New type of fuel tank with vertical limiting compression

Abstract

The present invention relates to a novel fuel tank with vertical limit compression, which is composed of a soft fuel tank compressible in the height direction and a corresponding limit device. It consists of a fuel tank shell, a compression limit device, and a compressible soft fuel tank; the center of gravity of the fuel tank of the present invention is stable and controllable from a full oil state to an oil-free state, and the influence of fuel sloshing on the center of gravity can be reduced by more than 90%, creating a new solution for fuel tanks of small aircraft.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an aviation aircraft fuel tank, in particular to a new type of compressed fuel tank with adjustable volume, stable and controllable center of gravity and vertical limit created by a new idea. Background Art

[0002] Aircraft fuel tanks are important structural components of modern aircraft. Their main function is to store the fuel required for the flight of the aircraft. According to their different structural forms, they can be roughly divided into three categories: soft fuel tanks, hard fuel tanks and integral fuel tanks. The main features of soft fuel tanks are that they can make full use of the available space of various shapes inside the aircraft to increase the fuel storage capacity. They have a simple structure, are not affected by vibration, and are not prone to cracks or damage. Hard fuel tanks are mainly used in high-temperature areas within the fuselage and locations where the fuel tank compartment cannot withstand internal pressure. Integral fuel tanks refer to fuel tanks that use part of the structure of the wing or fuselage body, which can significantly reduce the weight of the fuel system and make the most of the internal space of the fuselage. They are widely used in modern aircraft.

[0003] The main fuel tanks of civil aircraft are mostly integral fuel tanks, which are directly formed by the structural elements of the fuselage and wings. The internal structure of the wings on both sides or the fuselage structure can be used as structural fuel tanks. A partition is set inside each fuel tank to prevent fuel sloshing caused by changes in the aircraft's flight attitude, and a baffle-type one-way valve is installed on the partition: when the aircraft is maneuvering, the oil in the fuel tank is prevented from moving from the wing root to the wing tip, and the oil is allowed to flow from the wing tip to the wing root. Aircraft usually use an "open ventilation system" to connect the oil-free space above each fuel tank surface with the outside atmosphere to avoid a large pressure difference between the fuel tank and the outside atmosphere within the entire aircraft's flight envelope, resulting in a very large force acting on the fuel tank structure. In addition, there are several oil dipsticks under each main fuel tank to check the amount of oil in the tank. A priming pump is set in each tank compartment. When the engine is working, the fuel of each tank is called through the fuel pipeline in a certain order.

[0004] In the design of fuel tanks for small aircraft, the fuel system is relatively simple due to the limitations of volume, weight and system complexity. In the previous design of small aircraft, plastic tanks with smaller capacity and rubber soft tanks were widely used. The effective fuel capacity of an aircraft directly affects its range index. With the continuous expansion of the application of small flight platforms, the demand for flight endurance, range and carrying capacity is also increasing, so a larger fuel capacity is needed. It is estimated that the maximum fuel weight of the takeoff can reach more than 40%. When the flight attitude changes, the fuel sloshing has a great impact on the overall center of gravity, which brings about problems in stability, controllability, safety and other aspects. This is the main problem in the large-scale fuel tanks of small aircraft. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to seek an innovative design idea to design a fuel tank for a small aircraft; and to use the innovative design idea to design a new type of vertical limited compression fuel tank with a stable center of gravity, large oil storage capacity, simple and reliable structure, light weight and low cost.

[0006] The technical solution to achieve the purpose of the present invention is: design a new type of oil tank with vertical limit compression, and design a corresponding compression limit device to achieve the control of the center of gravity position and center of gravity stability of the oil tank from a full oil state to a nearly oil-free state. The new type of oil tank with vertical limit compression includes an oil tank shell 1, a compression limit device 2 and a compressible soft oil tank 3, wherein the oil tank shell 1 includes a shell assembly 11 with an open top and guide rails 13 fixed at both ends of the shell assembly 11; the compressible soft oil tank 3 is placed in the shell assembly 11, and the compression limit device 2 is pressed on the compressible soft oil tank 3; the compression limit device 2 includes a power device, a pressure plate 21 and two sliders 22, wherein the two sliders are respectively fixed at both ends of the pressure plate 21 and are slidably connected to the guide rails 13, and the power device applies a downward force to the pressure plate 21, and causes the sliders 22 on both sides of the pressure plate 21 to move synchronously.

