Aircraft Engine Door Latch Assembly with Removable Strike
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Solution Overview
Problem
In aircraft engines, sudden pressure rises can cause stress and deformation in nacelle components, necessitating effective pressure relief systems to prevent damage, but existing solutions may not ensure consistent engagement of pressure relief mechanisms during door operation.
Innovation Solution
A latch assembly with a latch keep, strike, catch, and cable system that ensures the door is properly coupled to the surrounding structure, using a removable strike and catch mechanism to secure the door in the closed position and allow for pressure relief functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a latch assembly is used to secure the door in the closed position, then the door coupling reliability is improved, but the complexity of the latch mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The latch assembly is divided into distinct functional components: a latch keep with a strike seat, a removable strike, and a catch mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, ensuring reliable door coupling while keeping the overall mechanism manageable and maintainable.
Solution Approach 2:
The strike is designed as a removable component that can be extracted from the strike seat. This extraction capability simplifies maintenance and assembly operations, allowing the strike to be replaced or inspected without disassembling the entire latch mechanism, thus reducing operational complexity while maintaining reliability.
2Ease of repair
If a removable strike is used in the latch assembly, then the ease of maintenance is improved, but the reliability of consistent engagement may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The strike is pre-configured with engagement features that ensure proper alignment and consistent engagement with the catch when installed in the strike seat. This preliminary configuration maintains reliable engagement while allowing for easy removal and reinstallation during maintenance operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The strike acts as an intermediary component between the latch keep and the catch mechanism. Its removable design allows it to mediate the engagement process, ensuring consistent coupling while facilitating simple maintenance by allowing replacement without affecting the underlying latch keep or catch structures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the cable is secured to carry the strike, then the pressure relief functionality is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cable serves multiple functions: it secures the strike to the door, enables pressure relief operation, and ensures proper coupling between the door and surrounding structure. This multi-functionality improves adaptability while avoiding the need for separate dedicated components for each function, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A latch assembly for a door is provided. The latch assembly includes a latch keep carried by one of the door and the surrounding structure and having a strike seat in which a strike may be removably received, a latch carried by the other of the door and the surrounding structure and having a catch configured to engage the strike, and a cable having a first portion secured to the other of the door and the surrounding structure and a second portion carrying the strike.