Boeing-747 _ Final_Project

SolidWorks Boeing 747-8 Design

My objective

Design and assemble a complete Boeing 747-8 model within SolidWorks

My introduction

The Boeing 747-8 is a wide-body airliner developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the largest variant of the 747. The 747-8 is widely used for both passenger and freight carrying purposes.

Within this report I will explain the design methods and the approach I used to design a Boeing 747 within SolidWorks.

The Features and examples of how I used them within SolidWorks to design the Boeing 747-8 aircraft are.

Sketches

• The model was created from sketches laid over the top of scaled pictures showing outlines and main features of the aircraft. These sketches contained geometries for features to be created. Sketches are created by dimensioning geometries and using sketch features such as linear/circular patterns. Sketches can also provide constraint entities for other sketches references as well as feature mates

Planes

• The modeling area of SolidWorks has flat 2D Planes such as Top, Front and Right planes by default. Additional Planes were created and referenced from an existing Plane on which I created sketches or used as reference for other features. Planes can also be created using an axis or edges of faces as one or more references.

Axis

• Reference axis were used for many features throughout the aircrafts design e.g., positions of which the Landing Gear pivots were constrained. These axes can be sometimes be referenced directly from the geometry of bodies, this was the case in which the planes for the sketches of the final features Pitot Tubes were created.

Projected Curve

• Some 3D entities were created by a curved line that was the result of an intersection of two projected sketches. This method was used to produce the guide curves for features such as Lofted Surface for the Fuselage.

Sketch Blocks

• Sketch Blocks were used for the Passenger Windows, Doors and the livery. The Sketch Block tool allowed me to produce multiples of one sketch by copying it or using a Linear Sketch Pattern. By saving a group of constrained and dimensioned entities together, the blocks can be inserted into an existing sketch.

Lofted Surface

• I used a lofted surface feature to create surfaces such as the Fuselage and the engines turbine blades. The Lofted Surface feature creates a surface by making transitions between multiple sketch profiles and guide curves.

Lofted Boss/Base

• I used a Lofted Boss/Base feature to create a solid body of the wings and the horizontal and vertical stabilizers. The Lofted Surface feature creates a solid body by making transitions between multiple sketch profiles and guide curves.

Extrude Boss/Base

• Some solid bodies were created by using an Extruded Boss/Base feature e.g., the Belly Fairing. This feature allowed me to create a 3D body from a 2D sketch. The Extrude Boss/Base Feature can also be used to create a body that is not perpendicular to the surface of which it is being extruded from, this is achieved by using another reference sketch to define the desired direction, I used this method to create part of the pitot tubes.

Revolved Boss/Base

• I used the Revolved Boss/Base feature tool to produce parts such as the wheels. The Revolved Boss/Base feature creates a solid body from a selected sketch and extrudes it in circular form around an axis.

Split Line

• I used a Split Line feature to cut bodies to a desired size and shape from a projected sketch through the body and consuming bodies that were no longer desired. The split line feature can also be used to project entities from a sketch onto a surface, I used this feature to divide a face into multiple separate faces of which were sometimes thickened or used to create other features. e.g., Passenger windows, Doors and the livery.

Fillet

• The Fillet tool is used to create a smooth transition of a dimensioned radius between two or more surfaces. I used this tool to produce fillets on edges of faces such as between the Fuselage and the wings. Fillets can also be a variable radius along the length of the faces, transitioning from a larger radius to a smaller one.

Solidify

• The Fuselage was solidified using the Solidify Feature from the Surface Loft. Surface bodies can be made into solid bodies using this method.

Mirror Tool

• The Mirror tool creates a copy of the bodies and sometimes features about a selected plane. I used this tool to mirror bodies such as the fuselage and wings as well as many other features throughout the aircraft's design

Combine

• Two or more bodies can be merged into one body. The Fuselage was combined with the Belly Fairing using the Combine feature, making them one complete solid body.

Swept surface

• The Swept Surface feature creates a profiled section of a surface that follows the path of a selected contour. This feature allowed me to produce the surfaces of the Landing Gear Hatches that were later thickened into a solid body.

Swept Boss/Base

• The Swept Boss/Base feature allowed me to produce a profiled section of a surface that followed the path of a selected contour. I used the Swept Boss/Base feature to create bodies such as the electrical conductors on the surface of the Nose Cone and Stabilizer arms of the landing gear.

Chamfer

• I used the Chamfer tool to create a beveled edge on the end of the Pitot Tubes. The Chamfer Tool cuts a bevel along an edge or across a corner. A chamfer can be cut at a desired angle to the adjacent surfaces. In this instance, I used a distance-to-distance chamfer.

Extruded Cut

• An Extruded Cut feature was used to remove some of the body of the Pitot Tubes. The Extruded Cut feature removes material from the part by extruding a sketched profile to desired dimension and path.

Offset Surface

• The Offset Surface tool creates a new surface body offset to a desired distance from an existing set of faces or surfaces. This feature was used to produce an offset surface from the faces of a split line such as the Cockpit Windows. This was achieved by setting the offset distance to zero.

Thicken

• Surfaces can have thickness added to them to produce a solid feature. I used this method to make the solid features like the Cockpit window frames and the Hatches by thickening one or more of the surfaces to a dimensioned thickness.

Shell Tool

• I used the Shell tool to hollow out the fuselage, leaving it with a surface thickness of 50mm. The Shell tool turns solid bodies into thin-walled features of a desired thickness and leaves faces open if selected.

Body-Move/Copy

• Some bodies needed to be modelled in suite of their reference geometry and then moved or copied to their final location, this was the case with some parts such as the window wipers and Antennas. Bodies can be moved, rotated and copied to place using mates or dimensioned translations.

Dome

• Details such as lights and wheel hub caps were created by using a Dome. This feature allowed me to produce a curved formation, that is shaped like a portion of a sphere.

Linear Pattern

• A Linear Pattern can be used to produce multiples of a features along a linear path spaced uniformly. I used the Linear Pattern feature to create multiple instances of features such as the doors, lights and the details of the landing gear.

Circular Pattern

• I used the circular pattern tool to create multiple instances of features spaced uniformly in a circular pattern around an axis. e.g., Rim bolts on the Wheel Part.

Cut With Surface

• Bodies can be cut into sections by an intersecting surface or plane, I used this method to cut the wings flush with the surface of the Fuselage.

Surface Trim

• I used the Surface Trim to cut back the length of the engine's Turbine Blades. The Surface Trim tool trims surfaces where planes, sketches or surfaces intersect another surface.

Surface Revolve

• I used the Surface Revolve feature to produce the contoured surface of the engine. The Surface Revolve Feature creates a profiled surface from selected contours around a centerline.

Mates

• Within the Assembly of the aircraft, Mates were used to create geometrical relationships between assembly components to define the allowable directions of linear or rotational motion. Parts such as the Wheels and Landing Gears had coincident relations mating faces or planes together and concentric mates with axis of cylindrical surfaces allowing them to rotate freely.

Conclusion

Following the course study videos and designing the Boeing 747-8 has been a very enjoyable exercise, I have learnt many new skills within the SolidWorks program as well as many new designing techniques.

Renderinds of my Boeing 747-8