Semi-Rigid Aircraft Interior Components with Foldable Membrane
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft interior equipment components are difficult to install efficiently due to their rigid structures, which require separate sealing steps to make interfaces impermeable to gas, making the process time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly.
Innovation Solution
An aircraft interior equipment component with a semi-rigid structure comprising a frame with rigid sections and a flexible membrane, allowing for deformation and compact transportation, and a system with connecting elements that form a gastight seam upon connection, eliminating the need for separate sealing materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid sandwich/honeycomb structure is used for aircraft interior equipment components, then the structural strength and stability are improved, but the components cannot be deformed for compact transportation and require separate sealing steps at interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The basic structure is designed to be deformable rather than completely rigid, allowing it to be compressed into a compact transportation state and then expanded to its operational state during installation. This dynamic capability enables the structure to adapt between transport and installation phases without requiring separate sealing operations at interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The structure undergoes parameter changes between its compressed transportation state and expanded operational state. By controlling the deformation parameters, the component can be compacted for transport through aircraft doors and then restored to its full structural configuration during installation, eliminating the need for separate sealing steps.
2Strength
If a rigid basic structure is used, then the structural load-bearing ability is improved, but the components must be transported through aircraft doors in their final assembled state, limiting their dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The structure transitions between a compact dynamic state for transportation and a rigid operational state for load-bearing. This allows the component to pass through aircraft doors in a compressed configuration and then expand to its full size and structural capacity during installation, overcoming the dimension limitations imposed by door sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The basic structure can be nested or compressed into a smaller configuration for transportation, similar to how a telescope collapses for transport and extends for use. This nesting capability allows the component to fit through aircraft doors while maintaining its full structural dimensions when installed.
3Reliability
If separate sealing materials are used to make interfaces impermeable to gas, then the gas-tightness is improved, but the assembly process becomes time-consuming, labor-intensive, and cost-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is merged with the basic structure itself. The deformable structure inherently provides gas-tight sealing at interfaces when properly connected, eliminating the need for separate sealing materials and operations. This integration maintains reliability while significantly improving assembly productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The basic structure performs its own sealing function through its deformable nature and connection mechanisms. The structure self-adjusts to provide gas-tight seals at interfaces without requiring external sealing materials or additional sealing operations, reducing both time and labor costs.
4Ease of operation
If the basic structure is made flexible and foldable for compact transportation, then the ease of transportation is improved, but the structural strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The structure exhibits dynamic properties, being flexible and foldable during transportation but maintaining rigid structural strength during operation. This dual-state capability allows the same structure to serve both transportation and load-bearing functions effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The structural parameters change between transportation and operational states. During transportation, the structure is in a compressed, flexible state; during operation, it transitions to an expanded, rigid state with full structural strength. This parameter transformation resolves the contradiction between flexibility for transport and strength for operation.
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft interior equipment component (10) with a frame (12) which comprises two rigid frame sections (14a-h) and a joint (16a-h) connecting the rigid frame sections (14a-h) to one another, and with a sheetlike section (18) which is supported by the frame (12) and is formed by a flexible and/or foldable membrane (20) connected to the frame (12).