Movable Aircraft Ballast Layout for Center of Gravity Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft face challenges in maintaining the center of gravity (CG) within a desirable envelope due to changes from loading passengers and cargo, as existing methods require impractical or impossible adjustments with fixed ballasts and temporary ballast solutions that lack accessibility and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A movable ballast system with fore and aft ballast docks, where a flight computer calculates the CG and relocates movable ballasts between these docks to adjust the aircraft's weight distribution, allowing pilots to easily shift ballasts between docks to maintain optimal CG without the need for temporary ballast or certified maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If fixed ballasts are used to manipulate the CG of the aircraft, then the CG can be adjusted, but the adjustment process requires a certified mechanic and is impractical or impossible to perform during operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static fixed ballast system into a dynamic movable ballast system. The ballast trays are designed to be movable along the fuselage length, allowing the CG to be adjusted dynamically during operations without requiring mechanical disassembly or certified mechanics, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The ballast system is divided into multiple discrete ballast trays that can be independently positioned at different locations along the fuselage. This segmentation allows flexible CG adjustment by selectively placing trays in different positions, making the system easier to operate while maintaining manageable complexity
2Adaptability or versatility
If temporary ballast is added to the aircraft to alter the CG, then the CG can be adjusted, but the temporary ballast may not be accessible at all locations and cargo capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The movable ballast trays serve multiple functions: they act as CG adjustment devices and can also be positioned to optimize cargo distribution. The system is designed to be integrated with the cargo loading process, allowing the same trays to fulfill both ballast and cargo management functions, thereby maintaining cargo capacity while providing CG adjustment adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The ballast trays are designed to be movable and repositionable, allowing the system to adapt to different CG requirements at different locations. This dynamic capability enables the aircraft to maintain proper CG whether flying from or to any location, eliminating the need for location-specific temporary ballast while preserving cargo capacity
3Adaptability or versatility
If the aircraft flies between locations to pick up or drop off cargo, then the CG changes significantly, but existing ballast systems cannot quickly adapt to these changes
Solution Approach 1:
The ballast trays are designed for quick repositioning along the fuselage, enabling rapid CG adjustment in response to changing load conditions during flights between locations. This dynamic repositioning capability allows the aircraft to quickly adapt to CG changes without time-consuming mechanical interventions
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows ballast trays to be pre-positioned based on anticipated cargo loads for upcoming flights. By preparing the ballast configuration in advance, the aircraft can quickly adapt to CG changes when picking up or dropping off cargo at different locations, minimizing adjustment time and maintaining CG envelope compliance
Data Source
AI summary
A method of adjusting a center of gravity (CG) of an aircraft includes: inputting at least one load parameter into a flight computer, determining, via a processer of the flight computer, the CG of the aircraft. Responsive to a determination by the processor that the CG is outside of a CG envelope, moving at least a first movable ballast of a plurality of movable ballasts from a first ballast dock to a second ballast dock to move the CG toward the CG envelope. Each of the first and second ballast docks may include a housing and a first ballast tray secured within the housing and comprising a plurality of channels.