Manufacturing Facility for Manufacturing a Fatigue Life Enhanced Airframe

Abstract

A manufacturing facility for manufacturing a fatigue life enhanced product from a plurality of workpiece parts. At least one fatigue enhancing operation is performed on a first workpiece at a first work station. At least one fatigue enhancing operation is performed on a second workpiece at a second work station. The first and second workpieces are transferred to a first assembly station, where the workpieces are joined to form a fatigue life enhanced product. Aerostructures manufactured according to the method may include components fabricated at different locations to have fatigue life enhancing properties, especially in bounding material adjacent to holes designed to accommodate fasteners. By use of this business method, the final assembly step can thus avoid the necessity to include the processing of holes to enhance fatigue life, since this step has been performed prior to bringing components into position to be joined in the final shape or assembly of the airframe.

1 . A manufacturing facility for manufacturing a fatigue enhanced airframe from a plurality of workpieces, comprising: 
 (a) a first work station for operating on a first workpiece to provide at least one fatigue enhancing feature in said first workpiece;    (b) installing a hole at said fatigue enhancing feature in said first workpiece;    (c) a second work station for operating on a second workpiece to provide at least one fatigue enhancing feature in said second workpiece:    (d) installing a hole at said fatigue enhancing feature in said second workpiece;    (e) a transport mechanism for transporting said first workpiece and said second workpiece to a first final assembly station;    (f) a computerized control system in communication with said first work station, said second work station, and said final assembly station, said computerized control system including sensors to determine that said first final assembly station is prepared to receive said first and said second workpieces, sensors to acknowledge that said first final assembly station receives said first and said second workpieces, and a program for directing one or more fastener installation tools to execute a stored computer program to effect work one or more fasteners to join said first and said second workpieces to produce a fatigue life enhanced airframe.    
   
   
       2 . The manufacturing facility as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising 
 (a) performing at least one fatigue enhancing operation on a third workpiece at a third work station to form a fatigue enhancing feature in said workpiece, said third workstation physically located at a remote site from said first final assembly station;    (b) installing a hole in said third workpiece at said fatigue enhancing feature;    (c) transporting said third workpiece to said first final assembly station;    (d) joining said third workpiece with said first workpiece and with said second workpiece, simultaneously, to produce a fatigue life enhanced airframe.    
   
   
       3 . The manufacturing facility as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein said third workpiece comprises a wing skin.  
   
   
       4 . The manufacturing facility as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said first workpiece comprises a wing component.  
   
   
       5 . The manufacturing facility as set forth in  claim 2 , further comprising, remote from said first final assembly station, a storage facility to store said third workpiece prior to transport to said first final assembly station.