Monolithic Mounting Bracket for Aircraft Oil Cooler
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mounting brackets for surface coolers in aircraft engines are complex, labor-intensive, and costly, with high opportunities for defects and long-term failures due to numerous precision-machined components and complex assembly processes.
Innovation Solution
A simplified mounting bracket design featuring a monolithic body with integrated wear and vibration attenuators, which reduces the number of parts and eliminates the need for adhesives, allowing for easier installation and maintenance, while providing fixed dynamic loading and flexibility for thermal growth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional mounting brackets with multiple precision-machined components are used, then the mounting structure provides stable fixation, but the device complexity increases and manufacturing cost rises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate components (mounting bracket body, wear attenuators, vibration dampers, and fastening elements) into a single monolithic casting. This integration maintains the functional benefits of each component while eliminating the complexity of assembling multiple precision-machined parts, directly resolving the contradiction between mounting stability and structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The monolithic mounting bracket serves multiple functions simultaneously: structural support, wear attenuation, vibration damping, and thermal management. By incorporating wear attenuators and vibration dampers as integral features, the single component performs what previously required multiple separate parts, reducing device complexity while maintaining reliability
2Reliability
If traditional mounting brackets with numerous components are used, then the fixation is secure, but the manufacturing cost and labor intensity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functions into a single monolithic casting process, eliminating the need to manufacture and assemble multiple separate components. This single-step manufacturing approach maintains secure fixation while dramatically simplifying production and reducing labor requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The monolithic design with integrated wear attenuators and vibration dampers eliminates the need for separate assembly operations. The structure is self-contained and self-assembling, requiring only the casting process itself, thereby improving ease of manufacture while maintaining fixation security
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional mounting brackets with complex assembly processes are used, then the mounting is precise, but the opportunities for defects increase
Solution Approach 1:
By combining all mounting features into a single monolithic casting, the patent eliminates multiple assembly steps where defects could occur. The integrated design maintains mounting precision through the casting process itself while reducing the defect rate by removing intermediate assembly operations
Solution Approach 2:
The monolithic structure with integrated features requires no external assembly, eliminating the human error and variability associated with manual or automated assembly processes. This self-contained approach maintains precision while reducing defect opportunities
4Reliability
If traditional mounting brackets with multiple components are used, then the functional requirements are met, but the part count and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate components into a single monolithic casting, eliminating the weight of fasteners, adhesives, and multiple individual parts. The integrated design maintains all necessary functional performance while reducing the overall weight of the mounting bracket assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A turbine engine for an aircraft can includes a casing. The casing can be a fan casing surrounding a fan assembly for drawing air into the turbine engine. The fan casing can have a peripheral wall. A surface cooler can be provided in the turbine engine confronting the peripheral wall of the fan casing. The surface cooler can have a mounting bracket for mounting the surface cooler to the fan casing.