Flat-Pack Engine Stand With Hydraulic Balancing Legs
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing engine stands for aircraft engines are bulky and require complex balancing systems that limit transportation efficiency and increase costs due to their inability to withstand lateral loads and require space under the engine, making it difficult to reduce the overall height during transportation.
Innovation Solution
A flat-packable engine stand with telescoping legs and hydraulic rams that allow for balanced support of the engine, enabling static determinacy and withstanding lateral loads, while being disassemblable for efficient storage and transportation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a complex balancing system with three separate structural sections is used to ensure engine stability, then the engine can be supported statically determinate, but the device complexity increases and the ability to withstand lateral loads remains very limited
Solution Approach 1:
The balancing system is divided into three separate structural sections that are pinned together, allowing each section to independently adjust to the engine position while maintaining overall stability. This segmentation enables the system to achieve static determinacy without requiring a monolithic complex structure.
Solution Approach 2:
A balance beam acts as an intermediary element connecting the ground handling points to the engine. The balance beam automatically adjusts to the engine position through pinned connections, mediating between the fixed ground points and the variable engine position to maintain stability.
2Reliability
If current balancing systems are used, then the engine can be supported, but space under the engine at the ground handling points is required, limiting the ability to reduce overall height during transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The engine stand incorporates adjustable and collapsible structural elements that can dynamically change configuration. During transportation, the structure can be collapsed to minimize height, while during engine support operations, it can be adjusted to provide the necessary clearance and support points.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescoping legs allow one structural element to be nested within another, enabling the stand to compact to a minimal height for transportation while maintaining full extension capability when supporting the engine. This nesting principle allows the structure to adapt between compact storage and functional deployment states.
3Volume of moving object
If the engine stand is made flat-packable for efficient transportation, then storage and transportation costs are reduced, but the structural complexity increases to achieve both compactness and load-bearing capability
Solution Approach 1:
The engine stand is divided into modular segments connected by pinned joints, allowing each segment to be independently folded or telescoped. This segmentation enables the entire structure to collapse into a compact flat-pack configuration while maintaining the structural integrity needed to support heavy engines when deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
The stand incorporates movable and adjustable components including telescoping legs and pinned connections that allow the structure to dynamically transition between compact and deployed states. These dynamic elements enable the stand to achieve both small storage volume and full load-bearing capability without requiring separate structures for each function.
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 engine stand provides stable, cost-effective support for aircraft engines, allowing for reduced package size and transportation costs by balancing engine sides with hydraulic fluid exchange and telescoping legs, ensuring vertical load exposure and minimizing structural complexity.
Implementation Method 1
Each hydraulic ram is operatively coupled to and configured to telescopically actuate a respective telescoping leg from the pair of telescoping legs. At least one of the forward support and the rear support further includes a hydraulic pipe fluidly communicating the pair of hydraulic rams to each other. The hydraulic pipe is configured to allow a flow of a hydraulic fluid between the pair of hydraulic rams.
Data Source
AI summary
A flat-packable engine stand for an engine includes a pair of base beams, a forward support, and a rear support. The forward support and the rear support include a pair of forward support members and a pair of rear support members, respectively, that are configured to engage opposing sides of the engine. At least one of the forward support and the rear support further includes a pair of telescoping legs, a pair of hydraulic rams coupled to and configured to telescopically actuate a respective telescoping leg, and a hydraulic pipe fluidly communicating the pair of hydraulic rams. The hydraulic pipe is configured to allow a flow of a hydraulic fluid between the pair of hydraulic rams.