Aircraft Fuel Valve Actuator Alignment via Panel-Independent Fastening
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Solution Overview
Problem
The assembly of fuel valves and actuators in aircraft fuel tanks faces challenges due to dimensional tolerances and variations in panel thickness and parallelism, especially with composite materials, leading to misalignment and increased weight and cost with existing solutions.
Innovation Solution
The valve and actuator are positioned relative to each other independently of the panel using fastener elements that extend through the panel, ensuring alignment without additional parts or increased assembly time, and incorporating metallization for electrostatic charge removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If finishing machining is performed directly on the panel to obtain design assembly tolerances, then manufacturing precision is improved, but assembly time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by pre-assembling the valve and actuator with alignment fixtures before final installation on the panel. The alignment is established in advance during sub-assembly, allowing the panel to be installed without requiring precise machining or time-consuming alignment operations on the final assembly site.
2Manufacturing precision
If metal spacers are added on either side of the panel to act as interface between valve/actuator and panel faces, then positioning accuracy is improved, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the alignment function from separate spacer components and integrates it directly into the valve and actuator bodies through precision-machined bearing surfaces. This eliminates the need for additional spacer parts while maintaining positioning accuracy, thereby reducing device complexity and weight.
3Weight of stationary object
If the panel is made of composite material, then weight is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to expansion and lack of parallelism
Solution Approach 1:
The invention compensates for composite material expansion and deformation by designing the valve and actuator mounting interfaces with adjustable parameters. The mounting structure allows for accommodation of thickness variations and parallelism deviations through adjustable positioning mechanisms, maintaining alignment precision despite panel material properties.
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 proper alignment and electrical contact of the valve and actuator regardless of panel material or quality, reducing weight and cost while simplifying assembly and troubleshooting.
Implementation Method 1
the aircraft includes a metallization element in contact with the panel and suitable for removing electrostatic charge coming from each of the members
Data Source
AI summary
The aircraft comprises:a fuel valve;an actuator for controlling the valve; anda tank panel extending between the valve and the actuator.It is arranged in such a manner that the bearing point(s) between the panel and a first one of the members selected from the valve and the actuator, and preferably the actuator, is/are provided by means of the second one of these members.