Air Data Probe Gasket Assembly for Rapid Moisture-Sealed Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
The replacement of air data probes on aircraft is time-consuming due to slow curing times of sealants, especially in adverse conditions, and poses challenges for technicians working at heights with limited access and wearing gloves, leading to potential moisture issues and installation errors.
Innovation Solution
An air data probe assembly with an injection-molded gasket and screw gaskets that create a moisture-resistant seal, allowing for rapid installation without chemical sealants, preassembly to reduce errors, and secure attachment to the aircraft skin, minimizing downtime and installation errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If chemical sealants are used to create a moisture-resistant seal, then sealing reliability is improved, but installation time increases significantly due to slow curing times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the chemical sealant from the sealing process, replacing it with a mechanical seal using a gasket that wraps around the baseplate portion. This removes the time-consuming curing step while maintaining sealing reliability through the physical barrier of the gasket material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical sealing system (sealant requiring curing) with a mechanical sealing system (gasket wrapped around the baseplate and secured with screws). This substitution eliminates the dependency on chemical curing times while achieving the same moisture-resistant seal.
2Manufacturing precision
If multi-step replacement procedures are used to ensure proper installation, then installation quality is improved, but complexity of the replacement process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gasket is pre-wrapped around the baseplate portion before installation, ensuring proper positioning and sealing configuration is established in advance. This preliminary action simplifies the installation process by eliminating the need for complex alignment steps during the actual replacement procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions into the gasket component itself: it provides the moisture-resistant seal, acts as a mounting surface for the screws, and ensures proper positioning of the air data probe. This merging of functions reduces the number of separate steps and components needed in the replacement procedure.
3Ease of operation
If technicians work at heights on ladders to replace air data probes, then access to the probe is achieved, but safety risks and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The simplified gasket-and-screw assembly design makes the replacement process so straightforward that it can be performed quickly and safely even at heights. The self-contained nature of the pre-wrapped gasket allows technicians to complete the installation with minimal manipulation, reducing the risks associated with working on ladders.
4Ease of manufacture
If screw holes are left open during installation, then ease of fastening is improved, but moisture infiltration risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gasket acts as a flexible barrier that wraps around the baseplate portion and extends to cover the screw holes. This flexible shell maintains the moisture-resistant seal while allowing screws to pass through, preventing moisture infiltration without complicating the fastening process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces aircraft downtime during maintenance, lowers costs for OEMs, and eliminates the need for lengthy sealant drying times, ensuring a reliable and efficient installation process.
Implementation Method 1
the baseplate gasket creates a moisture-resistant seal between the air data probe and the recess in the aircraft skin
Implementation Method 2
An injection-molded gasket and screw gaskets create a moisture-resistant seal, allowing for rapid installation without chemical sealants
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
An air data probe assembly is disclosed. The air data probe assembly includes an air data probe that includes a baseplate portion and a sensor portion. The baseplate portion includes one or more screw holes and one or more connectors on an underside of the baseplate portion. The air data probe assembly also includes a baseplate gasket that wraps around an underside and one or more edges of the baseplate portion, wherein the baseplate gasket comprises one or more holes corresponding to the one or more screw holes and the one or more connectors on the underside of the baseplate portion. When wrapped around the baseplate portion while the baseplate portion is fastened to a recess in an aircraft skin, the baseplate gasket creates a moisture-resistant seal between the air data probe and the recess in the aircraft skin.