Aircraft Engine Shaft Assembly Tooling System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft engine rotating assemblies with elongated shafts pose challenges during assembly and disassembly due to the need for mechanical pushing and pulling forces, especially when the shaft extends away from the assembly location, requiring specialized and often cumbersome tooling systems.
Innovation Solution
A tooling system with an extension unit featuring a sliding engagement between a pushing member and a pulling member, along with adaptable adapters, allows for the transfer of mechanical forces to assemble or disassemble components on a shaft, enabling efficient assembly and disassembly by reversing the roles of pushing and pulling forces as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional tooling system is used for assembling/disassembling components on an elongated shaft, then the mechanical pushing and pulling forces can be applied, but the tooling system becomes cumbersome and requires multiple separate units
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a pushing member and a pulling member into a single integrated extension unit. The pushing member and pulling member are disposed in sliding engagement with one another, allowing both pushing and pulling forces to be applied simultaneously through one unified tooling system rather than requiring separate tools for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The extension unit serves multiple functions: it can apply both pushing forces (via the pushing member) and pulling forces (via the pulling member) depending on the operational needs. The interchangeable adapters further enhance universality, allowing the same extension unit to work with different component configurations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate tooling units are used for different assembly configurations, then each specific configuration can be handled, but the handling and storage complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The extension unit is designed as a universal tool that can adapt to different component configurations through interchangeable adapters. Rather than requiring separate dedicated tools for each assembly scenario, one extension unit can perform multiple functions by swapping adapters, thereby reducing the total number of tooling units needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The tooling system is segmented into modular components: the extension unit (containing pushing and pulling members) and interchangeable adapters. This segmentation allows the core extension unit to remain constant while only the adapters need to be changed for different configurations, simplifying handling and storage compared to having entirely separate tooling units for each scenario.
3Manufacturing precision
If the shaft has an elongated portion extending away from the assembly location, then the component can be positioned correctly, but the required tooling system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The extension unit acts as an intermediary tool that bridges the gap between the assembly location and the elongated portion of the shaft. By extending the reach of the pushing and pulling forces through this intermediate structure, the system can accurately position components on elongated shafts without requiring overly complex tooling configurations.
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 tooling system facilitates efficient assembly and disassembly of aircraft engine components by providing a universal extension unit with interchangeable adapters, reducing the complexity and cost of handling and storing multiple tooling units, while ensuring effective force transfer across varying component configurations and lengths.
Implementation Method 1
the pushing member and the pulling member in sliding engagement and displaceable relative to one another along the length
Data Source
AI summary
The tooling system can have an extension unit having a pushing member and a pulling member extending along a length, the pushing member and the pulling member in sliding engagement and displaceable relative to one another, the extension unit having an internal passage configured for receiving a portion of the shaft via the first end; a pushing adapter engageable with and disengageable from the pushing member at the first end, and further engageable with and disengageable from one of the shaft and the component; and a pulling adapter engageable with and disengageable from the pulling member at the first end, and further engageable with and disengageable from an other one of the shaft and the component.