Nacelle Joint Fire Seal Using a Pre-Shaped Non-Flammable Gasket
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fireproof barrier solutions for turbojet engine nacelles, such as mastic and deformable gaskets, are costly and inefficient in sealing spaces between elements with little or no relative displacement, and can be compromised by heat expansion and flammability issues.
Innovation Solution
A non-flammable, pre-shaped gasket device made of metal, titanium, stainless steel, or fibrous composite materials, or elastomers like silicone, designed to fit complex spaces and withstand pressures over 35 mbar, with a thickness varying from 0.1 to 2 mm, and fastened using riveting or gluing, to create a reliable fireproof seal without the need for extensive mastic application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fire-resistant mastic is applied at junctures to seal spaces, then fireproof barrier is achieved, but the mastic expands and liquefies under heat, migrating outside the fire area and producing ignitable gas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the deformable gasket with a simple flame-resistant plate that serves its fireproofing function reliably without undergoing harmful transformations under heat. The plate maintains its structural integrity and does not produce ignitable gases like the mastic does when exposed to fire.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameters by using a flame-resistant plate with specific properties (non-deformable, heat-stable) instead of the mastic material. This parameter change ensures the sealing structure maintains its fireproof barrier function without expanding or liquefying under thermal stress.
2Reliability
If deformable gasket with accordion-like structure is used, then sealing capability is improved, but manufacturing cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex deformable gasket with a simple flame-resistant plate that is much easier and cheaper to manufacture. The simple plate structure eliminates the need for complex accordion-like formations while still achieving the fireproof sealing function through its non-deformable nature.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts only the essential fireproofing function from the complex gasket system, eliminating the unnecessary deformable structure. The flame-resistant plate provides the required sealing capability through its simple geometry and material properties alone, without requiring complex structural features.
3Ease of manufacture
If spaces are left at junctures for assembly clearance, then ease of assembly is improved, but fireproof barrier integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The flame-resistant plate is pre-installed at the junctures between nacelle elements before final assembly, ensuring that the fireproof barrier is already in place and continuous. This preliminary action allows assembly clearance to be maintained while guaranteeing fireproof integrity from the start.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies the flame-resistant plate specifically at the critical juncture locations where fireproof sealing is most needed. This localized application ensures fireproof barrier continuity at the joints while maintaining assembly clearance elsewhere, optimizing both safety and manufacturability.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for sealing a space at a juncture between elements of a nacelle, the device being non-flammable by heat, having a predetermined shape, and having a proximal end configured to be inserted into the space to be sealed so as to seal it, and a distal end configured to be fastened to an element of the nacelle at a fire area.