Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02829899 2013-10-10
JOINT FOR COMPOSITE WINGS
BACKGROUND
Field of the Disclosure
The configurations described herein relate to a joint for composite wings. The
joint
may be for a lower side-of-body joint of an aircraft.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Bolted side-of-body joints may be used to connect wings to the fuselage of an
aircraft. One design of a side-of-body joint 200 presently used to connect a
wing to a
fuselage is shown in FIG. 12. The joint 200 includes a double plus chord 210
that includes
a vertical portion 211, an upper inboard portion 212, a lower inboard portion
213, an upper
outboard portion 214, and a lower outboard portion 215. An inboard wing panel
assembly
220 is connected to the inboard side of the double plus chord 210 and an
outboard wing
panel assembly 230 is connected to the outboard side of the double plus chord
210.
The inboard wing panel assembly 220 includes a stringer 260 connected to an
inboard wing skin 240 and the outboard wing panel assembly 230 includes a
stringer 260
connected to an outboard wing skin 250. The stringer 260 includes a base
flange 261 on the
bottom of the stringer 260 and a cap 263 located on the top with a web 262
connecting the
cap 263 to the base flange 261. The base flange 261 of the stringer 260 is
connected to the
inboard wing skin 240. The base flange 261 may be bonded to the inboard wing
skin 240.
The cap 263 is connected to the upper inboard portion 212 of the double plus
chord
210 by a plurality of fasteners 281. A portion of the web 262 and base flange
261 of the
stringer 260 is cut so that base flange 261 of the stringer 260 does not
overlap the lower
inboard portion 213 of the double plus chord 210. A radius filler plate 291 is
positioned
above the base flange 261. Fasteners 290 connect the radius filler plate 291
to the base
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flange 261 and the inboard wing skin 240, which clamp the inboard wing skin
240 and base
flange 261 to form a crack arrestment mechanism. Only the inboard wing skin
240 of the
inboard wing panel assembly 220 is positioned below the lower inboard portion
213 of the
double plus chord 210. The inboard wing skin 240 is positioned between the
lower inboard
portion 213 of the double plus chord 210 and a splice plate 270. Fasteners 280
connect the
splice plate 270 to the lower inboard portion 213 of the double plus chord 210
securing the
inboard wing skin 240 to the joint 200.
The outboard wing panel assembly 230 is constructed the same way as the
inboard
wing panel assembly 220. Fasteners 281 are used to connect the cap 263 of the
stringer 260
to the upper outboard portion 214 of the double plus chord 210. Fasteners 280
connect the
outboard wing skin 250 to the splice plate 270 and the lower outboard portion
215 of the
double plus chord 210. The connection of one portion of a wing panel assembly
to a first
portion of a joint, and the connection of a second portion of a wing panel
assembly to a
second portion of the joint may result in differing forces to be applied to
the different
portions of the assembly.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need in the art for a side-of-body
joint that
secures both portions of a wing panel assembly with a clamping configuration
having a
single interface.
SUMMARY
It may be beneficial to provide a joint that secures both portions of a wing
panel
assembly with a clamping configuration having a single interface.
One configuration is a wing joint comprising a T-chord, a splice plate, an
inboard
wing panel assembly, and an outboard wing panel assembly. The T-chord includes
an
inboard portion, an outboard portion, and a vertical portion. The splice plate
has an inboard
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portion and an outboard portion. The wing joint includes at least one inboard
stringer
connected, such as being bonded, to the inboard wing skin to form an inboard
wing panel
assembly and at least one outboard stringer connected, such as being bonded,
to the
outboard wing skin to form an outboard wing panel assembly. A portion of the
inboard
wing panel assembly is positioned between the inboard portion of the T-chord
and the
inboard portion of the splice plate. A portion of the outboard wing panel
assembly is
positioned between the outboard portion of the T-chord and the outboard
portion of the
splice plate. A first plurality of fasteners connect the inboard portion of
the T-chord with
the inboard portion of the splice plate to secure the inboard wing panel
assembly to the T-
chord and the splice plate. A second plurality of fasteners connect the
outboard portion of
the T-chord with the outboard portion of the splice plate to secure the
outboard wing panel
assembly to the T-chord and the splice plate.
