A protective device and a protective method for umbilical connector fall-off test

Abstract

The present invention discloses a protective device for an umbilical cord connector drop test, comprising a binding unit for binding on a rocket body, a descent control unit fixedly connected to the binding unit, a traction rope connected to the descent control unit, and a locking structure arranged at the movable end of the traction rope, wherein the locking structure is used to connect with the connector, wherein the binding unit comprises a flexible strapping belt and a fastener arranged on the flexible strapping belt, and the flexible strapping belt is bound to the circumferential position of the rocket body by the fastener; the descent control unit is used to adjust the force acting on the traction rope to achieve deceleration when the connector falls. The present invention also discloses a protective method for protecting a connector during a connector drop test. The protective device and protective method of the present invention can achieve effective protection during a connector drop test and improve the success rate of rocket launches.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of rocket launching, and in particular relates to protective equipment and a protective method for a drop-off test of an umbilical connector. Background Art

[0002] At present, in the aerospace field, umbilical connector products that have been put into use basically do not undergo connector dropout tests before rocket launch, mainly because connector products are prone to hit the launch pad under the restraint of the pipeline during the dropout test, causing damage to the connector. There are also very few aerospace companies that will perform dropout tests before rocket launches, but no protective equipment is added during the test, which can also easily cause the connector to directly hit the launch pad after falling off, causing damage to the connector. In this case, a new connector needs to be replaced when the rocket is launched, making this test meaningless, that is, it is still unknown whether the newly replaced dropper can fall off normally, or, during this type of test, the staff may affect the final launch of the rocket due to the identification of connector damage. That is, the existing unprotected connector dropout test not only fails to achieve the expected test results, but is prone to various unpredictable adverse consequences. Summary of the invention

[0003] In response to the above-mentioned technical problems in the related art, the present invention proposes a protective device and method for an umbilical cord connector fall-off test, which has a simple structure and is easy to operate. It solves the problem in the prior art that the umbilical cord connector is not protected and is easily damaged during the fall-off test. At the same time, it can also gradually improve the coverage rate of the connector fall-off test, ensuring that the connector can be tested for a fall-off before each rocket launch, thereby improving the success rate of the rocket launch.

[0004] One aspect of the present invention provides a protective device for an umbilical connector fall-off test, the protective device comprising a binding unit, a descent control unit fixedly connected to the binding unit, a traction rope connected to the descent control unit, and a locking structure arranged at a movable end of the traction rope, wherein the locking structure is used to connect to the connector;

[0005] Wherein, the binding unit includes a flexible strapping belt and a fastener arranged on the flexible strapping belt, and the flexible strapping belt is bound to the circumferential position of the arrow body through the fastener; the descent control unit is used to achieve deceleration when the connector falls by adjusting the force acting on the traction rope.

[0006] In one embodiment, the flexible strapping belt is used to set soft materials such as felt on one side close to the arrow body, and set a fiber belt on the side away from the arrow body, which can prevent the arrow body from being damaged by the strapping force.

[0007] In one embodiment, a silicone pad is provided on one side of the flexible strapping belt used to adhere to the arrow body, which can not only increase the friction between the flexible strapping belt and the arrow body, but also play a role in protecting the arrow body to a certain extent.

[0008] In one embodiment, the portion of the fastener that is in direct contact with the arrow body is provided with a silicone pad or felt to prevent the surface of the arrow body from being scratched by the hard structure of the fastener.

[0009] In one embodiment, the flexible strapping belt is bound at a circumferential position of the arrow body by a hook and loop structure.

[0010] In one embodiment, the diameter of the traction rope near the descent control unit is larger than the diameter of the traction rope near the connector.

[0011] In the above embodiment, the traction rope is used to limit the falling distance of the connector to prevent the connector and the pipeline connected to it from hitting the launching frame and causing damage.

[0012] In one embodiment, the traction rope is configured as a non-elastic rope to prevent the connector from shaking up and down.

[0013] In one embodiment, the locking structure is a snap-on binding strap used to circumferentially bind the connector.

[0014] Another aspect of the present invention also provides a protection method for umbilical connector fall-off test, comprising the following steps:

[0015] Before the arrow body is erected, the protective device described in any of the above embodiments is tied to a preset height H1 position of the arrow body;

[0016] After the arrow body is erected and before the connector falls off, the movable end of the towing rope is connected to the connector through the locking structure;

[0017] When the connector falls off, the descent control unit rubs against the traction rope to decelerate the connector, thereby controlling the connector's falling speed;

[0018] After the connector falls to the limited height H2, the traction rope is tightened by the descending control unit to limit the connector from falling further;

[0019] Disassemble the protective equipment, restore the connector status, and the protection is completed.

