US 12,325,517 B2
Access cover panel assemblies especially useful to cover aircraft fuel tank access openings
Valdir José Augusto De Oliveira Junior, São José dos Campos (BR); and Odair Corá, São José dos Campos (BR)
Assigned to EMBRAER S.A., São José Dos Campos (BR)
Filed by EMBRAER S.A., São José dos Campos (BR)
Filed on May 8, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/313,668.
Prior Publication US 2024/0375762 A1, Nov. 14, 2024
Int. Cl. B64C 3/26 (2006.01); B64C 3/34 (2006.01)
CPC B64C 3/26 (2013.01) [B64C 3/34 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An access cover panel assembly comprising:
an inner cover plate;
an outer cover plate spaced from the inner cover plate defining a circumferentially spaced-apart plurality of apertures,
a circumferentially spaced-apart plurality of floating nut plate assemblies, and
a plurality of attachment bolts extending through each of the apertures of the outer cover plate and threadably coupled to a respective one of the floating nut plate assemblies to removably secure the inner and outer cover plates to one another, wherein
each of the floating nut plate assemblies includes a one-piece U-shaped nut plate body comprised of:
(i) a pair of circumferentially spaced-apart support legs having opposed first and second ends, wherein the first end of each of the support legs is rigidly joined to a lower surface of the inner cover plate and thereby dependently extend from the inner cover plate toward the outer cover plate, and
(ii) a planar nut plate which is structurally connected to and thereby bridges the second ends of each of the support legs, wherein
(iii) the planar nut plate is in alignment with a respective one of the apertures defined by the outer cover plate and is adapted to threadably receive a respective one of the attachments bolts extending therethrough.