Workshop for preparing aircraft engines for shipping

1. A workshop for preparing aeroengines for shipping, the workshop comprising:

a plurality of stations including:

a fitting station for fitting measurement and test means on each aeroengine;

a removal station for removing the measurement and test means;

an inspection station for inspecting the aeroengines by endoscopy;

a finishing station for fitting final pieces of equipment on each aeroengine; and

a shipping station for fitting each aeroengine on a shipping structure and for placing protective coverings on the aeroengine,

the plurality of stations being arranged in a fixed manner in the workshop along a predetermined path for the aeroengines;

conveyor and handling means for conveying and handling the aeroengines, which conveyor and handling means are carried by an overhead structure extending over the plurality of stations and comprising:

placing-and-taking means for placing engines said aeroengines on and for then taking said aeroengines off stationary supports installed in the plurality of stations and configured to give direct access to all portions of the aeroengine, and

travel means for moving the aeroengines from one station to another; and

control means for controlling the conveyor and handling means, so that a departure of an aeroengine from any of the plurality of stations is followed substantially without delay by arrival of another aeroengine at that station, with times spent by the aeroengines in the various stations being identical.

2. The workshop according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyor and handling means comprises hoists guided in translation on horizontal rails of the overhead structure and connected by cables to spreaders fastened to the aeroengines for placing and retrieving the aeroengines.

3. The workshop according to claim 2 , wherein the cables of the hoists include hooks that are received in funnel-shaped guides secured to the spreaders and that are retained in the guides by locking means actuated by actuators.

4. The workshop according to claim 2 , further comprising a return circuit for returning spreaders from the shipping station to the removal station.

5. The workshop according to claim 1 , wherein the aeroengine supports installed in the fitting and removal stations comprise vertical uprights fastened to a floor on either side of a location provided for one of said aeroengines, each vertical upright carrying a determined horizontal arm for fastening to a casing of said one of the aeroengines, together with adjusting means for adjusting height position of the arms said determined horizontal arm, which adjusting means operate synchronously with adjustment means of horizontal arms of other vertical uprights such that all of the horizontal arms are always in a common horizontal plane.

6. The workshop according to claim 5 , wherein each fitting station and removal station includes two front uprights placed in register with an intermediate casing of one of said aeroengines, and one rear upright placed on one side in register with an exhaust casing of said one of the aeroengines.

7. The workshop according to claim 5 , wherein, at the fitting station, the overhead structure includes horizontal rails for moving a hoist for:

taking one of said aeroengines from a transport cart situated beside said fitting station,

moving said one of the aeroengines to bring it above the fitting station,

lowering said one of the aeroengines to the level of the horizontal arms of the uprights, and subsequently

lifting said one of the aeroengines above said fitting station,

moving said one of the aeroengines, and

placing said one of the aeroengines on a cart for transporting said one of the aeroengines to test premises.

8. The workshop according to claim 5 , wherein, at the removal station, the overhead structure includes horizontal rails for moving a hoist for:

taking an aeroengine from a transport cart located beside the removal station,

moving one of said aeroengines to bring it above the support uprights of the removal station,

lowering said one of the aeroengines to a level of the horizontal arms of the uprights, and subsequently,

lifting said one of the aeroengines above the removal station and,

taking said one of the aeroengines to the inspection station.

9. The workshop according to claim 1 , wherein the aeroengine supports installed in the inspection and finishing stations comprise a pair of vertical columns which are:

situated on either side of a location provided for one of said aeroengines in said inspection and finishing stations, and

suspended from the overhead structure,

the pair of vertical columns having bottom ends situated above a floor at a height that is greater than the diameter of said one of the aeroengines, and including means for supporting and attaching to a spreader that is fastened to said one of the aeroengines.

10. The workshop according to claim 9 , wherein the support and attachment means of the spreader are movable vertically in synchronized manner on columns of anyone of said plurality of stations.

11. The workshop according to claim 1 , wherein upper and lower lighting means are installed at each of said plurality of stations, the lower lighting means being embedded in a floor having a plane and covered by plates of transparent material lying in the plane of the floor.

12. The workshop according to claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of stations includes:

at least one computer terminal for displaying sequential tasks that are to be carried out by an operator in a given order on one of said engines in every of said plurality of stations, and

a series of tools for use by the operator in carrying out said tasks.

13. The workshop according to claim 12 , wherein each of said plurality of stations includes at least two computer terminals and two sets of tools installed on either side of the location for one of said aeroengines in said station and configured to be used simultaneously by two operators performing identical or different tasks sequentially on said one of the aeroengines.

14. The workshop according to claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of stations includes a computer terminal for displaying information relating to one of said aeroengines situated in that station and provided for said one of the aeroengines.

15. The workshop according to claim 1 , wherein a reworking station is installed beside the inspection station under the overhead structure and is configured to receive aeroengines that testing has found to be out of compliance with predetermined standards.