Aircraft Pressure-Relief Wall Retention Without Bulky Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing pressure-relief devices in aircraft are bulky, costly, and heavy due to their complex articulation and locking systems, which are not efficiently utilized as they rarely pivot into the open position.
Innovation Solution
A pressure-relief device featuring a mobile wall with a retaining system that includes slots and screws, allowing the mobile wall to deform and pivot when internal pressure exceeds a given value, reducing the overall size, cost, and weight by using deformable connecting lugs and flared slots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a complex articulation and locking system is used to retain the door in the closed position, then the door can be reliably retained against pressure forces, but the device becomes bulky, heavy, and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex locking system entirely and replaces it with a retaining system based on slots and deformation-controlled retention. The mobile wall itself becomes the retention mechanism through its deformation capability, extracting the need for separate locking components while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile wall performs dual functions: it serves as both the pressure-containing barrier and the retention mechanism. Through its deformation behavior, it automatically engages and disengages from the slots based on pressure conditions, making the system self-regulating without external locking mechanisms.
2Reliability
If a complex articulation and locking system is used to retain the door in the closed position, then the door can be reliably retained against pressure forces, but the device becomes heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates heavy locking system components by using the mobile wall's inherent deformation capability as the retention mechanism. The retaining system consists of simple slots and the mobile wall itself, removing the need for weighty locking mechanisms while maintaining reliable retention under normal pressure conditions.
3Reliability
If a complex articulation and locking system is used to retain the door in the closed position, then the door can be reliably retained against pressure forces, but the device becomes bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes bulky locking system components and replaces them with a compact retaining system based on slots integrated into the mobile wall structure. The deformation-controlled retention mechanism requires minimal space while maintaining reliable door retention, significantly reducing the overall device volume.
4Reliability
If a complex articulation and locking system is used to retain the door in the closed position, then the door can be reliably retained against pressure forces, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates complex locking system components that are costly to manufacture and assemble. The retaining system based on simple slots and the mobile wall's deformation capability requires fewer parts, simpler manufacturing processes, and reduced assembly complexity, thereby lowering production costs while maintaining retention reliability.
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 more compact, lightweight, and cost-effective pressure-relief mechanism that efficiently opens when internal pressure exceeds a threshold, maintaining the closed position until deformation occurs, thus reducing the need for bulky locking systems.
Implementation Method 1
the mobile wall being configured to be deformed so that the mobile wall occupies a given deformed state if the pressure in the interior zone is at the given pressure value
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft including at least one pressure-relief device having: at least one fixed part, at least one deformable mobile wall configured to occupy a closed position in which it blocks an opening, at least one retaining system configured to retain the mobile wall in the closed position as long as the wall is not in a given deformed state, the retaining system including: at least one first slot through the mobile wall opening at the level of one of its edges, for each slot, a first retaining element fastened to the fixed part and configured to cooperate with the slot as long as the mobile part is not in the given deformed state.