[0020] The protective equipment and protection method provided by the embodiments of the present invention can limit the falling of the connector when the connector is undergoing a fall-off test, prevent the connector from hitting the launch pad under the restraint of the pipeline after falling off, and ensure that the connector is well protected when undergoing a fall-off test before the rocket is launched.

[0021] Those skilled in the art will recognize additional features and advantages upon reading the detailed description and upon viewing the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of a protective device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure after the connector and the arrow body of the embodiment of the present invention are detached.

[0025] Figure 3 It is an enlarged view of the locking structure part of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 It is a flow chart of the protection method of an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The technical solution of the present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and through specific embodiments. Spatial relationship terms such as "below", "below", "under...", "low", "above", "on...", "high", etc. are used to facilitate the description to explain the positioning of an element relative to a second element, indicating that these terms are intended to cover different orientations of the device in addition to orientations different from those shown in the figures. In addition, for example, "an element is above / below another element" can mean that the two elements are in direct contact, or it can mean that there are other elements between the two elements. In addition, terms such as "first", "second", etc. are also used to describe various elements, regions, parts, etc., and should not be regarded as limitations. Similar terms represent similar elements throughout the description.

[0028] One aspect of the present invention provides a protective device for an umbilical connector drop test. First, the umbilical connector includes an umbilical pipeline and a connector, one end of the umbilical pipeline is fixedly arranged on the launch pad, and the other end is used to communicate with the connector, and the connector is also connected to the interface of the rocket. When the connector is subjected to a drop test, the connector is separated from the rocket interface by the action of an external force, and the connector is driven to fall to the bottom of the launch pad under the traction force of the umbilical pipeline and the action of gravity. The protective device for an umbilical connector drop test provided by the present invention can effectively protect the connector during a drop test to prevent the connector from being damaged.

[0029] See also Figure 1The protective equipment for the umbilical connector drop test includes a binding unit 1, a slow-down unit 2 fixedly connected to the binding unit 1, a traction rope 3 connected to the slow-down unit 2, and a locking structure 4 arranged at the movable end of the traction rope 3, and the locking structure 4 is used to connect with the connector. Among them, the binding unit 1 includes a flexible strapping belt 11 and a fastener 12 arranged on the flexible strapping belt 11, and the flexible strapping belt 11 is tied to the circumferential position of the arrow body through the fastener 12. The slow-down unit 2 is used to adjust the force acting on the traction rope 3 to achieve deceleration when the connector falls.

[0030] The embodiment of the present invention provides a set of protective equipment during the connector drop test, so that the connector is well protected during the drop test. Specifically, the flexible strapping belt 11 is tied to the circumferential position of the arrow body through the fastener 12 as a fixed point and a force point, the descent control unit 2 is connected to the flexible strapping belt 11 and connected to the traction rope 3, and the movable end of the traction rope 3 is connected to the connector through the locking structure 4. After the connector falls off, the descent control unit 2 uses the point connected to the flexible strapping belt 11 as the force point, and controls the moving speed and moving range of the traction rope 3 through its own descent control function, thereby limiting the drop speed and drop position of the connector, thereby preventing the connector from hitting the launcher at a faster speed or with greater force, thereby protecting the connector.

[0031] In one embodiment, the flexible strapping belt 11 is used to set soft materials such as felt on one side close to the arrow body, and set a fiber belt on the side away from the arrow body, which can protect the arrow body from damage under the action of the tightening force.

[0032] In the embodiment of the present invention, one side of the flexible strapping belt 11 used for close contact with the arrow body is made of soft material such as felt, and the other side is made of fiber belt, which not only meets the requirement of strong binding, but also can prevent the arrow body from being injured during the binding process of the flexible strapping belt fixed by the fastener.

[0033] Furthermore, the side of the flexible strapping belt 11 used to close the arrow body is also provided with a soft anti-skid material, such as a silicone pad or a rubber pad, which can not only increase the friction between the flexible strapping belt and the arrow body, but also play a certain role in protecting the arrow body. For example, the flexible strapping belt can be made of a silicone pad, a felt and a fiber belt arranged in sequence, wherein the silicone pad, the felt and the fiber belt are firmly attached to form a whole, and the silicone pad is used to close the arrow body.

[0034] Alternatively, the flexible strapping belt may be made of a silicone material and a fiber belt that are arranged in sequence, wherein the silicone material is used to fit tightly against the arrow body.

[0035] Specifically, by setting a plurality of silicone points on the surface of the fiber belt close to one side of the arrow body, the friction between the flexible strapping belt and the arrow body can be further increased. For example, a plurality of silicone points can be set at equal intervals, the diameter of each silicone point is set to 0.6 to 0.8 cm, and the distance between each silicone point is set to 1 to 1.5 cm. By setting the size and spacing of the silicone points and silicone pads, it is possible to save silicone materials and resources while ensuring the smooth dragging of the connector. As mentioned above, setting silicone points inside the fiber belt can prevent the connector from pulling the flexible strapping belt down during the falling process, thereby avoiding damage to the surface of the arrow body.

