Aircraft Wheel Duct for Bolt Tightness Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft wheels face issues with loose or missing bolts leading to incorrect assembly, which can cause damage and is difficult to visually detect, resulting in potential wheel damage and safety risks.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating ducts beneath the seal in the aircraft wheel assembly that create a leakage path between the rim and tire volume, allowing gas to escape when a bolt is loose or missing, visibly indicating a problem through rapid deflation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a seal is used to ensure leaktightness of the gas volume, then gas containment is improved, but detection of loose bolts becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The seal system is segmented into multiple functional zones: a first seal portion for gas containment and a second seal portion for detection. The duct is segmented to allow selective gas passage. This segmentation enables the system to simultaneously maintain gas containment while providing detection capability through the second seal portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The duct acts as an intermediary element between the gas volume and the external environment. It contains the second seal portion that serves as a mediator for detection purposes, allowing gas to escape through controlled paths when bolts are loose, thereby indicating bolt status without compromising the primary gas containment function.
2Reliability
If the seal is made robust to ensure leaktightness, then gas containment is improved, but the wheel structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is designed with multi-functionality: the first seal portion ensures gas containment while the second seal portion provides detection functionality. The duct structure also serves dual purposes by containing the second seal and providing a controlled leakage path. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate detection systems, thereby limiting overall structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection function is merged into the existing seal structure by incorporating the second seal portion within the duct. The duct itself is merged with the rim structure, creating an integrated system that combines gas containment and detection functions without requiring separate complex subsystems.
3Strength
If multiple bolts are used to assemble the rim parts, then assembly strength is improved, but the risk of loose or missing bolts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides immediate feedback regarding bolt attachment status through visual indication. When any bolt becomes loose or missing, the pressure differential causes gas to escape through the duct and second seal portion, creating a visible indication. This feedback mechanism allows operators to detect and correct bolt issues promptly, maintaining reliability despite the presence of multiple bolts.
Solution Approach 2:
The duct and second seal portion are pre-configured to detect bolt loosening before it leads to wheel failure. The system is designed to respond to early signs of bolt attachment problems by allowing controlled gas leakage, providing advance warning that enables preventive maintenance before catastrophic failure occurs.
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
Simplifies the detection of bolt tightness issues and reduces the risk of wheel damage by providing a clear visual indication of loose or missing bolts through intentional gas leakage, ensuring timely maintenance and preventing potential damage.
Implementation Method 1
one of the parts comprises a recess in which is arranged a seal which is interposed between the two parts
Implementation Method 2
the path being nominally closed by the seal when the bolts are tightened correctly but allowing a leakage from said volume to the outside when one of the bolts adjacent to said opening is not tightened correctly or is absent
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an aircraft wheel comprising a rim and a tire (20) received on the rim, the rim comprising two parts (1; 2) assembled with one another by means of assembly bolts (5), one of the parts comprising a recess (3) in which is arranged a seal (4) which is interposed between the two parts, the wheel being characterized in that at least one of the parts comprises at least one duct (6) extending beneath the seal so as to establish a leakage path between on one hand a volume of gas delimited by the rim and the tire, and on the other hand a space between the parts, the path being nominally closed by the seal when the bolts are tightened correctly but allowing gas to leak from said volume when the bolt associated with said opening is not tightened correctly or is absent.