Quick Release Flare Tube Adapter for Aircraft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flare tube installations in aircraft are difficult to install and remove, occupy valuable deck space, and restrict movement when not in use, requiring time-consuming reconfiguration for missions that do not require illumination flares.
Innovation Solution
A quick-release flare tube mounting arrangement with a lower and upper mounting assembly featuring aligned apertures and lugs with coupling pins for secure, sealed, and tool-free attachment and detachment, allowing for easy installation and removal without modifying existing systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional flare tube installation with multiple threaded members is used, then secure attachment is achieved, but installation and removal become time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting assembly is divided into separate components: a base plate with first lugs, a mounting plate with second lugs, and coupling pins. This segmentation allows for quick assembly by simply inserting pins through aligned holes in the lugs, eliminating the need for time-consuming threaded fastening operations while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the essential securing function from complex threaded fastening systems and implements it through simple coupling pins that pass through lugs. This extraction simplifies the installation process to basic insertion and removal actions, dramatically reducing installation time while preserving the reliability of secure attachment.
2Reliability
If a flare tube installation with multiple components is used, then secure mounting is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the mounting functions into a streamlined assembly where the base plate, mounting plate, and coupling pins work together as an integrated system. The lugs on both plates are designed with complementary features that align with the coupling pins, creating a unified mounting solution that reduces overall complexity while maintaining secure mounting capability.
3Reliability
If a flare tube installation is permanently fixed, then secure attachment is achieved, but deck space and movement accessibility are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system transitions from a static permanent installation to a dynamic removable configuration. The coupling pins can be quickly inserted to secure the flare tube or removed to release it, allowing the deck space to be dynamically allocated between flare tube storage and other mission requirements, thereby enhancing adaptability while maintaining secure attachment when needed.
4Reliability
If a flare tube installation requires tool-based fastening, then secure attachment is achieved, but ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling pins are designed to be inserted manually through aligned holes in the lugs without requiring external tools. The simple pin-and-hole configuration allows crew members to quickly assemble and disassemble the flare tube mounting using only their hands, dramatically improving ease of operation while maintaining reliable secure attachment through the mechanical interlocking of the pins and lugs.
Data Source
AI summary
A quick release illumination flare mounting arrangement particularly adapted for use in an aircraft. Includes a base plate mounted to the aircraft's deck, and an aperture in sealed contact with an upper end of a flare discharge tube coupled to a discharge aperture in the fuselage. A coupling assembly which includes a second aperture is easily coupled to and removed from the base plate by coupling pins. The coupling assembly further includes an upper plate adapted for secure, sealed, easily removable mounting to the lower end of a flare receiving tube.