of the stringer (15) to the skin (13). The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing said panels (11).

Abstract: The present invention relates to an aircraft load frame (1) made of a composite material, characterized in that it comprises two side elements (2, 3) and a base element (7), the side elements (2, 3) being joined at the inner part of the frame (1) by means of the base element (7) and each of the side elements (2, 3) comprising a leg (4) joining the frame (1) to the aircraft fuselage skin, a web (5) and a lower flange (6) joining the web (5) and the base element (7).