Dual Locking Hydraulic Actuator for Landing Gear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lockable hydraulic actuators for aircraft landing gear lack a design that is both lightweight and reliable, capable of locking in both extended and retracted positions while maintaining structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
A dual locking hydraulic actuator with a cylinder housing assembly, a stack tube, and a piston that includes two slidable lock rams, which compress a single compression spring to radially move lock segments for locking and unlocking, allowing the actuator to engage the cylinder housing in both extended and retracted positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a lockable hydraulic actuator is designed to be lightweight and simple, then the device complexity and weight are reduced, but the reliability and structural integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines two locking functions (extended position locking and retracted position locking) into a single integrated actuator mechanism. The lock segments and lock rams work together within one hydraulic actuator body, eliminating the need for separate locking mechanisms for each position, thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining dual-position locking capability and reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator employs hydraulic pressure from its own operating system to automatically drive the lock segments and lock rams into locked positions. The same hydraulic fluid that extends or retracts the piston also provides the force to engage the locking mechanism, eliminating the need for additional locking actuators or complex mechanical linkages, thus reducing weight while ensuring reliable locking
2Adaptability or versatility
If a lockable hydraulic actuator is designed to lock in both extended and retracted positions, then the versatility and structural integrity are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lock segments are designed to perform multiple functions: they provide locking in the extended position, locking in the retracted position, and can be actuated by the same hydraulic system that controls piston movement. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate locking mechanisms for each position, reducing overall device complexity while achieving dual-position locking capability
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism transitions from static to dynamic control through hydraulic actuation. The lock segments and lock rams are not fixed mechanical components but are dynamically positioned by hydraulic pressure, allowing the same mechanism to adapt to both extended and retracted locking requirements without complex mechanical switches or additional actuators
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
The dual locking hydraulic actuator provides a lightweight, reliable, and mechanically robust locking mechanism for landing gear, ensuring structural integrity in both extended and retracted positions, with additional hydraulic pressure providing additional locking security.
Implementation Method 1
exerting hydraulic pressure to displace a piston relative to a locking ram
Implementation Method 2
compression spring disposed inside the actuator
Data Source
AI summary
A lockable actuator has lock segments that move into recesses inside a piston to enable the piston to move. The lock segments may also move radially outwardly from the recesses in the piston to engage a bevel edge of a cylinder housing assembly to lock the piston. Lock rams having ramps force the lock segments radially outwardly into engagement with the bevel edge of the cylinder housing assembly.