Integrated Gearbox Lockout With Shaft-and-Collar Sealing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft gearbox lockout solutions require expensive and heavy tools for locking the drive train, which expose the gearbox to the environment, increasing corrosion risks and requiring direct lubrication, while also being cumbersome and prone to foreign object damage.
Innovation Solution
A compact, self-contained lockout device with a keyless design that integrates into the gearbox, using a shaft with teeth and collars to transmit torque and maintain a sealed environment, allowing for external engagement and disengagement without direct lubrication, and featuring a fail-safe mechanism to prevent engagement during operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate support equipment is installed to lock out the gearbox, then the drive train can be locked for maintenance and transportation, but the gearbox must be opened and exposed to atmosphere, significantly increasing the risk of corrosion due to environment exposure and possible water intrusion
Solution Approach 1:
The lockout device is nested within the gearbox structure itself. The shaft passes through the drive train components, and the collars are positioned within the gearbox housing, allowing the locking mechanism to be integrated without external attachments that would require opening the gearbox. This nesting approach maintains the sealed environment while providing lockout capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The lockout device merges the locking function with the existing gearbox structure. The shaft integrates with the drive train components, and the collars work within the housing, combining the lockout functionality with the gearbox's existing sealed environment rather than requiring separate external equipment.
2Reliability
If a tool with screw drive is installed to lock the drive train, then the drive train can be locked, but the tool is expensive to procure and is large/heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The locking function is extracted from the drive train components themselves and implemented through a separate, lightweight shaft and collar mechanism. Rather than making the drive train components themselves heavy and complex, the locking capability is provided by a separate, simple shaft that passes through existing components and is secured by lightweight collars.
Solution Approach 2:
The lockout device uses simple, inexpensive components - a shaft, collars, and retaining clips - rather than expensive, heavy-duty tools. These components are designed to be simple and straightforward, avoiding complex mechanisms while providing reliable lockout functionality.
3Ease of operation
If the sealed cover is removed to access the locking location, then the lockout device can be installed, but the risk of corrosion increases due to environment exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is designed to be inserted through the sealed cover from the exterior, with the collars positioned and secured while the cover remains in place. This preliminary positioning and securing of the locking mechanism allows the sealed environment to be maintained throughout the lockout operation, eliminating the need to remove the cover for exposure to the environment.
4Reliability
If external support equipment is used for locking, then the drive train can be locked, but the process requires expensive tools and increases the risk of foreign object damage
Solution Approach 1:
The lockout device merges with the gearbox's existing sealed environment and internal components. The shaft passes through the drive train components and the collars are secured within the housing, integrating the locking function into the gearbox structure itself rather than introducing external tools that could become foreign objects and cause damage.
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 solution provides a sealed environment, prevents foreign object damage, reduces wear, and allows for easy retrofitting and operation without impacting gearbox internals, while maintaining a sealed environment and preventing corrosion.
Implementation Method 1
rotation of the plurality of bolts can adjust the relative position of the inner collar and the outer collar, wherein as the inner collar and the outer collar are pulled closer together the inner collar is pushed against the shaft and restricts a displacement of the shaft within the hole
Implementation Method 2
an outer collar configured to sit around the shaft and at least partially between the inner collar and the housing, the outer collar comprising a plurality of threaded holes configured to receive a plurality of bolts passing through the plurality of threadless holes
Implementation Method 3
the shaft comprising a plurality of teeth at one end and a receiving slot on a distal end, the plurality of teeth configured to engage a portion of a drive train within the gearbox and transmit rotation from the shaft to the drive train
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are described for a gearbox lockout device. It may be desirable in certain vehicles to lock a drive shaft within a gearbox for a period of time. Lockout embodiments under the present disclosure include a shaft configured to selectively engage the drive shaft via teeth. An inner and outer collar surrounding the shaft can be manipulated to restrict the movement of the shaft once the shaft's teeth are engaged with the teeth of the drive shaft. The system can be torqued up and locked in place. This can allow for more safe transporting of the vehicle, easier maintenance, or other advantages.