[0036] Alternatively, the silicone dots in the above embodiment can be replaced by a plurality of silicone strips arranged along the surface of the fiber belt close to one side of the arrow body. For example, a plurality of silicone strips are arranged equidistantly around the arrow body. For example, by setting the contact surface of the silicone strip used to close the arrow body to a convex surface, and the width of the silicone strip used to close the arrow body end is smaller than the width of the other end, during the drop of the connector, the fiber belt is pulled, so that the silicone strip is pressed against the surface of the arrow body by the fiber belt, thereby increasing the friction surface between the silicone strip and the arrow body, and the friction force is also increased accordingly, which can effectively prevent the fiber belt from being pulled and displaced by the connector.

[0037] In one embodiment, the portion of the fastener 12 that is in direct contact with the arrow body is provided with a soft material such as a silicone pad or felt to prevent the surface of the arrow body from being damaged by friction of the fastener.

[0038] In the embodiment of the present invention, a soft material such as a silicone pad or felt is arranged at the position where the fastener 12 directly contacts the arrow body. The direct contact between the soft material and the arrow body can prevent the outer wall of the arrow body from being scratched by the hard structure of the fastener.

[0039] In one embodiment, the fastener 12 of the flexible strapping belt 11 can be replaced with a Velcro structure, so that the flexible strapping belt is bound at a circumferential position of the arrow body through the Velcro structure provided on the flexible strapping belt body.

[0040] In the embodiment of the present invention, a Velcro structure or a snap structure is provided at both ends of the flexible strapping belt. When the flexible strapping belt is tied to a circumferential position of the arrow body, the fitting connection part of the Velcro or snap structure covers at least half of the circumference of the arrow body, thereby ensuring that the binding is strong enough and preventing the flexible strapping belt from being pulled open during the fall-off test.

[0041] In one embodiment, the diameter of the traction rope 3 near the descent control unit is larger than the diameter of the traction rope 3 near the connector.

[0042] The embodiment of the present invention arranges the traction rope into a structure with different diameters at both ends, wherein the diameter of the part used to connect the connector is smaller than the diameter of the part connected to the deceleration unit. When the connector falls off and drives the traction rope to fall downward, the friction force of the deceleration unit on the traction rope will be correspondingly enhanced due to the increase in the diameter of the traction rope, thereby further decelerating the falling process of the connector.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the traction rope 3 can be set to a structure with different diameters at both ends. For example, the diameter of the connector part is smaller than the diameter of the part connected to the descent control unit. The diameter of the traction rope can gradually change from small to large. In this embodiment, by gradually changing the diameter of the traction rope, the friction between the descent control unit and the traction rope can be gradually increased during the connector falling off process, so that the connector can fall off more smoothly. Alternatively, the traction rope can be set to have a small diameter and a large diameter, and the ratio of the length of the small diameter part to the length of the large diameter part is 3:7 or 4:6, which reduces the difficulty of the rope process while meeting the requirement of smoothly dragging the connector off.

[0044] See also Figure 2 In one embodiment, the traction rope 3 is used to limit the falling distance of the connector A to prevent the connector A from hitting the launcher and causing damage.

[0045] The embodiment of the present invention sets the length of the traction rope 3 to limit the maximum drop limit of the connector A. Specifically, the distance between the point where the locking structure 4 binds the connector A and the point B where the umbilical pipeline is fixed to the launcher can be greater than or equal to the length of the traction rope 3 in the tensioned state, which can prevent the connector from hitting the launcher and causing damage after falling.

[0046] In one embodiment, the traction rope 3 is configured as a non-elastic rope. Since the connector A is prone to shaking and colliding under the action of elastic force, which may cause damage to the arrow body or itself, in the embodiment of the present invention, the traction rope is a non-elastic rope.

[0047] In one embodiment, the traction rope 3 is a high molecular polyethylene fiber rope, which has the advantages of high strength, low density, low elongation, and fatigue resistance.

[0048] Alternatively, the traction rope 3 may be a rope made of a carbon fiber composite material, which is stronger than ordinary ropes and is easy to reuse.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the descent control unit 2 may be a descender to decelerate and tighten the traction rope 3, thereby achieving speed and position limiting of the connector A.

[0050] Alternatively, the descending unit 2 may be a friction reducer, which decelerates the traction rope 3 by friction, thereby decelerating the connector A.

[0051] See also Figure 3 In one embodiment, the locking structure 4 is a buckle-type binding belt for circumferentially binding the connector, or it can also be a hook-and-loop binding belt.

