Frangible Fuse Pin Shear for Aircraft Flap Carrier Beam Load Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft flap systems face challenges in managing ground contact loads, which can cause flap supports to contact the ground, potentially damaging the wing structure and fuel tanks, requiring complex structures and multiple attachment points for controlled reaction, but existing solutions are cumbersome and complex.
Innovation Solution
A simplified flap deployment system featuring a rotatable carrier beam with a pair of flanges and a channel, where a fuse pin is frangible to shear and release a coupler link, allowing it to translate into the channel, thereby relieving load on the flap carrier beam and preventing damage to the wing structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If frangible elements are provided in the flap support to allow controlled reaction to ground contact, then the wing structure and fuel tanks are protected, but the structure becomes complex with multiple attachment points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the frangible element (fuse pin) from the main carrier beam structure, making it a separate, removable component. This allows the carrier beam to be simpler while still providing ground contact protection through the detachable fuse pin mechanism that releases the coupler link when sheared.
Solution Approach 2:
The flap support system is segmented into distinct functional components: the carrier beam, the coupler link, and the fuse pin. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the carrier beam for structural strength, the coupler link for actuation, and the fuse pin for controlled failure - reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If complex structures or multiple attachment points are used to provide frangible elements, then ground contact loads are managed, but the flap deployment system becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The fuse pin is designed to automatically shear and release the coupler link when ground contact loads exceed a certain threshold, without requiring external intervention or complex control systems. The system serves itself by using the overload condition to trigger the release mechanism, simplifying operation while ensuring reliable ground contact management.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier beam includes a channel that anticipates the path of the coupler link after fuse pin shearing. This pre-planned clearance space allows the coupler link to translate freely into the channel when released, preventing interference with other components and ensuring smooth operation without requiring complex guidance mechanisms.
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 system effectively relieves load on the flap carrier beam by allowing controlled rotation and translation of the coupler link, minimizing the risk of damage to the wing structure and fuel tanks during ground contact, providing a fail-safe mechanism without complex structures or multiple attachment points.
Implementation Method 1
the fuse pin is frangible to shear releasing the coupler link to translate into the channel
Implementation Method 2
the fuse pin is frangible to shear responsive to a moment induced on the flap and carrier beam by a ground contact load
Data Source
AI summary
A flap support mechanism includes a carrier beam on which a flap is mounted. The carrier beam is rotatably mounted at a fixed rotational axis and has a pair of flanges, each flange having an aperture, and a channel extending aft from the pair of flanges. A fuse pin is received through the aperture in each flange. A coupler link is attached to an actuator at a first end and pivotally engaged to the carrier beam by the fuse pin. Extension of the coupler link by the actuator rotates the carrier beam from a stowed position to a deployed position. Responsive to a moment induced on the flap and carrier beam by a ground contact load, the fuse pin is frangible to shear releasing the coupler link to translate into the channel.