A method of simulating the reciprocating movement of the handle of an aircraft throttle lever in operation in a vibration test

Abstract

A method for simulating the reciprocating movement of the handle of an aircraft throttle lever in operation in a vibration test belongs to the field of aircraft testing. The method is realized by using an electromechanical automatic control throttle lever handle reciprocating movement device. The throttle lever handle reciprocating movement device uses a servo motor, a variable stroke telescopic electric cylinder and an electric cylinder push rod as an execution mechanism. The control system mainly consists of a PLC programmable controller, a motor driver, a power supply, a push rod limit sensor and a box body with a key type switch and a touch type digital display screen. The control system is connected to the push rod limit sensor and the servo motor on the electric cylinder through a signal cable. The signal cable includes a power supply line, a push rod limit sensor signal line and a motor drive signal line. The device also includes an execution mechanism support part for supporting the execution mechanism. The present application does not require manual intervention, improves test quality and test efficiency, and minimizes labor intensity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method for simulating the actual working state of aircraft functional accessories under vibration test environment, belonging to the field of aircraft testing. Background Technology

[0002] During flight, the engine thrust is controlled by the pilot operating the throttle lever. However, it is impractical to manually operate the throttle lever for over 60 hours during high-level accelerated vibration tests on the aircraft throttle lever in a laboratory setting. Current methods for aircraft throttle lever vibration testing involve fixing the lever in one position and changing it several times throughout the test, distributing the test time evenly according to the number of positions. This results in numerous dents on the contact area between the throttle lever guide rod (aluminum) and the lever roller (steel) due to repeated impacts and friction from vibration, significantly differing from actual operating conditions. Furthermore, the manual repositioning leads to frequent test interruptions and a heavy workload for the operator.

[0003] To address this issue, a technical investigation of the throttle lever after actual use in the aircraft field revealed that the wear on the throttle lever guide rod after a certain number of flight hours was relatively uniform along the entire guide rod, rather than exhibiting numerous pits. Therefore, through analysis of the throttle lever's working principle, handle operation mode, and working process, a simulation of the throttle lever handle's working state was implemented during the test. An automatic control system was used to achieve the function of automatic reciprocating movement of the throttle lever handle during vibration testing, thus simulating actual usage conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention aims to solve the technical problems existing in current testing techniques or related technologies. This method overcomes the shortcomings of existing aircraft throttle lever vibration tests, such as significant differences from actual working conditions, the need for manual replacement of the control handle's fixed position, frequent test interruptions, and heavy workload for operators. It achieves a vibration test where the aircraft throttle lever control handle reciprocates in a manner simulating actual working conditions throughout the entire process, eliminating the need for manual intervention, thus improving test quality and efficiency, and minimizing labor intensity.

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is achieved by the following technical solution:

[0006] A method for simulating the reciprocating movement of an aircraft throttle lever during vibration testing is disclosed. This method utilizes an electromechanical automatic control device to manipulate the reciprocating movement of the throttle lever handle, featuring multi-position changes, adjustable angle, adjustable speed, and adjustable stroke. The electromechanical automatic control device for the reciprocating movement of the throttle lever handle employs a servo motor 6, a variable-stroke telescopic electric cylinder 4, and an electric cylinder push rod 5 as actuators. A control system 8, mainly composed of a PLC programmable controller, motor driver, power supply, push rod limit sensor, and a housing with push-button switches and a touch-screen digital display, is connected via a signal harness 16 to the push rod limit sensor and servo motor 6 located on the electric cylinder 4. The signal harness 16 includes power lines, push rod limit sensor signal lines, and motor drive signal lines. The device also includes an actuator support section to support the actuators.

[0007] A semi-flexible connection is formed between the electric cylinder telescopic push rod 5 and the throttle lever handle 1 using a wire 9 and a flexible connector 10. One end of the wire 9 is connected to the electric cylinder telescopic push rod 5, and the other end is connected to the throttle lever handle 1 via the flexible connector 10. The entire test piece throttle lever 2 is fixed to the test fixture 15, simulating the actual installation state of an aircraft. The test fixture 15 is fixed to the vibration test platform 14. This device enables automatic reciprocating movement of the throttle lever handle during vibration testing.

[0008] Furthermore, the actuator support includes an adjustable bracket 3, an adjustable crossbeam 7, a fixing bolt 12, a base 11, and a steering wheel 13. The steering wheel 13 is provided under the base 11, and the bracket 3 is provided on the base 11. The adjustable crossbeam 7 is provided in the middle of the bracket 3 through the fixing bolt 12.