The outboard stringer and inboard stringer of the wing joint may each include
a base
flange, at least one web, and at least one noodle. The outboard stringer and
inboard stringer
may be blade stringers. The outboard stringer and inboard stringer may be I
stringers. The
I stringers may include a cap. The inboard stringer and outboard stringer may
each be
trimmed to expose at least one noodle. The inboard wing panel assembly may
comprise a
portion of an inboard wing skin, a portion of a base flange of an inboard
stringer, and a
portion of at least one exposed noodle. The outboard wing panel assembly may
comprise a
portion of an outboard wing skin, a portion of a base flange of an outboard
stringer, and a
portion of at least one exposed noodle.
The T-chord of the joint may include a first groove in the inboard portion to
accommodate at least one exposed noodle of an inboard stringer and a second
groove in the
outboard portion to accommodate at least one exposed noodle of an outboard
stringer. The
joint may include a first shim positioned between the base flange of an
inboard stringer and
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the inboard portion of the T-chord and a second shim positioned between the
base flange of
the outboard stringer and the outboard portion of the T-chord. The first and
second shims
may be positioned adjacent to at least one exposed noodle. The joint may be a
lower side-
of-body joint for a composite wing assembly.
The inboard portion of the T-chord may include at least one cutout and the
outboard
portion of the T-chord may also include at least one cutout. A portion of the
web of the
inboard stringer may extend into the cutout on the inboard portion of the T-
chord and a
portion of the web of the outboard stringer may extend into the cutout on the
outboard
portion of the T-chord. The inboard and outboard portions of the T-chord may
include at
least three longitudinal rows of fasteners securing the wing panel assemblies
to the T-chord
and the splice plate. The cutouts on the inboard and outboard portions of the
T-chord may
extend between fasteners in at least one row of the fasteners. The cutouts on
the inboard
and outboard portions of the T-chord may extend between fasteners in at least
two rows of
the fasteners. The T-chord and splice plate of the joint may be comprised of
titanium or
aluminum.
One configuration is a method of forming a wing joint. The method comprises
forming an inboard wing panel assembly and forming an outboard wing panel
assembly.
The inboard wing panel assembly comprises at least one inboard stringer
connected to an
inboard wing skin, the stringer including a base flange, at least one web, and
at least one
noodle. The outboard wing panel assembly comprises at least one outboard
stringer
connected to an outboard wing skin, the stringer including a base flange, at
least one web,
and at least one noodle. The method includes trimming the web of the inboard
stringer to
expose at least one noodle and trimming the web of the outboard stringer to
expose at least
one noodle. The method includes positioning a portion of the inboard wing
panel assembly
between an inboard portion of a T-chord and an inboard portion of a splice
plate and
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securing the inboard wing panel assembly to the T-chord and splice plate with
a plurality of
fasteners. The portion of the inboard wing panel assembly including a portion
of the
inboard wing skin, a portion of the base flange of the inboard stringer, and
at least one
exposed noodle. The method includes positioning a portion of the outboard wing
panel
assembly between an outboard portion of a T-chord and an outboard portion of a
splice
plate and securing the outboard wing panel assembly to the T-chord and splice
plate with a
plurality of fasteners. The portion of the outboard wing panel assembly
including a portion
of the outboard wing skin, a portion of the base flange of the outboard
stringer, and at least
one exposed noodle.
The method may include providing a groove in the inboard portion of the T-
chord to
accommodate at least one exposed noodle of the inboard stringer and providing
a groove in
the outboard portion of the T-chord to accommodate at least one exposed noodle
of the
outboard stringer. The method may include providing at least a first shim
positioned
between the inboard wing panel assembly and the inboard portion of the T-chord
and
providing at least a second shim positioned between the outboard wing panel
assembly and
the outboard portion of the T-chord. The shims may be positioned adjacent to
at least one
exposed noodle.
The stringers or the method may be composite materials comprised of a
plurality of
plies. The method may include adding additional sacrificial plies to the
stringers prior to
forming the wing panel assemblies, the sacrificial plies permitting the
removal of at least a
portion of the sacrificial plies to provide that an exposed noodle is flush
without reducing
the load bearing capability of the wing panel assemblies. The forming an
inboard wing
panel assembly may further comprise co-curing the inboard wing skin and the
inboard
stringer and forming an outboard wing panel assembly may further comprise co-
curing the
outboard wing skin and the outboard stringer. The forming an inboard wing
panel assembly
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may further comprise co-bonding the inboard wing skin and the inboard stringer
and forming
an outboard wing panel assembly may further comprise co-bonding the outboard
wing skin
and the outboard stringer.
