Yoke Strap Shock Absorber for Evacuation Slide Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The premature separation of primary restraints in evacuation slide assemblies during emergency deployments can result in incomplete extension and incorrect orientation of evacuation slides due to the impulse generated by the dropping of the slide, leading to reduced deployment precision and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A restraint arrangement featuring a yoke with elastic dampeners integrated into the straps, which deform in response to tensile loads, mitigating the impulse and ensuring staged deployment precision by distributing the force over a longer duration, thereby reducing premature separation and enhancing deployment reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the evacuation slide drops from the door sill during deployment, then the slide extends rapidly to evacuate passengers, but the impulse generated causes the primary restraint to separate prematurely
Solution Approach 1:
A dampener is integrated into the yoke assembly between the slide and the primary restraint. This dampener absorbs and dissipates the impulse energy generated when the slide drops from the door sill, cushioning the force that would otherwise cause premature restraint separation. The dampener is positioned to directly counteract the impulse force during the critical deployment phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The dampener serves as an intermediary element between the moving slide and the stationary primary restraint. It mediates the force transmission by converting the impulsive mechanical energy into heat through internal friction and damping mechanisms, preventing the direct transmission of shock loads that would cause premature restraint failure.
2Speed
If the primary restraint separates prematurely due to impulse, then the slide deployment is faster, but the extension becomes incomplete and orientation becomes incorrect
Solution Approach 1:
The dampener is pre-positioned in the yoke assembly to cushion the impulse force before it can cause premature restraint separation. By absorbing the shock energy during the initial drop, the dampener ensures that the restraint separates at the correct time and the slide extends to the proper position and orientation.
Solution Approach 2:
The dampener acts as an intermediary that controls the timing and manner of restraint separation. It mediates between the rapid slide deployment and the controlled separation requirement, ensuring that the slide achieves both speed and precision in its extension.
3Device complexity
If the impulse force is applied directly to the primary restraint, then the restraint structure can be simpler, but the deployment reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The dampener is introduced as an intermediary component in the force transmission path between the slide and the primary restraint. While this adds one element to the system, it significantly improves deployment reliability by controlling the impulse force, preventing premature separation, and ensuring proper slide extension and orientation.
Solution Approach 2:
The dampener changes the temporal parameters of force application by extending the duration over which the impulse is applied to the restraint. Instead of a sharp, instantaneous force, the dampener transforms it into a more gradual load profile that the restraint can withstand without premature separation.
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 use of elastic dampeners in the yoke straps effectively reduces the impulse on the primary restraint, ensuring full extension and correct orientation of the evacuation slide, thereby improving deployment precision and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
The first dampener and the second dampener may comprise an elastic material and may deform in response to a tensile load. The tensile load may be generated by a dropping of the inflatable slide.
Data Source
AI summary
A restraint arrangement for an inflatable slide may comprise a releasable restraint and a yoke coupled to the releasable restraint. The yoke may comprise a first strap and a second strap. A first dampener may be coupled to the first strap. A second dampener may be coupled to the second strap. The first dampener and the second dampener may deform in response to a tensile load.