Flexible Aircraft Air Duct Sheath Mounting for Faster Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Installing cables and air ducts within an aircraft fuselage is complex, time-consuming, and costly due to the need for custom designs and precise routing, often in confined spaces, which increases weight and installation labor.
Innovation Solution
A duct system using flexible, tensile-resistant fabric-like sheaths with retaining devices for easy installation, allowing pre-fabrication outside the fuselage and quick assembly by rolling and unrolling, with customizable configurations and reduced need for individual supports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rigid air ducts with custom holders are used, then structural strength and air tightness are ensured, but installation complexity and time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid air ducts with flexible fabric-like sheaths that can be easily routed and installed. The sheaths maintain air tightness through their material properties and connection methods while eliminating the need for complex rigid structures and custom holders, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and installation complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state and material properties of the air duct from rigid to flexible fabric-like material. This parameter change enables easier installation and routing while maintaining the necessary air conveying function, thus reducing installation complexity without compromising air tightness.
2Manufacturing precision
If custom cables and holders are designed for specific aircraft configuration, then precise routing and contact prevention are achieved, but manufacturing cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fabric-like sheaths can be universally applied to various routing configurations without requiring custom-designed holders for each specific aircraft layout. The flexible material adapts to different paths and obstacles, eliminating the need for expensive custom manufacturing while maintaining precise routing control.
Solution Approach 2:
The sheaths can be dynamically routed around obstacles and adjusted during installation, unlike fixed rigid structures. This dynamic flexibility allows precise routing adaptation to specific aircraft configurations without requiring pre-designed custom holders for each scenario.
3Reliability
If multiple separate air ducts are installed, then air flow paths are well-defined, but installation time and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple air duct functions into a single integrated fabric-like sheath system that can convey multiple air streams simultaneously. This merging reduces the number of separate components and installation steps, increasing installation speed while maintaining well-defined air flow paths through the sheath's internal structure and routing.
Solution Approach 2:
The sheath can be segmented into different sections or zones that define separate air flow paths within a single continuous structure. This segmentation allows multiple air streams to be controlled independently while using a unified installation approach, improving installation efficiency without compromising air flow control.
4Strength
If rigid structures are used for air ducts, then structural strength is ensured, but weight and installation space increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fabric-like sheaths provide sufficient structural strength for air conveying applications while being significantly lighter than rigid metal or plastic ducts. The flexible material maintains its shape and integrity under operating conditions without the weight penalty of rigid structures, directly addressing the weight reduction goal.
Data Source
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AI summary
A duct system (2, 40) for an air conveying system in a fuselage (6) of an aircraft (66) is described, comprising: at least one flexible, tensile-resistant, tube-like and airtight sheath (14, 42) made of a fabric-like material for conveying air, and at least one retaining device (16) for attaching the at least one sheath (14, 42) to a structure (8, 12) of the fuselage (6), wherein the retaining device (16) has a structurally fixed section (18) connectable to the structure (8, 12) of the fuselage (6) and a sheath-fixed section (20) connectable to the at least one sheath (14, 42), wherein the structurally fixed section (18) has an inner cross-section (26) which is at least partially shaped correspondingly to an outer cross-section (27) of the sheath-fixed section (20), such that the outer cross-section (27) can be inserted or plugged into the inner cross-section (26) at least partially, and wherein the conduit system (2, 40) is designed toto direct air from a source of pressurized air through an interior space (15) of at least one shell (14, 42).