One configuration is a wing joint that comprises a first clamp plate, a second
clamp
plate, and a wing panel assembly. The wing panel assembly is comprised of a
stringer
bonded to a wing skin. A portion of the wing panel assembly is secured between
the first
clamp plate and the second clamp plate. The stringer of the wing panel
assembly has been
trimmed to expose a noodle, which is part of the portion of the wing panel
assembly secured
between the first clamp plate and the second clamp plate.
Another configuration is a wing joint comprising: a T-chord having an inboard
portion, an outboard portion, and a vertical portion; a splice plate having an
inboard portion
and an outboard portion; an inboard wing skin; an outboard wing skin; at least
one inboard
stringer connected to the inboard wing skin to form an inboard wing panel
assembly, a
portion of the inboard wing panel assembly positioned between the inboard
portion of the T-
chord and the inboard portion of the splice plate; a first plurality of
fasteners connecting the
inboard portion of the T-chord with the inboard portion of the splice plate to
secure the
inboard wing panel assembly to the T-chord and the splice plate; at least one
outboard
stringer connected to the outboard wing skin to form an outboard wing panel
assembly, a
portion of the outboard wing panel assembly positioned between the outboard
portion of the
T-chord and the outboard portion of the splice plate, the outboard stringer
and the inboard
stringer each comprising a base flange, at least one web, and at least one
noodle, the outboard
stringer and the inboard stringer each being trimmed to expose the at least
one noodle; a
second plurality of fasteners connecting the outboard portion of the T-chord
with the
outboard portion of the splice plate to secure the outboard wing panel
assembly to the T-
chord and the splice plate; and a first groove in the inboard portion of the T-
chord to
accommodate the at least one exposed noodle of the inboard stringer and a
second groove in
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the outboard portion of the T-chord to accommodate the at least one exposed
noodle of the
outboard stringer.
Another configuration is a method of forming a wing joint, the method
comprising:
forming an inboard wing panel assembly, the inboard wing panel assembly
comprising at
least one inboard stringer connected to an inboard wing skin, the at least one
inboard stringer
comprising a base flange, at least one web, and at least one noodle; forming
an outboard wing
panel assembly, the outboard wing panel assembly comprising at least one
outboard stringer
connected to an outboard wing skin, the at least one outboard stringer
comprising a base
flange, at least one web, and at least one noodle; trimming the at least one
web of the inboard
stringer to expose the at least one noodle; trimming the at least one web of
the outboard
stringer to expose the at least one noodle; positioning a portion of the
inboard wing panel
assembly between an inboard portion of a T-chord and an inboard portion of a
splice plate,
the portion of the inboard wing panel assembly including a portion of the
inboard wing skin,
a portion of the base flange of the inboard stringer, and the at least one
noodle of the inboard
stringer; providing a groove in the inboard portion of the T-chord to
accommodate the at least
one exposed noodle of the inboard stringer; providing a groove in the outboard
portion of the
T-chord to accommodate the at least one exposed noodle of the outboard
stringer; securing
the inboard wing panel assembly to the inboard portion of the T-chord and the
inboard
portion of the splice plate with a plurality of fasteners; positioning a
portion of the outboard
wing panel assembly between an outboard portion of a T-chord and an outboard
portion of a
splice plate, the portion of the outboard wing panel assembly including a
portion of the
outboard wing skin, a portion of the base flange of the outboard stringer, and
the at least one
noodle of the outboard stringer; and securing the outboard wing panel assembly
to the
outboard portion of the T-chord and the outboard portion of the splice plate
with a plurality of
fasteners.
