| 摘要 |
Protective devices are provided subjacent to the filler port within an aircraft's wing fuel tank so as to protect the lower wing skin from being struck by a nozzle associated with refueling equipment. In this regard, when inserted into the filler port, the nozzle is brought into contact with the protective device which serves to deflect the nozzle in laterally (e.g., in an inboard direction to thereby prevent the nozzle from striking the lower wing skin. Thus, when initially inserted into the filler port in a generally perpendicular orientation relative to a horizontal plane, the terminal end of the nozzle will contact with the arcuately concave inner surface of the device. Since the protective device's surface slopes downwardly and laterally in an inboard direction, continued insertion of the nozzle into the filler port will cause the nozzle to assume an angularly canted condition in an inboard direction (i.e., a direction toward the aircraft's fuselage). Thus, even if the full length of the nozzle is inserted into the filler port, the angularly canted orientation of the nozzle in an inboard direction caused by the protective device will prevent the nozzle's terminal end from striking and thereby potentially damaging the lower wing skin.
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