Low Voltage Electromagnetic Lockbolt Installation

Abstract

British Aerospace, Airbus Ltd., Chester, UK manufactures the main wing box assembly for all current Airbus programs. Titanium interference fasteners are used in large numbers throughout these aircraft structures. On the lower wing skin of the A320 alone there are approximately 11,000 of this fastener type. Currently, the majority of these fasteners are manually installed using pneumatic or hydraulic tooling. British Aerospace engineers recognized the significant potential which automation offers to reduce these current labor intensive installation methods. Electroimpact proposed extending Low Voltage Electromagnetic Riveter (LVER) technology to the automatic installation of these interference fasteners as well as rivets. Close liaison between Airbus and Electroimpact engineers resulted in the development of an automated LVER based lockbolt installation system, which is currently undergoing evaluation.

Intelligent Robotic Electromagnetic Riveting Interference Connection Technology for Aircraft Assembly

“…Ordinary riveting cannot achieve the high deformation rate produced by electromagnetic riveting, so the riveting effect is poor [3] . With electromagnetic riveting technology as the core, American Electroimpact (EI) company has developed a series of automatic drilling and riveting systems, including the E3000~E7000 series, which have been successfully used in the automated assembly of B737, B747, B767, B777, and other types of aircraft wings, as well as the automated assembly of wing wall panels of the A320, A330, A380, B787, and other wing panels, and the automatic installation of metal structures upsetting riveting ring groove riveting rings [4][5][6][7] . In the theoretical study of electromagnetic riveting, Yoon et al [8] established a three-dimensional finite element analysis model of electromagnetic riveting and carried out an optimization study of the maximum compression riveting force.…”

Numerical Simulation and Experiment for Driving Interference-Fit Fastener Process with Stress Wave Method

“…Driving fasteners using a stress wave can effectively increase installation quality [13,14], which has already been used in aircraft manufacture, e.g. in the B-747 [15].…”