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Another configuration is a wing joint comprising: a first clamp plate; a
second
clamp plate; and a wing panel assembly, the wing panel assembly comprised of a
stringer
connected to a wing skin, a portion of the wing panel assembly being secured
between the
first clamp plate and the second clamp plate, wherein the stringer of the
portion of the wing
panel assembly secured between the first clamp plate and second clamp plate is
trimmed to
expose a noodle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a joint for a composite wing;
FIG. 2 shows a partial cross-section of a stringer bonded to a wing skin to
form a
wing panel assembly to be used with a configuration of a joint for a composite
wing;
FIG. 3 shows a schematic showing the potential forces on a configuration of a
joint
for a composite wing;
FIG. 4 shows a portion of a stringer that has been trimmed for use with a
configuration of a joint for a composite wing;
FIG. SA shows a top view of a configuration of a joint for a composite wing;
FIG. 5B shows a perspective view a configuration of a joint for a composite
wing;
FIG. 6 shows a configuration of a T-chord that includes a groove to
accommodate
non-flush exposed noodles of a stringer;
FIG. 7 shows a portion of one configuration of a trimmed stringer for use with
a
configuration of a joint for a composite wing with shims being positioned
adjacent to a non-
flush exposed noodle of a stringer;
FIG. 8 shows an I stringer that may be used with the disclosed wing joint;
FIG. 9 shows a blade stringer having sacrificial plies that may be used with
the
disclosed wing joint;
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FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of aircraft production and service methodology in
accordance with an advantageous configuration;
FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an aircraft in accordance with an advantageous
configuration; and
FIG. 12 shows a prior art joint for a composite wing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a wing joint 1. The wing joint 1 includes a
first
clamp plate 10 and a second clamp plate 15 used together to secure an inboard
wing panel
assembly 20 and an outboard wing panel assembly 30. The first clamp plate 10
may be a T-
chord and the second clamp plate may be a splice plate. Hereinafter, the first
clamp plate
will be referred to as a T-chord 10 and the second clamp plate will be
referred to as a splice
plate 15. The T-chord 10 includes a vertical portion 11, an inboard portion
12, and an
outboard portion 13. The splice plate 15 includes an inboard portion 16 and an
outboard
portion 17. The T-chord 10 and splice plate 15 are used to connect together an
inboard
wing panel assembly 20 and an outboard wing panel assembly 30.
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The inboard wing panel assembly 20 is comprised of an inboard wing skin 40 and
a
stringer 60. The inboard wing skin 40 and the stringer 60 may both be
comprised of a
composite material, which may be comprised of multiple layers of a material
bonded and/or
cured together. The material may be comprised of various materials used in the
formation
of composite materials. One example of such material is carbon fiber
reinforced plastic.
Likewise, the outboard wing panel assembly 30 is comprised of an outboard wing
skin 50
and a stringer 60. As discussed above, the outboard wing skin 50 and the
stringer 60 may
also be co-bonded or co-cured. The stringer 60 used may be various stringers
used to
strengthen composite parts, such as an I stringer or a blade stringer.
The stringer 60 is bonded to the wing skin 40, 50 to form a wing panel
assembly 20,
30. The stringer 60 and wing skin 40, 50 may be co-cured so as to form a bond
between the
two components. After the wing panel assemblies 20, 30 are formed, the wing
panel
assemblies 20, 30 may then be connected together with T-chord 10 and splice
plate 15 to
form a wing joint 1. The stringer 60 may include a base flange 61 and a web
62. If the
stringer 60 is an I stringer, as shown in FIG. 8, then the stringer 60 may
include a cap 63.
The cap 63 and web 62 of the stringer 60 may be trimmed so that only the base
flange 61 of
the stringer 60 runs out into the wing joint 1. The cap 63 and web 62 may be
trimmed to
expose a noodle 64 or a plurality of noodles as discussed below.
An end portion of the inboard wing panel assembly 20 may be positioned between
the inboard portion 12 of the T-chord 10 and the inboard portion 16 of the
splice plate 15.
As discussed above, the web 62 and cap 63 may be been trimmed so that only the
base
flange 61 of the stringer 60, which is bonded to the inboard wing skin 40, is
positioned
between the T-chord 10 and the splice plate 15. As discussed below, the
stringer 60 may
also include an exposed noodle(s) 64 that is also positioned between the T-
chord 10 and the
splice plate 15. A plurality of fasteners 80 connect the inboard portion 12 of
the T-chord 10
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=
to the inboard portion 16 of the splice plate 15, securing the inboard wing
panel assembly
20 to the wing joint 1. Likewise, the outboard wing panel assembly 30 is
connected to the
outboard portion 13 of the T-chord 10 and the outboard portion 17 of the
splice plate 15.