[0009] Furthermore, elongated holes are provided on the bracket 3, and the two ends of the crossbeam 7 pass through the elongated holes on both sides of the bracket 3, allowing its position to be adjusted up and down along the bracket 3. When it reaches the designated position, it is fixed by the fixing bolts 12. The crossbeam 7 can be adjusted up and down along the bracket 3, and can also be rotated by a certain angle by adjusting the fixing bolts 12 at both ends of the crossbeam.

[0010] Furthermore, the diameter of wire 9 is 5mm.

[0011] Furthermore, the flexible connection 10 is made of materials such as nylon rope, cotton thread, or electrical wire.

[0012] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This method has been verified through experiments. Following this method, the vibration test of the aircraft throttle lever under all test conditions can simulate the actual use state of the aircraft throttle lever to the greatest extent possible. This avoids the problem of pitting on the contact area between the throttle lever guide rod (aluminum) and the handle roller (steel) due to repeated impact and friction caused by vibration, which was a problem with previous test methods. This ensures the consistency between the test and actual flight conditions, greatly improving the test quality. The advantages of this invention are its simplicity and efficiency, its clear principle, and its full utilization of the characteristic of free vibration units finding their own equilibrium position under gravity. This reduces the need for reversing methods and structural design, thus lowering costs. The method is simple to operate, highly automated, independent of operator skill level, and runs stably. It not only effectively improves test quality and work efficiency but also reduces the workload and intensity of operators. This method and its principle have strong versatility and are suitable for the functional simulation and reproduction of similar products. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a device for the reciprocating movement of a throttle lever control handle in an electromechanical automatic control system.

[0014] In the diagram: 1. Throttle lever handle; 2. Throttle lever; 3. Bracket; 4. Electric cylinder; 5. Electric cylinder push rod; 6. Servo motor; 7. Bracket crossbeam; 8. Control system; 9. Wire; 10. Flexible connection; 11. Base; 12. Fixing bolt; 13. Steering wheel; 14. Test platform; 15. Test fixture; 16. Signal harness; 17. Throttle lever guide rod. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The specific embodiments of the present invention are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and technical solutions. For example... Figure 1 As shown:

[0016] Considering that the maximum stroke of the throttle lever handle 1 is approximately 230mm, and the friction between the handle roller and the throttle lever guide rod 17 is very small, a thrust of less than 1N is sufficient to move the handle under normal circumstances. Therefore, the actuator uses an electric cylinder 4 with a stroke of 250mm, driven by a servo motor 6, and the extension force of 1KN fully meets the requirements for pushing and pulling the throttle lever handle 1. Through the operation of the touch-screen digital display of the control system 8, parameters such as the stroke and extension speed of the electric cylinder push rod 5 can be set, and it has functions such as overload fault alarm, emergency stop, and automatic reset. The control system 8 is fixed on the base 11 of the adjustable position bracket.

[0017] Since the vibration test of the throttle lever 2 involves testing along the three axes of a three-dimensional coordinate system, the orientation and height of the product mounted on the test platform 14 via the test fixture 15 vary depending on the operating conditions. This results in different relative positions between the electric cylinder push rod 5 and the throttle lever handle 1. Therefore, the bracket 3 for mounting the actuator must be easily repositioned around the test platform. Thus, the bracket base 11 is equipped with four steering wheels 13, allowing for free movement, and includes a braking device to ensure it remains stationary in the appropriate position. The electric cylinder 4 and servo motor 6 are fixed to the bracket crossbeam 7. The crossbeam 7 can be adjusted vertically along the bracket 3 and can also be rotated by adjusting the fixing bolts 12 at both ends of the crossbeam to maintain consistency in the height and angle changes between the electric cylinder push rod 5 and the throttle lever handle 1 due to different test platforms 14.

[0018] Before operation, because the support 3 is located on one side of the test platform 14, and the test platform 14 occupies a large area, there is a distance of about 1m between the throttle lever 2 fixed on it and the end of the electric cylinder push rod 5 fixed on the support 3, which cannot be directly connected. A transitional connection is required. Moreover, the throttle lever 2 is under vibration. If a hard connection is used, it will bring excessive additional constraints to the free vibration of the throttle lever 2, which does not meet the test requirements. Secondly, the vibration will also be transmitted to the electric cylinder push rod 5 through the hard connection, bringing it a large radial or lateral dynamic torque for a long time, which is not conducive to the linear movement of the push rod and may even cause it to be damaged. Furthermore, because the throttle lever guide rod 17 has an angle of about 20° with the horizontal plane, the throttle lever handle 1 will automatically slide from the high end to the low end during vibration due to gravity, without other constraints. Therefore, the movement of the throttle lever handle 1 from the high end to the low end basically does not require external driving force. It is only necessary to ensure that a driving force is continuously applied when it moves from the low end to the high end. Therefore, a piece of iron wire 9 about 1m long and 5mm in diameter is used as the main connection and transition. The most suitable position after connection can be ensured by adjusting the distance between the bracket 3 and the test platform 14. At the same time, the radial rigidity of the connection is ensured, while the lateral freedom is sufficient. One end is connected to the electric cylinder push rod 5, and the other end is connected to a shorter soft connection 10 to tie the throttle lever handle 1, which has a pulling effect in the direction from low to high.

