Releasable Evacuation Slide Restraint With Reusable Ball-Lock Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing evacuation slide restraints are single-use, which limits their effectiveness and increases costs due to the need for multiple deployments during testing and certification, as they cannot be reused after deployment.
Innovation Solution
A releasable restraint system comprising a base, socket, sleeve, and spring mechanism that separates in response to increased internal slide pressure, allowing the system to be reused by reattaching its components after deployment, utilizing a plug and ball mechanism to secure and release the restraint.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a shear pin restraint is used, then the restraint can reliably separate at a predetermined pressure, but the restraint becomes single-use and cannot be reused after deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The restraint system is divided into separable components: a socket portion with balls and a plug portion with a groove. The balls can be removed from the groove and reinserted, allowing the restraint to be separated into deployable segments that can be reused after deployment by simply reattaching the components.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the entire restraint after use, only the balls are temporarily removed from the groove during deployment. The balls are then recovered and reinserted into the groove, restoring the restraint to its functional state for future use. This minimizes waste and enables reuse.
2Duration of action of moving object
If a reusable restraint mechanism is implemented, then the system can be reused multiple times, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The restraint is segmented into simple, modular components (socket, plug, balls) that can be easily assembled and disassembled. This segmentation reduces the complexity of each individual component while enabling reuse through simple reassembly, avoiding the need for complex resetting mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a complex mechanism that requires active resetting, the design inverts the approach by using passive balls that simply need to be reinserted into the groove. The complexity is reduced by reversing the conventional wisdom of how restraint mechanisms are reset.
3Ease of manufacture
If a simple plug and ball mechanism is used, then the restraint can be easily reassembled, but the separation reliability at predetermined pressure may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The balls are pre-positioned in the groove during assembly to ensure proper engagement. This preliminary action of correctly positioning the balls before deployment ensures that the restraint will reliably separate at the predetermined pressure while maintaining ease of reassembly, as the balls naturally guide themselves into the correct position during reinsertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The balls act as intermediaries between the socket and plug, providing both the simple reassembly capability (by being easily inserted and removed) and the separation reliability (by engaging with the groove to prevent premature separation while allowing controlled separation at the predetermined pressure).
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
Enables multiple uses of the releasable restraint system, reducing costs associated with slide testing and certification by allowing consistent and controlled deployment of evacuation slides, while ensuring reliable separation at predetermined pressures.
Implementation Method 1
a spring configured to bias the sleeve toward the head of the socket
Implementation Method 2
A plurality of balls may be located in a plurality of frustoconical ball openings formed through the shaft of the socket. The interference surface may contact the plurality of balls.
Data Source
AI summary
A releasable restraint may comprise a base and a socket coupled to the base. The socket may include a head and a shaft extending from the head, wherein the shaft defines a base channel configured to receive the base. A sleeve may be configured to translate relative to the shaft of the socket. A plurality of balls may be located in a plurality of frustoconical ball openings formed through the shaft of the socket. A plug may be received by a plug channel defined by the socket.