FIG. 2 shows a partial cross-section of a wing panel assembly 20 that includes
a
stringer 60 bonded to a wing skin 40. The web 62 and cap 63 have been trimmed
to expose
a noodle 64 on the base flange 61 of the stringer 60. Noodles 64 are typically
unidirectional
fibers that are used to fill a junction between portions of a stringer 60 as
shown in FIG. 8.
For example, an I stringer may be comprised of two "c" shaped brackets
connected together
back to back. A void may exist at both the top and bottom junctions where the
back of the
brackets meet. A noodle 64, which may be a unidirectional fiber, may be used
to fill the
void. The noodle 64 may be comprised of various materials, such as
unidirectional carbon
fiber reinforced plastic, laminated carbon fiber reinforced plastic, or glass
fiber reinforced
plastic. As shown in FIG. 2, the noodle 64 may not be flush with the base
flange 61. If the
noodle 64 is not flush with the base flange 61, the T-chord 10 or stringer 60
may be
modified to accommodate the non-flush noodle 64, as discussed below.
FIG. 3 is a schematic showing the potential forces that may be applied to the
wing
joint 1. As both the inboard wing skin 40 and base flange 61 are secured to
the T-chord 10
and the splice plate 15 at the same interface, the same tension force is
applied to both
components equally as shown by arrow 85. Further, the tension forces (arrows
90) on both
the T-chord 10 and splice plate 15 are substantially equal and in the same
direction, because
the two components provide a single interface for capturing the wing panel
assembly 20 in
comparison to the multiple interfaces of the double plus chord 210 shown in
FIG. 12.
FIG. 4 shows a portion of a stringer 60 that may be connected to the wing
joint 1 of
the present disclosure. The stringer 60 includes a base flange 61 and web 62
trimmed to
expose a noodle 64. The stringer 60 may include a web and cap run out 65 where
the
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trimmed web 62 interfaces with the exposed noodle 64. As discussed above, the
noodle 64
may be comprised of unidirectional fiber and may fill a void between two
interfaces in the
stringer 60.
FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show a configuration of T-chord 10 that may be used in the
wing joint 1. The T-chord 10 may include a scalloped or cutout feature 14 that
permits the
web 62 of the stringer 60, such as the blade of a blade stringer, to extend
between one or
more rows of fasteners 80 that connect the T-chord 10 to a spice plate 15. The
T-chord 10
may include a plurality of rows of fasteners 80. For example, the T-chord 10
may include a
first row of fasteners 81, a second row of fasteners 82, and a third row of
fasteners 83. The
cutout feature 14 may protrude so it crosses the first and second rows of
fasteners 81, 82 as
shown in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B. The T-chord 10 may include a plurality of cutout
features
14. The use of the cutout feature 14 of the T-chord 10 may permit the stringer
60 to be
more robust by permitting a longer length of web 62 along the stringer 60. The
number and
orientation of the cutout features 14 is for illustrative purposes only. The
configuration,
depth, and location of the cutout features 14, as well as the number of rows
and
configuration of fasteners, may be varied as would be appreciated by one of
ordinary skill in
the art having the benefit of this disclosure. For example, even the
individual length of the
cutout features 14 may be varied within a single T-chord 10.
FIG. 6 shows a partial cross-section of a configuration of T-chord 10 that
includes at
least one groove 18 on the bottom side of the inboard portion 12 of the T-
chord 10. The
groove 18 may be adapted to accommodate a non-flush noodle 64 present on the
wing panel
assemblies 20, 30. The insertion of the non-flush noodle 64 into the groove 18
may enable
the interface between the T-chord 10 and wing panel assembly 20 to be flush.
The T-chord
10 may include a plurality of grooves 18 in the bottom of both the inboard 12
and outboard
13 portions to accommodate a plurality of exposed noodles 64.
