RU2294863C2 - Method of transportation of aircraft - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: mechanical engineering; ground servicing of aircraft.

SUBSTANCE: proposed method is based on use of truck tractor provided with cargo platform and hoisting mechanism in form of actuating cylinders. Cargo platform is provided with telescopic guide which is rotatable in horizontal plane and is mounted in zone of bearing perimeter of truck tractor which makes it possible to perform smooth and adjustable re-charging of drive wheels of truck tractor for forming maximum thrust in ground holding capacity of truck tractor. Platform is provided with saddle-shaped cushion for centering the truck tractor relative to aircraft longitudinal axis. Actuating cylinders mounted inside telescopic guide make it possible to transport the aircraft with damaged nose and rear undercarriage legs depending on position of truck tractor under aircraft fuselage. This method may be used for transportation of aircraft of different types without re-adjustment of equipment.

EFFECT: smooth and adjustable distribution of vertical load on truck tractor axles.

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Description

The invention relates to mechanical engineering and can be used for ground handling of aircraft.

A known method of transporting aircraft using a device containing a tractor, a carrier, carrying a gripper at the end, interacting with the front landing gear, and thrust with grippers, interacting with the rear landing gear [1]. In this case, the carrier is mounted in front of the tractor and made in the form of a shock absorber stop, and the tractor is equipped with mechanisms for regulating the length of the rods and fixing them in the working position.

The above method is not effective enough when towing aircraft due to the low traction qualities of the tractor in the adhesion of its wheel propulsors to the supporting surface, which is determined by the load on the drive wheels.

There is another towing method provided by a device containing a tractor, a carrier that carries a gripper at the end that interacts with the front landing gear, and traction with grips that interact with the rear landing gear [2].

However, this method is not effective enough due to the length of the process of its readjustment depending on the type of towed aircraft and because of the low traction qualities in the adhesion of the wheel propulsion of the tractor with the supporting surface.

Closest to the claimed method is a method of transporting aircraft using a tractor, on the frame of which a cargo platform with a folding ramp, a ramp lifting mechanism in the form of a power cylinder with a lever connected to the ramp, and a mechanism for fixing the nose wheels of the aircraft chassis on a cargo platform are installed in in the form of clamping levers driven by a power hydraulic cylinder [3].

The above method is provided by a device having a rather complex structure, large dimensions and weight. In the process of towing, traction is perceived only by the front pillar of the aircraft, which is also a significant drawback, since the main landing gear of the aircraft, designed to absorb the main loads, remains unloaded.

The technical result achieved by the proposed method is to increase traction in adhesion to the supporting surface of the wheel movers of aircraft tractors, as well as the ability to transport different types of aircraft without readjustment of equipment and aircraft with damaged front or rear landing gear, ensuring uniform and adjustable distribution of vertical load on tractor axles.

The proposed method of transporting an aircraft allows a tractor having a cargo platform rotating in a horizontal plane to perform maneuvers, and a saddle-shaped air cushion mounted on the platform provides centering of the tractor relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, and a telescopic guiding device with hydraulic cylinders inside it allows for adjustable loading of the wheels of the tractor. The location of the power hydraulic cylinders on the tractor frame is selected in such a way that it ensures uniform distribution of the vertical load along the drive axles of the tractor.

This method allows to increase the traction force on adhesion to the supporting surface of the wheel propulsion engines of aircraft tractors, to reduce wheel slip, to tow heavy aircraft, including those with damaged front or rear landing gears, light tractors, ensuring an even distribution of the vertical load on the drive axles of the tractor.

Common features of the prototype and the proposed method are the use of a tractor equipped with a loading platform and power cylinders, allowing to load the drive wheels of the tractor.

Distinctive features are the equipment of the tractor with a horizontally rotatable loading platform with a telescopic guide device that provides the necessary maneuverability, the presence of a saddle-shaped air cushion, which allows fixing the aircraft fuselage from lateral movements, and the tractor’s hydraulic system installed inside the telescopic guide, which allows for the adjustable loading of its drive wheels , as well as uniform load distribution on the drive axles of the tractor.

The inventive method of transportation is carried out using the device shown in figure 1 is a side view; figure 2 is a front view, figure 3 is a schematic hydraulic diagram of this device.

Figure 1, 2 shows a device for transporting aircraft, which includes the following elements; tractor 1, telescopic guide 2, rotating platform 3, hydraulic cylinders 4, air bag 5, aircraft fuselage 6.

Figure 3 shows a schematic hydraulic diagram of a transportation device, comprising the following elements: hydraulic actuators 4, three-position solenoid valve 7, pressure gauges 8, 10, pressure regulator 9, filters 11, check valve 12, hydraulic pump 13, hydraulic tank 14.

A method for transporting aircraft is provided by a device containing a tractor 1, on the frame of which a telescopic guide 2 is mounted, having a rotating platform 3 with an air bag 5 at the end. Inside the telescopic guide there are hydraulic cylinders 4, which are driven by a hydraulic pump 13, which in turn delivers hydraulic fluid from the tank 14 through the filters 11, the check valve 12 to the three-position solenoid valve 7, with the help of which the cylinder 5 p is controlled from the driver’s cab and the raising and lowering of the loading platform.

Transportation of the aircraft according to the claimed method is as follows. Before transportation, the tractor pulls up to the aircraft and occupies a position under the fuselage. Then the hydraulic pump 13 is driven, which delivers under high pressure, the value of which is determined by the manometer 10, the hydraulic fluid from the tank 14 through the filters 11 and the check valve 12 to the three-position solenoid valve 7, by means of which the hydraulic power cylinders 4 are controlled when lifting and lowering the platform. Adjustment of the loading force is performed using the pressure regulator 9, which also performs the function of a safety valve. The control of the magnitude of the loading force is carried out by a manometer 8. Thereby, loading of the drive wheels of the tractor is achieved, which makes it possible to increase the traction force of the tractor on the clutch and reduce wheel slip, which is especially necessary in the autumn-winter period when towing on a wet and snowy surface.

Traction is transmitted from the tractor to the aircraft due to the frictional force between the air bag and the aircraft fuselage (in the manufacture of the air bag from reinforced rubber, the friction coefficient is φ≈0.83 [4]).

To implement the method of transporting aircraft, units and assemblies commercially available from industry are used.

Information sources

1.SU 1003491 A1, B 64 F 1 / 22.07.01.84.

2. DE 1481899 A1, B 64 F 1/22, 1973.

3. SU 1711665 A1, B 64 F 1 / 22.07.02.92.

4. Koshkin N.I., Shirkevich M.G. Handbook of elementary physics. - M .: Nauka, 1976, 256 p.

Claims (1)

A method of transporting aircraft using a tractor, on the frame of which a cargo platform and a lifting mechanism are installed in the form of power cylinders, characterized in that the cargo platform with a telescopic guide is made to rotate in a horizontal plane and is installed in the area of the supporting perimeter of the tractor, which allows uniform and adjustable additional loading of the drive wheels of the tractor to create maximum traction on the adhesion of the wheels to the supporting surface, the platform is equipped with a pneumatic cushion minutes saddle-shaped, providing centering of the tractor relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, and actuators installed inside the telescopic guide according to the location of the tractor under the fuselage of an aircraft, provide the possibility of transport with damaged front and rear uprights of the chassis.

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