Airplane Brake Actuator In Situ Maintenance via Movable Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing airplane brake-and-wheel assemblies with modular electromechanical actuators are difficult to maintain in situ due to limited space, requiring disassembly of the entire brake-and-wheel assembly, which complicates actuator replacement and necessitates removing the wheel and stack of disks.
Innovation Solution
The design of the landing gear and brake-and-wheel assembly allows for individual actuator removal without disassembling the wheel or stack of disks, featuring a support structure that enables actuators to be moved from an operating to a disassembly position within the assembly, and a disassembly trajectory perpendicular to the wheel's axis, facilitating in situ maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If actuators are disposed directly facing the landing gear structure to apply pressure to the stack of disks, then the braking function is achieved, but the actuators cannot be removed individually without removing the wheel and brake assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is divided into a fixed portion and a movable portion, allowing the actuator to be accessed through selective movement of the movable portion without requiring complete disassembly of the brake assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator removal path is changed from a linear path blocked by the wheel to a multi-dimensional path involving movement of the support structure, enabling access to actuators from different spatial directions
2Volume of moving object
If the space between the torque-takeup structure and landing gear is reduced, then the compactness of the assembly is improved, but the actuators become inaccessible for removal
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure transitions from a static configuration to a dynamic one where the movable portion can be shifted to create access paths, enabling compact design while maintaining serviceability
Solution Approach 2:
The movable support portion acts as an intermediary element that can be temporarily repositioned to facilitate actuator removal, then returned to its original position to maintain compact assembly
3Reliability
If the wheel and brake assembly must be removed to access actuators, then complete maintenance can be performed, but the maintenance process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
Only the movable support portion needs to be operated to access actuators, rather than removing the entire wheel and brake assembly, applying partial action to achieve the necessary maintenance access
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides airplane landing gear comprising at least one axle for carrying at least one brake-and-wheel assembly comprising a rim mounted to rotate on the axle and a stack of disks and a support carrying modular electromechanical actuators that are individually removable, the landing gear and the brake-and-wheel assembly being organized in such a manner that each actuator is in at least one of the following configurations:an empty space of dimensions sufficient for receiving the actuator extends on a disassembly path directly facing the actuator when it is in an operating position;the actuator is associated with displacement means enabling it to be moved from an operating position to a disassembly position, an empty space of dimensions sufficient to receive the actuator extending along a disassembly path directly facing the actuator when it is in the disassembly position.