CA 02829899 2013-10-10
FIG. 7 shows a configuration of a trimmed stringer 60 that includes shims 67
to
accommodate for non-flush noodles 64. The shim(s) 67 are located adjacent to
the non-
flush noodle 64 between the base flange 61 and the T-chord 10. The shims 67
fill the gaps
between the wing panel assembly 20, 30 and the T-chord 10 due to the noodle 64
being
non-flush. The shims 67 are shown for illustrative purposes only as the shape,
number, and
configuration of the shims 67 may be varied, as would be appreciated by one of
ordinary
skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
FIG. 8 shows a cross-section of an I stringer 60 bonded to a wing skin 40. The
I
stringer 60 includes a base flange 61, a web 62, and a cap 63. For co-bonded
wing panels,
the base flange 61 may include a base flange charge 66, which is not required
for co-cured
wing panels. The cap 63 may include a cap charge 68 for both co-bonded and co-
cured
wing panels. As shown, noodles 64 fill the gap between the web 62 and the cap
63 as well
as the gap between the web 62 and the base flange 61. As discussed above, the
cap 63 and
web 62 may be trimmed on one end of the stringer 60 to expose the noodle 64.
The
exposed noodle 64 and base flange 61 may then interface with the bottom of the
T-chord 10
when the wing panel assembly 20, the stringer 60 bonded to the wing skin 40,
is secured to
the T-chord 10 and the splice plate 15, as discussed above.
FIG. 9 shows a cross-section of a blade stringer 60 that includes additional
plies or
layers, referred to herein as sacrificial plies 69, that permit the removal of
material from the
stringer 60 while maintaining the desired structural integrity of the stringer
60. As
discussed above, the web 62 of the stringer 60 is trimmed to expose the noodle
64 and
provide an interface between the stringer 60 and the T-chord 10. Upon exposing
the noodle
64, the noodle 64 may not be flush with the base flange 61. To accommodate for
a potential
non-flush noodle 64, sacrificial plies 69 are added to the web 62 and base
flange 61 of the
stringer 60. The sacrificial plies permit the web 62 and base flange 61 to be
trimmed down
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to a level 70, which is flush with the exposed noodle 64 while retaining a
thickness of
material of the stringer 60 that maintains its intended structural integrity.
Referring more particularly to the drawings, configurations of the disclosure
may be
described in the context of an aircraft manufacturing and service method 100
as shown in
FIG. 10 and an aircraft 102 as shown in FIG. 11. During pre-production,
exemplary method
100 may include specification and design 104 of the aircraft 102 and material
procurement
106. During production, component and subassembly manufacturing 108 and system
integration 110 of the aircraft 102 takes place. Thereafter, the aircraft 102
may go through
certification and delivery 112 in order to be placed in service 114. While in
service 114 by
a customer, the aircraft 102 is scheduled for routine maintenance and service
116 (which
may also include modification, reconfiguration, refurbishment, and so on).
Each of the processes of exemplary method 100 may be performed or carried out
by a system integrator, a third party, and/or an operator (e.g., a customer).
For the purposes
of this description, a system integrator may include, without limitation, any
number of
aircraft manufacturers and major-system subcontractors; a third party may
include, without
limitation, any number of vendors, subcontractors, and suppliers; and an
operator may be an
airline, leasing company, military entity, service organization, and so on.
As shown in FIG. 11, the aircraft 102 produced by exemplary method 100 may
include an airframe 118 with a plurality of systems 120 and an interior 122.
Examples of
high-level systems 120 include one or more of a propulsion system 124, an
electrical system
126, a hydraulic system 128, and an environmental system 130. Any number of
other
systems may be included. Although an aerospace example is shown, the
principles of the
disclosure may be applied to other industries, such as the automotive
industry.
Apparatus and method embodied herein may be employed during any one or more
of the stages of the aircraft manufacturing and service method 100. For
example,
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components or subassemblies corresponding to production process 108 may be
fabricated or
manufactured in a manner similar to components or subassemblies produced while
the
aircraft 102 is in service 114. Also, one or more apparatus configurations,
method
configurations, or a combination thereof may be utilized during the production
processes
108 and 110, for example, by expediting assembly of or reducing the cost of an
aircraft 102.
Similarly, one or more of apparatus configurations, method configurations, or
a
combination thereof may be utilized while the aircraft 102 is in service 114,
for example
and without limitation, to maintenance and service 116.
The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set
forth above, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with
the description
as a whole.
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