Patent ID: 11952101
Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 11:
12. A method of assembling an aircraft wing to an aircraft body, the method comprising:
moving the aircraft wing toward the aircraft body;
positioning a panel forward edge surface of a panel on the aircraft body opposite a rearward edge surface on a rearward extending flange on the aircraft wing, wherein:
the panel has an inboard side surface, an outboard side surface, and a perpendicular bottom flange; and,
the bottom flange defines a panel bottom including, in a cross-sectional view, an inboard portion of the bottom flange and an outboard portion of the bottom flange, the panel bottom having a panel bottom surface; and,

positioning the panel bottom surface on the panel opposite a top surface on a rearward extending plate on the aircraft wing with there being a gap between the panel bottom surface and the top surface of the rearward extending plate on the aircraft wing, wherein:
the gap has an inboard portion of the gap between the panel bottom surface of the inboard portion of the bottom flange and an outboard portion of the gap between the panel bottom surface of the outboard portion of the bottom flange on opposite sides of the gap; and,
in the cross-sectional view, the inboard portion of the gap tapers as the inboard portion of the gap extends into the gap and the outboard portion of the gap tapers as the outboard portion of the gap extends into the gap;

inserting an inboard shim into the inboard portion of the gap between the panel bottom surface and the top surface of the rearward extending plate on the aircraft wing; and,
inserting an outboard shim into the outboard portion of the gap between the panel bottom surface and the top surface of the rearward extending plate on the aircraft wing.