Aircraft Hook System with Sacrificial Connector for Crash Safety
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft fuel systems face risks of puncture and fuel leakage during crashes, especially when external accessories like hooks are attached, which complicates crashworthiness testing and requires improved systems to prevent damage.
Innovation Solution
A retractable hook system with a sacrificial connector and release control system that can be jettisoned during impact to prevent damage to the fuel tanks, featuring a mount with a C-shaped structure and a release mechanism that includes an actuator and controller for controlled detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a hook is attached to the aircraft for external accessory operations, then the aircraft can perform external cargo transport and rescue operations, but the fuel system becomes vulnerable to puncture and fuel leakage during crashes
Solution Approach 1:
The hook system is divided into separable components: a permanently mounted base structure and a removable hook assembly. This segmentation allows the hook to be detached before crash scenarios, eliminating the source of fuel system vulnerability while preserving the aircraft's external accessory capability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically or manually detaching the hook assembly from the mount before a crash occurs. This preliminary removal prevents the hook from causing fuel system damage during impact, while the mount remains ready for quick reattachment after the emergency.
2Reliability
If drop testing is conducted with the hook installed to certify crashworthiness, then certification requirements are met, but the complexity of testing and certification processes increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the hook system into a permanent mount and a removable assembly, the certification process can be simplified. The mount can be certified once as a fixed structure, while the removable hook assembly can be tested separately and quickly installed/removed for different test scenarios, reducing overall testing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static permanently-attached hook to a dynamic removable assembly. This allows flexible configuration for different test requirements, enabling certification authorities to test various scenarios (hook attached, hook removed, partial attachment) without requiring completely different test setups.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the hook system is made retractable with a sacrificial connector and release mechanism, then controlled jettisoning can prevent catastrophic damage, but the device complexity increases with additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The hook assembly uses a sacrificial connector designed for single-use or limited-use deployment. In the event of a crash or emergency, this connector is intended to fail or be jettisoned, sacrificing itself to protect the more critical aircraft structures. This disposable approach prevents catastrophic damage while keeping the overall system relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The sacrificial connector acts as an intermediary element between the hook assembly and the aircraft structure. It provides a controlled failure point that can be designed to fail in specific ways, mediating the transfer of forces during impact and preventing direct transmission of damaging forces to the fuel system and other critical components.
Data Source
AI summary
A hook system has a mount that includes a first sidewall comprising a concave profile on a longitudinal end of the first sidewall, a second sidewall laterally offset in a fixed location relative to the first sidewall and defining a channel therebetween, the second sidewall having a second concave profile on a longitudinal end of the second sidewall. The hook system also has a first pin structure extending between the first sidewall and the second sidewall and a connector. The connector has a third concave profile, the third concave profile being configured to receive the first pin structure therein. The hook system also includes a second pin structure extending through the connector, wherein each of the first concave profile and the second concave profile are configured to receive the second pin structure therein. The connector is configured to be at least partially received within the channel.