A duct stringer 20 comprises walls 41 providing a duct 45 with a closed cross-section, and a bulkhead 21 in the duct. The duct is adapted to transport fluid (e.g. fuel), and the bulkhead blocks the flow of fluid along the duct. The bulkhead is adhered to the walls 41 by one or more co-cured or co-bonded joints and comprises two parts 21a,b positioned back-to-back, e.g. to form an I shape. The stringer may be manufactured by positioning mandrels 60a,b end-to-end with the parts 21a,b between them; wrapping or laying-up the walls around the parts and the mandrels; co-curing or co-bonding the flanges of the bulkhead parts to the walls; and, after the bulkhead has been adhered to the duct walls, removing the mandrels from opposite ends of the duct. The stringer may include a structural member with a hat-shaped cross section 25, may be adhered to a skin 46 and may be in communication with first and second fuel tanks (11-13; fig. 2) in the wing of an aircraft.
Duct stringer with bulkhead
2020-01-01
Patent
Electronic Resource
English