[0007] To achieve the purpose of the present invention, the present invention can also adopt the following technical measures.

[0008] The aforementioned new type of oil tank with vertical limit compression, wherein the power unit includes three gears, two locking devices 24, two racks 12 and two torsion springs 25; wherein the three gears include a first gear 23 and two second gears 27 symmetrically distributed at both ends of the first gear 23 axis, the second gears 27 are meshed with the racks 12 fixed at both ends of the shell assembly; the two locking devices 24 are fixed at both ends of the pressure plate, respectively fixing and locking one end of a torsion spring 25, and the other end of the torsion spring 25 is connected to the first gear located in the middle.

[0009] The aforementioned novel oil tank with vertical limit compression, the compressible soft oil tank 3 is composed of a soft oil tank 31, an oil delivery conduit 32 and an oil filling pipe 33.

[0010] The aforementioned new type of oil tank with vertical limit compression, wherein the soft oil tank is made of three layers of material, the inner and outer layers are made of PVC material resistant to fuel corrosion, the middle layer is made of nylon fiber reinforced rubber material, and the outer layer is covered with polytetrafluoroethylene film.

[0011] The present invention has positive effects:

[0012] The present invention seeks an innovative design idea for the fuel tank design, and designs a new type of vertical limited compression fuel tank solution with a stable center of gravity and a large oil storage capacity, which creates a new path for the design of fuel tanks for small aircraft and helps to extend the cruising range of small aircraft.

[0013] The present invention expands the application scope of the soft oil tank;

[0014] The present invention creates a new idea and method for suppressing the change of the center of gravity of fuel sloshing in a fuel tank;

[0015] The center of gravity of the oil tank of the present invention is stable and controllable from a full oil state to an oil-free state, and the influence of fuel sloshing on the center of gravity can be reduced by more than 90%.

[0016] The fuel tank of the present invention improves the center of gravity stability and allows the aircraft to carry more fuel.

[0017] The oil tank of the present invention can compress the height of the soft oil tank to about 10% of the original height, with a small amount of residual oil, thereby increasing the effective oil carrying capacity.

[0018] The oil tank of the present invention has the advantages of light weight, stable operation and good reliability.

[0019] The oil tank solution of the present invention has no air in the oil tank, so the oxygen content of the fuel can be controlled at a relatively low level, is not prone to explosion, has good safety, and can withstand long-term storage. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to make the content of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below based on specific embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a state diagram of the new vertical limited compression oil tank of the present invention when it is full of oil;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a state diagram of the new vertical limited compression oil tank of the present invention when half oil is filled;

[0023] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of a novel vertically limited compression oil tank according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024]

Main component symbol description

[0025] 1: Shell

[0026] 11: Shell assembly

[0027] 12: Rack

[0028] 13: Guide rail

[0029] 2: Press the limit device

[0030] 21: Pressure plate

[0031] 22: Slider

[0032] 23: First Gear

[0033] 24: Locking device

[0034] 25: Torsion spring

[0035] 26: Bearing seat

[0036] 27: Second gear

[0037] 3: Compressible soft fuel tank

[0038] 32: Oil pipe

[0039] 33: Oil filling pipe DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] In order to further explain the technical means and effects adopted by the present invention to achieve the predetermined purpose of the invention, the specific implementation method, structure, characteristics and effects of the new type of vertical limited compression oil tank proposed by the present invention are described in detail below in combination with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

[0041] See also Figure 1-2 , which is a schematic diagram of a novel vertically limited compression oil tank of the present invention, the vertically limited compression oil tank comprises an oil tank shell 1, a compression limit device 2 and a compressible soft oil tank 3, the compressible soft oil tank is compressible in the height direction, wherein the oil tank shell 1 comprises a shell assembly 11 with an open top and guide rails 13 fixed at both ends of the shell assembly 11. The compressible soft oil tank 3 is placed in the shell assembly 11, and the compression limit device 2 is pressed on the compressible soft oil tank 3, and pressure is applied to the compressible soft oil tank 3 from the top.

