Composite Orifice Plate With Wear Insert for Lighter Shock Struts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional orifice plates in shock struts are entirely metallic, leading to high weight and potential manufacturing complexities, while also lacking in weight-savings and ease of manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
An orifice plate comprising a non-metallic body portion, such as a thermoplastic or thermoset carbon fiber reinforced composite, with an embedded metallic wear insert made of materials like aluminum, nickel, or bronze, which defines the inner diameter surface and provides a wear-resistant interface for the metering pin, while the body portion defines the outer diameter surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional entirely metallic orifice plates are used, then wear resistance is ensured, but weight increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The orifice plate combines non-metallic body material (such as polymer or composite) with a metallic wear insert, creating a composite structure that leverages the low density of non-metals for weight reduction while using the high wear resistance of metals at the critical inner diameter surface where the metering pin contacts
Solution Approach 2:
The metallic wear insert is positioned specifically at the inner diameter surface of the orifice plate where wear occurs during operation with the metering pin, providing localized wear resistance only where needed rather than throughout the entire component, thus reducing overall weight while maintaining functional durability
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional entirely metallic orifice plates are used, then structural strength is ensured, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The metallic wear insert is pre-formed as a separate component before being integrated into the non-metallic body, allowing each material to be optimized and manufactured using its most suitable process (metalworking for the insert, molding for the body), thereby simplifying overall manufacturing compared to producing a complex metallic component with varying material properties
Data Source
AI summary
An orifice plate may include a body portion comprised of a non-metallic material, and a metallic wear insert, wherein the metallic wear insert defines an inner diameter surface of the orifice plate and the body portion defines an outer diameter surface of the orifice plate.