Rotating Blocker Hydraulic Damping for Ram Air Turbines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional hydraulic damping systems for ram air turbines are cumbersome to design and maintain, requiring precise placement of damping holes that are difficult to inspect and modify, leading to inefficiencies and potential damage during deployment.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic damping device with a rotating blocking member and a damping plate featuring holes that reduce in size and number, allowing for adjustable damping by altering the plate, simplifying manufacturing and maintenance, and enabling non-linear damping control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional linear actuators with fixed orifices are used for hydraulic damping, then deployment rate control is achieved, but the design is time-consuming and the part is unsalvageable if incorrect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static, fixed orifice design into a dynamic system where a blocking member rotates to progressively cover damping holes during actuator extension. This allows the damping characteristics to change over time rather than being fixed, enabling precise control without requiring perfect initial hole placement
Solution Approach 2:
The damping function is segmented into multiple independent damping holes rather than relying on a single critical orifice. The blocking member progressively covers these holes in sequence, allowing the system to achieve complex damping characteristics through simple geometric features
2Reliability
If small damping holes are defined within the actuator to restrict fluid flow, then deployment rate is limited, but the holes cannot be inspected without removal and disassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The damping plate is made as a separate, removable component with multiple damping holes that can be independently inspected. This segmentation allows quality control inspection of the damping holes without disassembling the entire actuator, improving both inspection accessibility and manufacturing flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
The damping plate acts as an intermediary component between the hydraulic system and the blocking member. It provides a accessible interface for inspection while maintaining the damping function, serving as a removable mediator that facilitates quality control
3Force
If orifices are positioned to provide timing control for damping, then deployment forces remain below critical stress levels, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking member rotates dynamically during actuator extension, progressively covering damping holes to provide timing control. This dynamic approach replaces complex static orifice positioning with a simpler rotating geometry that achieves the same timing function through motion
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking member uses an asymmetric geometry (such as an eccentric circle or irregular shape) that creates progressive coverage of damping holes during rotation. This asymmetric design simplifies the mechanism while achieving complex timing characteristics that would require complicated symmetric orifice arrangements
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 cost-effective and efficient hydraulic damping system that simplifies manufacturing, reduces maintenance, and allows for adjustable damping characteristics, ensuring controlled deployment forces without the need for complex orifice placement and wind tunnel testing.
Implementation Method 1
the hydraulic actuator of the RAT... These small damping holes within the actuator serve to restrict fluid flow as the actuator extends
Implementation Method 2
the damping holes... are positioned to allow fluid communication between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet... restrict fluid flow
Implementation Method 3
a blocking member disposed within the housing and configured to rotate relative to the damping plate to progressively block the damping holes
Implementation Method 4
a spring loaded hydraulic actuator configured to eject the ram air turbine into the airstream while in flight
Data Source
AI summary
A hydraulic damping device includes a housing defining a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, a damping plate disposed within the housing, the damping plate including a plurality of damping holes defined therethrough and positioned to allow fluid communication between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, and a blocking member disposed within the housing and configured to rotate relative to the damping plate to progressively block the damping holes.