[0042] The clamping and limiting device 2 includes a power device, a pressure plate 21 and two groups of sliders 22, wherein the two groups of sliders 22 are respectively fixed at both ends of the pressure plate 21 and are slidably connected to the guide rails 13. The power device applies a downward force to the pressure plate 21, and causes the sliders on both sides of the pressure plate 21 to move synchronously. Under the action of the power device, the pressure plate 21 is pressed against the compressible soft oil tank 3, so that the length of the space where the compressible soft oil tank 3 is located matches the internal fuel storage. When the amount of oil in the compressible soft oil tank 3 in the height direction decreases, the pressure plate 21 moves downward, so that the interior of the compressible soft oil tank 3 is still an oil-filled structure, the position and shape are limited, and the center of gravity will not change during swaying, thereby controlling the change of the center of gravity of the oil tank.

[0043] See also Figure 3, which is a structural schematic diagram of a novel vertical limited compression oil tank in an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the power device includes three gears, two racks 12, two locking devices 24, two torsion springs 25 and two bearing seats 26. The three gears include a first gear 23 located at the center of the shaft and two second gears 27 distributed at both ends of the shaft. The two bearing seats 26 are fixed at both ends of the pressure plate 21, and bearings are installed thereon to support the second gears 27 located at both ends. The two racks 12 are respectively fixed at both ends of the housing assembly 11, and mesh with the second gears 23 located at both ends.

[0044] The two locking devices 24 are fixed at both ends of the pressure plate 21 , and each locking device 24 has a fixing and locking effect on one end of a torsion spring 25 ; the other end of the torsion spring 25 is fixed on the first gear 23 located in the middle.

[0045] The torsion spring 25 drives the first gear 23 to generate a rotational tendency, so that the pressure plate 21 generates a downward pressure on the compressible soft oil tank 3; as the oil is used up, the torsion spring 25 drives the first gear 23 to rotate, and the first gear 23 drives the second gear 27 to rotate, so that the pressure plate 21 moves downward synchronously along the guide rails at both ends, so that the oil in the compressible soft oil tank 3 has no extra space to shake, so that the center of gravity of the oil tank will not change.

[0046] The compressible soft oil tank 3 is composed of a soft oil tank 31, an oil delivery conduit 32 and an oil filling pipe 33. The soft oil tank 31 is made of three layers of material, the inner and outer layers are made of PVC material resistant to fuel corrosion, the middle layer is made of nylon fiber reinforced rubber material with certain strength and rigidity, and the outer layer is coated with a polytetrafluoroethylene film to reduce the friction between the soft oil tank 31 and the oil tank shell 1 and prevent friction damage.

[0047] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the objectives, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention in detail. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A new type of oil tank with vertical limit compression, characterized by: It comprises an oil tank shell (1), a compression limit device (2) and a compressible soft oil tank (3). The oil tank shell (1) comprises a shell assembly (11) with an open upper portion and guide rails (13) fixed at both ends of the shell assembly (11); The compressible soft oil tank (3) is placed in the housing assembly (11), and the compression limit device (2) is pressed on the compressible soft oil tank (3); The clamping and limiting device (2) comprises a power device, a pressure plate (21) and two sliders (22), wherein the two sliders are respectively fixed at two ends of the pressure plate (21) and are slidably connected to the guide rail (13), and the power device applies a downward force to the pressure plate (21) and causes the sliders (22) on both sides of the pressure plate (21) to move synchronously; The power device comprises three gears, two locking devices (24), two racks (12) and two torsion springs (25); the three gears comprise a first gear (23) and two second gears (27) symmetrically distributed at both ends of the shaft of the first gear (23); the second gears (27) mesh with the racks (12) fixed at both ends of the housing assembly; The two locking devices (24) are fixed at both ends of the pressure plate, and respectively fix and lock one end of a torsion spring (25), and the other end of the torsion spring (25) is connected to the first gear; The compressible soft oil tank (3) is composed of a soft oil tank (31), an oil delivery conduit (32) and an oil filling pipe (33).

2. The novel oil tank with vertical limited compression according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The soft oil tank is made of three layers of materials. The inner and outer layers are made of PVC material resistant to fuel corrosion, the middle layer is made of rubber material reinforced with nylon fiber, and the outer layer is covered with a polytetrafluoroethylene film.

Images