[0052] The embodiment of the present invention sets the locking structure as a snap-on binding belt that is easy to assemble and disassemble, which is used to circumferentially bind the connector, has a simple structure and is reusable. Alternatively, the locking structure can be set as a Velcro structure, which is convenient for assembly and disassembly.

[0053] See also Figure 4 Another aspect of the present invention also provides a protection method for umbilical connector fall-off test, comprising the following steps:

[0054] S100 Before the arrow body is erected, the protective device in any one of the above embodiments is tied to a preset height H1 of the arrow body;

[0055] After the S200 rocket body is erected and before the connector falls off, the movable end of the towing rope is connected to the connector through the locking structure;

[0056] When the S300 connector falls off, the descent control unit will decelerate the traction rope by friction, thereby controlling the connector's falling speed;

[0057] After the S400 connector falls to the limited height H2, the descent control unit controls the tension of the traction rope to limit the connector from falling further;

[0058] S500 disassembles the protection equipment, restores the connector status, and the protection is completed.

[0059] The embodiment of the present invention adopts a protection method for protecting the connector during the connector fall-off test, so as to avoid the connector from hitting the launcher after falling rapidly and causing damage to itself. Specifically, before the rocket body is erected, the flexible strapping belt of the protective equipment is tied to the preset height H1 position of the rocket body, and the descent control unit and the rocket body interface are ensured to be in the same straight line. After the rocket body is erected, the connector is inserted into the rocket body interface, and the connector is fixedly connected by a locking structure to realize the restraint of the traction rope on the connector, and then the connector is dropped under the action of an external force, and the descent control unit decelerates the traction rope friction, thereby controlling the drop speed of the connector and its pipeline, and reducing the fall kinetic energy of the connector and its connected pipeline. When the connector falls to the specified height H2, the traction rope reaches the maximum movement, and the descent control unit controls the tension of the traction rope to limit the continued drop of the connector and its pipeline, and then the protective equipment is disassembled to restore the state of the connector, and the protection work of the connector fall-off test is completed.

[0060] The preset height H1 and the limited height H2 mentioned in the embodiment of the present invention can be actually operated according to the height of the arrow body, so no specific setting is made here.

[0061] The present invention provides a protective device and a protective method for an umbilical cord connector fall-off test. The device and the method are simple and easy to operate, and solve the problem in the prior art that the umbilical cord connector is not protected and is easily damaged during the fall-off test. The connector is restricted from falling when the connector is undergoing a fall-off test, and is prevented from hitting the launch pad under the restraint of the pipeline after falling off. This ensures that the connector is well protected during the fall-off test before rocket launch, and also improves the coverage rate of the connector fall-off test, thereby improving the success rate of rocket launch.

[0062] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other and have corresponding technical effects.

[0063] The above description is only a preferred 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 principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A protective device for umbilical connector fall-off test, characterized in that: include: A binding unit, a descent control unit fixedly connected to the binding unit, a traction rope connected to the descent control unit, and a locking structure arranged at a movable end of the traction rope, wherein the locking structure is used to connect to a connector; The binding unit includes a flexible binding belt and a fastener arranged on the flexible binding belt, and the flexible binding belt is bound to the circumferential position of the arrow body through the fastener; the slow-down unit is used to achieve deceleration when the connector falls by adjusting the force acting on the traction rope; The diameter of the traction rope changes gradually from small to large; the side with a large diameter is used to connect the descent control unit, and the side with a small diameter is used to connect the locking structure; The flexible strapping belt is used to set the felt on one side of the arrow body and set the fiber belt on the other side to prevent the arrow body from being damaged; The side of the flexible strapping belt used for clinging to the arrow body is also provided with a silicone pad to increase the friction between the flexible strapping belt and the arrow body.

2. The protective device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The part of the fastener that directly contacts the arrow body is provided with a silicone pad or felt to prevent the surface of the arrow body from being worn.

3. The protective device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible strapping belt is bound at a circumferential position of the arrow body by a hook and loop structure.

4. The protective device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The traction rope is used to restrict the movement range of the connector to prevent the connector from hitting the launcher.

5. The protective device according to claim 4, characterized in that The traction rope is a non-elastic rope.

6. The protective device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The locking structure is a snap-on binding belt used for circumferentially binding the connector.

7. A protection method for umbilical connector fall-off test, characterized in that: include: Before the arrow body is erected, the protective device described in any one of claims 1 to 6 is tied to a preset height H1 of the arrow body; After the arrow body is erected and before the connector falls off, the movable end of the towing rope is connected to the connector through the locking structure; When the connector falls off, the descent control unit rubs against the traction rope to decelerate the connector, thereby controlling the connector's falling speed; After the connector falls to the limited height H2, the traction rope is tightened by the descending control unit to limit the connector from falling further; Disassemble the protective equipment, restore the connector status, and the protection is completed.

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