Aircraft Door Adjustable Support Arm Hinges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft doors require lengthy and cumbersome adjustment processes to align the door leaf with the fuselage, involving multiple operators and numerous components, which complicates optimal fitting and increases weight and cost.
Innovation Solution
The aircraft door design centralizes adjustments through two orthogonal translation directions in the hinges, allowing a single operator to easily adjust the support arm and leaf, reducing the number of components and simplifying the process by using pivot connections and adjustable fittings that lock in place during non-adjustment phases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple fixtures and components are used for adjustment, then the door can be adjusted to various positions, but the adjustment process becomes lengthy and cumbersome requiring several operators
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple adjustment functions into a single integrated hinge mechanism. The hinge integrates both the support arm connection and the adjustable positioning features that previously required separate fixtures. This merging reduces the number of components while maintaining the ability to adjust the door leaf position in multiple directions (vertical and horizontal adjustments via the adjustable mounting plate).
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge is designed as a multi-functional component that performs multiple functions: it provides the pivot connection for the support arm, enables vertical adjustment of the door leaf, allows horizontal positioning, and provides locking capability. This universal design replaces several specialized fixtures with one versatile mechanism, reducing complexity while maintaining adjustability.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple fixtures are used for adjustment, then the door can be precisely aligned, but the adjustment requires several operators to support and tighten components
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable mounting plate integrates multiple adjustment functions (vertical positioning, horizontal positioning) into a single component that can be operated from one location. The operator adjusts both vertical and horizontal positions by working with this single integrated mechanism rather than coordinating multiple fixtures, making the process easier to operate while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable mounting plate acts as an intermediary mechanism between the hinge and the door leaf. It provides a centralized interface for making precise alignment adjustments, translating operator input into coordinated positional changes of the door leaf without requiring direct manipulation of multiple separate fixtures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If numerous components are used for adjustment, then the door can be adjusted optimally, but the weight on board the aircraft increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate adjustment components into a single integrated hinge assembly with an adjustable mounting plate. This consolidation eliminates the need for multiple separate fixtures, brackets, and adjustment mechanisms, thereby reducing the total weight of the door assembly while preserving full adjustability functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the essential adjustment functionality from a complex multi-component system and concentrates it into a single streamlined mechanism. By removing unnecessary intermediate components and retaining only the core adjustment capability in the hinge assembly, the design reduces weight while maintaining the ability to achieve optimal door positioning.
4Manufacturing precision
If multiple fixtures are used for adjustment, then the door can be positioned accurately, but the cost of the door increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple adjustment functions into a single integrated hinge mechanism with an adjustable mounting plate. This consolidation reduces the number of parts that need to be manufactured, inventoried, and assembled, thereby lowering production costs while maintaining the precision alignment capability through the integrated adjustment features.
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
This design enables faster, more precise, and simplified adjustments, reducing weight and cost while allowing for efficient alignment of the door leaf with the fuselage, requiring fewer operators and fewer components.
Implementation Method 1
the support arm is connected to a support forearm by a first pivot connection, permitting as sole degree of freedom a rotation between the support forearm and the support arm about a first pivot axis
Implementation Method 2
this pivot being connected to the door frame by a fitting that is adjustable in translation in a direction of first translation and in a direction of second translation
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an aircraft door having a support arm (6) connected to a support forearm (9) by a first pivot connection (7) about a first pivot axis (8), the support forearm (9) being connected to the leaf (5) by a second pivot connection (10) about a second pivot axis (11) parallel to the first pivot axis (8). The support arm (6) is connected to the door frame (4) by two hinges (13, 14) each having a pivot (26, 27) for rotating the support arm (6) about a third pivot axis (12) which is parallel to the first pivot axis (8) and to the second pivot axis (11), this pivot (26, 27) being connected to the door frame (4) by an attachment (22, 23) that is translatably adjustable in two directions (35, 37, 43, 47) orthogonal to one another and orthogonal to the third pivot axis (12).