Rotary Wing Firewall Bellows Gasket for Engine-In-Place Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rotary wing aircraft maintenance is hindered by the time-consuming and critical process of accessing torque tubes, which requires dismounting and displacing engines due to the need to remove surrounding gaskets for verification and checking.
Innovation Solution
A firewall arrangement with removably attached, tube-shaped gaskets composed of fireproof shells and a flexible bellows, allowing for quick release and easy mounting/dismounting without impacting the engine, providing fireproof segregation and thermal isolation while maintaining flammable fluids tightness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If gaskets are permanently fixed to the firewall arrangement to ensure fireproof segregation, then fire safety is improved, but maintenance accessibility and time are worsened due to the need to dismount engines for verification
Solution Approach 1:
The gasket is divided into a first part and a second part that can be independently removed. The first part remains on the firewall to maintain fireproof segregation, while the second part can be detached to provide access to the torque tube for maintenance activities, thus resolving the contradiction between fire safety and maintenance accessibility
Solution Approach 2:
The gasket transitions from a static, permanently fixed structure to a dynamic, partially removable structure. The removable second part allows the system to adapt between its fireproof configuration during operation and its maintenance configuration, enabling quick access without compromising fire safety when properly reinstalled
2Strength
If engines are securely mounted to the upper primary skin to ensure structural stability, then structural strength is improved, but maintenance accessibility is worsened due to the need to dismount and displace engines
Solution Approach 1:
The access function is extracted from the engine mounting system. Instead of requiring engine removal, the gasket's second part is extracted as a separate removable element that provides access to the torque tube while the engine remains securely mounted, thus maintaining structural stability while improving maintenance accessibility
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the firewall arrangement provides complete fireproof separation to protect the aircraft interior, then fire protection is improved, but maintenance complexity increases due to restricted access to torque tubes
Solution Approach 1:
The gasket is segmented into removable and fixed parts, allowing maintenance personnel to access the torque tube by removing only the second part of the gasket rather than dismantling the entire firewall arrangement. This maintains fireproof separation while reducing maintenance complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The removable second part of the gasket acts as an intermediary element between the fireproof firewall structure and the torque tube. It provides a controlled access path that maintains fire safety while simplifying maintenance operations by eliminating the need to remove intermediate components
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
Facilitates faster and safer maintenance by eliminating the need to untighten and displace engines, reducing damage to the fuselage and enhancing accessibility during fire events by confining damage within secondary protection elements.
Implementation Method 1
a ring-shaped flexible fire proof bellows that is mounted to the at least two fire proof shells and configured to compensate movements of the torque tube relative to the firewall arrangement
Implementation Method 2
The at least one gasket comprises at least two fire proof shells that are removably attached to each other to form a tube-shaped structure, and a ring-shaped flexible fire proof bellows
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a rotary wing aircraft with a fuselage that forms an aircraft interior region, the fuselage comprising an upper primary skin that separates the aircraft interior region from an aircraft upper deck arranged above the fuselage, wherein the aircraft upper deck comprises an engine accommodating region with a firewall arrangement 10, the engine accommodating region accommodating at least one aircraft engine 11 within the firewall arrangement 10, wherein the firewall arrangement 10 comprises at least one gasket 10g for tightening pass-through of a torque tube 15 that connects the at least one aircraft engine 11 to a main gear box 17 of the rotary wing aircraft, and wherein the at least one gasket 10g comprises at least two fire proof shells 12b and a ringshaped flexible fire proof bellows 13.