Aircraft Evacuation Slide Hinge Buckling for Sill Height Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Emergency evacuation slides face challenges in maintaining a suitable deployment angle across varying aircraft door sill heights, which can result in inadequate exit paths due to changes in terrain or landing conditions, particularly when sill heights are reduced or increased.
Innovation Solution
The evacuation slide system incorporates a hinge portion with a smaller cross-sectional thickness that can buckle under evacuee weight, coupled with a lane diverter that redirects the slide lane to a side exit, maintaining an angle between 23° and 53° with the horizontal plane, and is designed to remain unbuckled at higher sill heights, ensuring proper redirection and exit diversion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the evacuation slide is deployed from a reduced sill height, then the deployment is simpler and faster, but the slide angle becomes too low (below 23°) reducing evacuation efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The slide incorporates a hinge portion that allows dynamic adjustment of the slide angle. When deployed from a reduced sill height, the hinge enables the slide to achieve the required 23°-53° angle by pivoting at the hinge location, transforming the otherwise fixed-angle slide into an adaptable structure that maintains optimal evacuation geometry regardless of sill height variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge portion changes the geometric parameters of the slide deployment. By introducing a pivot point with specific cross-sectional thickness (20%-80% of slide thickness), the system can achieve different deployment angles from the same slide structure, allowing the slide angle parameter to be adjusted between 23°-53° based on sill height conditions without changing the slide itself.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the hinge portion cross-sectional thickness is reduced to 20%-80% of the slide thickness, then the hinge can buckle properly to redirect the slide lane, but the structural strength is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge portion is designed with non-uniform cross-sectional thickness (20%-80% of the slide thickness) specifically at the hinge location, creating a localized weak point that enables controlled buckling. This local quality change allows the hinge to deform and redirect the slide lane when needed, while the rest of the slide maintains its full thickness and structural integrity for supporting evacuees.
3Measurement precision
If electronic sensors are added to detect sill height and adjust slide deployment, then the slide angle can be precisely controlled, but the device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge portion acts as a passive, self-regulating mechanism that automatically adjusts the slide angle based on sill height conditions without requiring external control systems. The hinge's structural design (reduced cross-sectional thickness) enables it to naturally buckle or remain unbuckled depending on the deployment conditions, providing adaptive angle control through mechanical self-service rather than electronic intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces potential electronic sensing and control systems with a purely mechanical solution - the hinge portion with specific geometric properties. The hinge's physical characteristics (cross-sectional thickness, location) enable it to respond mechanically to deployment conditions, substituting complex electronic measurement and control with simple mechanical adaptation.
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
This solution ensures a consistent and safe evacuation path by maintaining a suitable slide angle and redirecting passengers to side exits, regardless of sill height variations, without the need for electronic sensors or additional weight, enhancing passenger safety and exit efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the hinge portion may comprise a smaller cross-sectional thickness than a cross-sectional thickness of the evacuation slide... The deforming may be configured to redirect the slide lane to a side exit of the evacuation slide
Data Source
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AI summary
An evacuation system (100) is provided. The system may comprise a girt (110) coupled to a door sill (104) and an evacuation slide (106). The evacuation slide (106) may comprise a head end coupled to the girt (110), an extension (108), a hinge portion (112) coupled between the head end and the extension (108), and a lane diverter (114) coupled to the evacuation slide (106). A method is also provided. The method may include opening a door to expose a door sill (104), inflating the evacuation slide (106) with the evacuation slide (106) coupled to the door sill (104), bending a hinge portion (112) of the slide in response to a door sill (104) height being less than or equal to a predetermined height, and redirecting a slide lane to a side exit (118).