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MULTIPURPOSE AIRCRAFT WITH MODULAR FUSELAGE (MAMF)

ABSTRACT Are known the advantages that introduced in the surface transport the interchangeable containers and the truck trailers. To make viable this technology in the aircrafts world is the target of this design. In the diverse parts that compose an aircraft, the most expensive are the engines, the avionics, the wing and the control surfaces. To maintain operating these parts at the maximum, makes possible to lower the operation costs. The current aircrafts, those for cargo and those to transport passengers, or those that mix both loads, should remain parked obligatorily a variable time in the airports, between a flight and the next, for maintenance operations and cleaning in their interior cabinet. For other tasks, the cabinet should be modified in function of the load to carry out in each flight. Many passengers aircrafts that not fly in night hours, are parked. These hours are occupied by another aircrafts specialized in cargo. This is due to the impossibility to modify the interior cabinet to carry out both functions in so short time. In other cases, the modification is completely impossible, because should be modified the fuselage structure of the aircraft. To maintain their different business areas, many companies of air transport should acquire and to maintain diverse types of aircrafts specialized in a single function. Many of these aircrafts frequently remain inactive long time in the airports or hangars. This is the case of cargo aircrafts, fire extinguishing, military, transport of personalities, transport of fuel, etc. The periods of forced inactivity of the current airplanes affect negatively to the profitability of the companies. This inactivity can be suppressed with the solution that represents the present Multipurpose Aircraft with Modular Fuselage.

DESCRIPTION This novel design consists on a twin-engine type aircraft with high wing, and with the landing gear and turboprop forming an assembly under each wing, and twin horizontal stabilizers. This aircraft is able to carry out multipurpose functions at very low cost, because the only part that it is specialized is the central part of the fuselage that on the other hand is the less expensive part of the aircraft, to being purely structural, to be exempt of sophisticated devices and to be constituted as a module easily detachable of the aircraft. Therefore, the purpose of this aircraft varies in function of the container type that incorporates in each flight. On one hand it doesn't increase significantly the weight, and for the other hand not diminishes the airplane security. Another achievement is that the container load and unload operations can carry out in an autonomous way by the aircraft, without external support. Therefore, the introduction of this technology can increase the flexibility of the current aircrafts, and to diminish considerably its operation costs. Compared with a conventional airplane of similar characteristics, the only additional weight comes given by the rails that suppose two structural reinforcements of the fuselage.

The design is represented in the next 2D figures. It is characterized to have divided their fuselage in three modules: the previous part or head (1), the central part or container (2) and the later part or tail (3). These three parts loll of the rest of the aircraft, supported on two parallel rails (4). These rails crosses the superior part of the airship lengthwise from the head (1) until the tail (3). inside the rales are installed the cables as well as the hydraulic pipes.

CONTAINER AND CARRY-CONTAINERS VEHICLE The container is conformed as a structure of conventional fuselage with squared interior section and standard measures. It has four retractile wheels in the base to facilitate the deposit on the ground and to move in the load and discharge operation. It also has a sliding door in their previous part, for the load and discharge as for the physical communication with the head of the aircraft. In the union faces with the head and the tail has two closings operated handly or electrically. These closings assure the unions airtightness and reinforce the solidity of the structure. The container have in the superior face two longitudinal and parallel bays where lodge the rails firmly. The aircraft can give off the container (2) and to deposit it on the ground in an autonomous way, without external intervention, as well as hoist again and fix a new container to the rails (4). Four hydraulic arms hoisting and lock the container. The container is fixed firmly into the rails for a lock of quadruple zipper that is operated from the head. The containers can also be deposited directly on a vehicle carry-containers conventional specially designed for this task. This allows to the aircraft to exchange different types of container in a quick and simple way, in the same areas of parking of the airports, as well as that the containers can be transported inside the airports, between two airports, or between the airport and any point of terrestrial destination.

MAMF. Rails lock and container section

MAMF. Upper view

MAMF. Side View

MAMF. Front View 6

FLIGHT WITHOUT CONTAINER The airplane can also fly without container. For this, the head (1) and the tail (3) are displaced over the rails (4) until uniting, to be locked and to form a solid assembly in the precise point where they balance the center of gravity of the airplane, so that the airplane can fly in a stable way. The ability to fly without container allows to save fuel in the unloaded flights, because the aircraft flies with less weight, in comparison with the current cargo aircrafts. The flight operation is carried out with the Flyby-Wire technology. For it, between the head and the wing box the communication settles down with two multiple and folding cables. These cables housing on the interior of each rail. The head landing gear is operated electrically, and the main landing gears will be with hydraulic technology.