[0019] During operation, although the throttle lever handle 1 and the throttle lever guide rod 17 are in roller contact, there is still a small amount of friction. During the downward free sliding of the throttle lever handle 1, there are uncertain positions where it may get stuck. When the wire pushes forward, it will touch the stuck throttle lever handle 1, and a small pushing force is enough to overcome the static friction and continue the downward movement. This method minimizes the additional constraints on the throttle lever handle 1. Furthermore, vibrations transmitted to the electric cylinder push rod 5 through the flexible connection 10 are effectively attenuated, especially lateral vibrations, which are essentially not transmitted to the electric cylinder push rod 5, effectively preventing the electric cylinder push rod from experiencing significant lateral dynamic torque that could lead to malfunctions and damage.

[0020] At the start of operation, the travel stroke and extension speed of the electric cylinder push rod 5 are set via the touchscreen on the controller panel, and operation begins upon pressing the start button. This achieves the goal of automatically reciprocating the throttle lever handle 1 at a specific travel stroke and speed during vibration. During the test, if any abnormality is detected, operation can be stopped at any time using the emergency stop button. After identifying and troubleshooting the problem, the emergency stop status is lifted, and operation can continue.

Claims

1. A method for simulating the reciprocating movement of an aircraft throttle lever during operation in a vibration test, characterized in that, The method described herein is implemented using an electromechanical automatic control device for reciprocating movement of the throttle lever. The electromechanical automatic control device for reciprocating movement of the throttle lever uses a servo motor (6), a variable-stroke telescopic electric cylinder (4), and an electric cylinder push rod (5) as the actuator. The control system (8), which consists of a PLC programmable controller, a motor driver, a power supply, a push rod limit sensor, and a housing with a push button switch and a touch digital display, is connected to the push rod limit sensor and the servo motor (6) located on the electric cylinder (4) via a signal harness (16). The signal harness (16) includes a power line, a push rod limit sensor signal line, and a motor drive signal line. The device also includes an actuator support section for supporting the actuator. A semi-flexible connection is formed between the electric cylinder push rod (5) and the throttle lever handle (1) using a wire (9) and a flexible connection (10). One end of the wire (9) is connected to the electric cylinder push rod (5), and the other end is connected to the throttle lever handle (1) through the flexible connection (10). The entire test piece throttle lever (2) is fixed on the test fixture (15) to simulate the actual installation state of the aircraft. The test fixture (15) is fixed on the vibration test platform (14). The device described above enables the throttle lever handle to move automatically back and forth during the vibration test. The actuator support includes an adjustable bracket (3), an adjustable crossbeam (7), a fixing bolt (12), a base (11), and a steering wheel (13). The steering wheel (13) is installed under the base (11), and the bracket (3) is installed on the base (11). The adjustable crossbeam (7) is installed in the middle of the bracket (3) through the fixing bolt (12). The bracket (3) has elongated holes, and the two ends of the crossbeam (7) pass through the elongated holes on both sides of the bracket (3). The position can be adjusted up and down along the bracket (3), and fixed by fixing bolts (12) when it reaches the designated position. The crossbeam (7) can be adjusted up and down along the bracket (3), and the rotation angle can also be adjusted by adjusting the fixing bolts (12) at both ends of the crossbeam to ensure that the electric cylinder push rod (5) and the throttle handle (1) remain consistent in height and angle due to different test platforms (14). Due to gravity, the throttle handle (1) will automatically slide from the high end to the low end during vibration without other constraints. It is only necessary to ensure that the driving force is continuously applied when it moves from the low end to the high end.

2. The method for simulating the reciprocating movement of an aircraft throttle lever during operation in a vibration test according to claim 1, characterized in that, The diameter of the iron wire (9) is 5mm.

3. The method for simulating the reciprocating movement of an aircraft throttle lever during operation in a vibration test according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible connector (10) is made of nylon rope, cotton thread or wire.

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