Aircraft Buoyancy Float Deployment for Stable Ditching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current buoyancy systems for aircraft face challenges in optimizing stability and reducing load forces during ditching, particularly in deploying floats effectively to minimize impact and prevent puncture risks, while also ensuring weight savings and improved stability on water surfaces.

Innovation Solution

A method involving the sequential deployment of main and secondary floats, where main floats are deployed in flight before ditching to stabilize the aircraft upon impact, and secondary floats are deployed afterward to enhance stability, allowing for smaller main float dimensions and reduced load forces, with the secondary floats spaced apart for improved stability and freedom of movement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If floats are deployed in flight before ditching, then aircraft buoyancy is optimized and depth of water penetration is minimized, but the buoyancy system must be designed to withstand impact forces and floats may strike against aircraft surfaces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaircraft buoyancy optimizationVSAvoidfloat puncture resistance

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The main floats are deployed in flight before ditching occurs, allowing the aircraft to be stabilized on the water surface before impact. This preliminary deployment optimizes buoyancy distribution and reduces the depth of water penetration during ditching, while the floats are positioned to minimize striking against aircraft surfaces

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The buoyancy system is designed with floats that can withstand impact forces from ditching, and the deployment timing is optimized to ensure floats are in position to absorb impact energy before the aircraft strikes the water, cushioning the overall impact

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Device complexity

If floats are deployed after ditching, then the buoyancy system is easier to design and deployment means are simpler, but aircraft buoyancy is not optimized until floats are deployed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebuoyancy system design complexityVSAvoidaircraft stability on water

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The buoyancy system is divided into main floats and secondary floats with different deployment timings. Main floats are deployed in flight for immediate buoyancy optimization, while secondary floats are deployed after ditching to provide additional stability, segmenting the buoyancy function across different phases of ditching

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Main floats are deployed in flight before ditching to establish optimal buoyancy distribution ahead of time, ensuring the aircraft is properly stabilized before water impact, while secondary floats provide additional stability after ditching

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Weight of moving object

If main float dimensions are reduced, then weight is reduced and load forces are minimized, but buoyancy capacity is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefloat weightVSAvoidbuoyancy capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

Weight of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The buoyancy system is segmented into main floats and secondary floats. Main floats have reduced dimensions for weight savings and are deployed in flight, while secondary floats with larger dimensions provide additional buoyancy capacity after ditching, distributing the buoyancy function across multiple smaller units

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The main floats are designed with reduced dimensions providing partial buoyancy capacity sufficient for stabilizing the aircraft in flight and during initial water contact, while secondary floats provide additional excessive buoyancy capacity to ensure complete stability after ditching

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

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 approach reduces the risk of float puncture, minimizes the consequences of main float bursting, and enhances aircraft stability during ditching, while also reducing the load on the airframe and depth of water penetration, achieving weight savings and improved floating stability.

Implementation Method 1

a buoyancy system contributes to enabling an aircraft to float in stable manner after ditching in water

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectBuoyancy: Archimedes' Principle (Buoyancy)

Data Source

PatentUS11584518B2Aircraft provided with a buoyancy system, and a buoyancy method

Publication Date: 2023.02.21 EUROCOPTER FRANCE SA

AI summary

A buoyancy method for deploying a plurality of floats of a buoyancy system of an aircraft. The plurality of floats comprises a plurality of main floats and a plurality of secondary floats that are folded in flight. The method comprises a step of deploying the main floats in flight prior to ditching, and a step of deploying the secondary floats after ditching.