HEAD

TAIL

MAMF. Elevateable twin halves tail The tail (3), with purely aerodynamic functions, is divided in two halves able to rise on the rails, for that which is endowed with electrical actuators. The head (1) and the tail (3) they move on the rails (4), moved by motors. Each rail is prolonged in its rear part in a vertical stabilizer (8), for what this device is double.

PHASES LOADING THE CONTAINER

Next are detailed the different phases of load of a container into the airplane (figure 9). The load of the container is made with the airplane parked in ground. This operation is commanded from the head of the airplane. In a first moment the container is located in-line behind the aircraft. In the first phase, the head moves forwards and the tail moves back to leave intermediate space for the container. In the second phase, the tail is divided in two halves that rise to allow that the container can go into under the rails. In the third phase, the container is displaced until being located totally under the rails in its position of having hoisted. In the fourth phase, the container is hoisted by four hydraulic arms, fixed to the rails and locked. In the fifth phase the two halves of the tail lower and they unite again. In the sixth phase the head and the tail move on the rails until to join and to lock with the container. In this point the container load operation concludes, being the aircraft loaded and ready to operate.

COMMAND CABLE The communication between the head and the control surfaces, the engines, landing gear, lights, etc, is carried out with the system Fly-by-Wire. Two redundant cables connect the head with the box of the wing. When the airplane loads a container, the cables unfold lodging inside the rails. When the container is discharged and the head occupies the rear position under the wing, the cable bends automatically in its lodging located in the superior part of the head. The inferior part of the rails is endowed with a sliding cover that moves fixed with the head. Their function is that of guide and protection of atmospheric attacks of the cables.

Command cable (fly-by-wire double and redundant) deployed between the head and the wing box, when the aircraft operates with container

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Automatic folding of the command cable between the head and the wing box (wing-rails union), when the aircraft operates without container

CENTER OF GRAVITY Moving the head on the rails is possible to balance in each flight the center of gravity of the aircraft, and that this can fly in a sure way with container and without him. Another additional possibility is to load containers of smaller longitude, to reduce weight in function of the load type that the container transport in each flight. The head and the tail can occupy multiple positions along the rails to get the correct balance of the center of gravity.

AMFM. Center of Gravity with container and without container.

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LOCK ZIPPER CONTAINER-RAIL Is a device formed by multiple locking points that fixes compactly the three parts of the fuselage (head, container and tail) with the rails. The transversal reinforcements of the fuselage contacts firmly with those of the rails, creating a single structure. A longitudinal axis with eccentrics operated by a hydraulic actuator moves two zippers of points (external and internal) in each rail. The weight of the container acting on the multiple locks of the zipper and forces the closing and enhances the solidity of the structure.

MAMF. Lock zipper container-rail section

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MAMF. Lock zipper container-rail

MAMF. Lock zipper container-rail

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VIRTUAL SIMULATION

They have been carried out tests of virtual simulation of the aircraft with software designed specifically for this function. A model was designed with the following data: Span: 26.6 m. Total longitude: 23.3 m. Total height: 7.5 m. Area of the wing: 700 pies. Area horizontal stabilizer: 178 pies. Area vertical stabilizer: 90 x 2 pies. Longitude of the container: 12 m. Longitude of the head: 4.7 m. Weigh maximum to take off: 18.000 kg. (with container and fuel) Weigh minimum: 8.000 kg. (without container neither fuel) Propellers: Power max. per engine 8000 feet/pound Diam. propeller: 13.5 feet No. blades: 4 With the virtual tests, they were obtained been fully satisfactory results in the different flight suppositions to carry out for the aircraft.

CONCLUSION To adapt the technology of the truck trailer and the containers used in the surface transport to the aeronautic field is the target of this novel technology. This design gives a satisfactory answer to the special requirements of weight and security of the aviation. The present design comes to give an effective answer to the necessity that the current aircrafts lower notably the operation costs, when limiting the inactivity periods of an aircraft exclusively to the fueling and programmed maintenances, and to increase its versatility on the other hand. The combination of multiple specialized containers (of low cost), together with some few tractors aircrafts, will allow to any air company to assist different business areas with sensibly less costs to the current ones.

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3D

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TRYPTICH

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FIXED STRUCTURE TRYPTICH

Patent P200202130 Author: ANTONIO SNCHEZ ESTEPONA. MLAGA. SPAIN

e-mail: asmotor@gmail.com Web: http://roteng.tripod.com

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