Deployable Claw Mechanism for Munition Sway Brace Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior air bomb rack systems fail to adequately control the yaw, pitch, or roll motion of munitions or stores during ejection due to the absence of constraining sway braces after piston-driven release, leading to potential misalignment and loss of control under aerodynamic forces.
Innovation Solution
A deploying claw mechanism is integrated into the sway braces, driven by an actuation system that extends sharp, durable claws to secure the munition or store until it falls out of the sway braces' influence, ensuring contact and stability during ejection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional sway braces are used without deployable claws, then the structure remains simple, but the munition cannot be securely controlled during ejection
Solution Approach 1:
The sway brace incorporates a dynamic deployable claw mechanism that transitions from a retracted state during storage to an extended state during ejection. The claw is actuated by a piston-driven mechanism that extends the claw to engage the munition, providing active control during the critical ejection phase, then retracts when the munition is released. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain control reliability while managing structural complexity through functional integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the sway brace constraint function with the piston actuation function by integrating the claw mechanism directly into the piston assembly. The piston serves dual purposes: propelling the munition during ejection and simultaneously actuating the claw to engage or disengage from the munition. This consolidation of functions into a single integrated mechanism improves control reliability while minimizing the number of separate components, thereby managing device complexity.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the sway brace remains fixed on the rack, then the structure is simple, but the munition experiences uncontrolled motion during ejection
Solution Approach 1:
The release system employs a dynamic claw mechanism that adapts its state based on the ejection phase. During the loading phase, the claw is retracted allowing free motion. During ejection, the piston extends the claw to engage the munition, providing lateral and rotational constraints that enhance stability. After ejection, the claw retracts to release the munition. This temporal separation of constraints allows the system to provide stability only when needed, managing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The deployable claw acts as an intermediary element between the fixed sway brace structure and the munition. Rather than the rigid sway brace directly contacting the munition throughout, the claw serves as a movable mediator that engages the munition temporarily during ejection to provide control, then disengages to allow free motion. This intermediary approach enables stable munition handling during critical phases while maintaining simplicity in the overall structure.
3Reliability
If the claw is extended continuously, then the munition is always secured, but the mechanism cannot release the munition
Solution Approach 1:
The claw mechanism operates dynamically, extending during the ejection phase to secure the munition and retracting after ejection to enable release. The piston-driven actuation system automatically controls the claw's extension and retraction based on the ejection cycle, eliminating the need for manual intervention. This automatic dynamic operation ensures reliable securing during flight while maintaining ease of operation through automated release, resolving the contradiction between continuous securing and effective release.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for releasing an article such as a munition or store from an aircraft employs a sway brace or cradle built into the structure of a bomb rack from lateral or pitching motion before it is released. A claw mechanism is driven out of the sway braces into the article to hold the article in place on the sway braces. The claws retain the article in the sway braces until the article is no longer influenced by the sway braces.