RU2678243C1 - Aircraft inflatable chassis float - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: aviation.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to aviation, in particular to the chassis of aircraft, namely, the device floats inflatable chassis, intended for regular and emergency landing on water and to create buoyancy sufficient to maintain an aircraft, for example, a helicopter, on the surface of the water. Proposed two-volume pneumoframe float, recruited from the annular inflatable sections of flat cutting. First pneumoframe volume creates the bulk of buoyancy by filling the internal useful space with low-pressure atmospheric air, and the second pneumoframe volume serves as a ballast cavity, which, after landing as a result of its opening, is filled with water.

EFFECT: increases reliability during operation.

4 cl, 3 dwg

Description

The invention relates to aviation, in particular to the chassis of aircraft, and in particular to the device of floats of inflatable landing gears designed for regular and emergency landing on water and creating buoyancy sufficient to constantly maintain an aircraft, such as a helicopter, on the surface of the water.

The aircraft inflatable landing gear system may contain two or more pairs of inflatable floats. In the flight state, the floats are compactly stacked in containers mounted on the fuselage of the aircraft, and are closed by flaps. The internal volume of the floats in the filled state is usually divided into sections by elastic tight partitions. Partitions, in the event of a depressurization of one of the sections, are bent, partially replenishing the lost volume and thereby ensuring a safe level of buoyancy of the float. The floats are filled from a compressed gas system containing high-pressure cylinders with charge-discharge blocks, which are connected by pipelines to each section of the floats. Distinguish emergency landing systems of the aircraft, using single-float floats, and regular inflatable landing gear, in which not only release and float floats, but also their cleaning after take-off. Established inflatable landing gears are more complex in design, have increased weight, but have a large resource and allow you to operate an aircraft with takeoffs and landings from water surfaces. Sometimes (for example, on a Bell-206 helicopter) fixed floats can be installed for takeoffs and landings from lakes and rivers. Specially designed helicopters with a boat-shaped bottom and with volumetric side tides or inflatable floats (Mi-14, S-92) can be operated from the sea surface. Land helicopters require the development of special sets of inflatable landing gear with the possibility of mounting or dismounting from the board in operating conditions or with the completion of the design during overhaul. The most complex and least developed at the present time are designs that allow multiple release and cleaning of inflatable chassis in normal use at sea.

Known inflatable landing gear systems for aircraft, including inflatable floats for landing on water: (US patents No. 3004737, 244-102, 1962, Germany No. 3812702, MKI V64C 25/56, 1989, France No. 245546, MKI V64C 25/56, 1981; Russian patents No. 2001843, MKI B64D 1/00, 1992, No. 2130405 MKI B64C 25/56 1997, No. 2123454 MKI B64C 25/54 1997, No. 2089453 MKI B64C 25 / 56 1996, No. 2120886 MKI V64C 25/56 1996, No. 2191139 MKI V64C27, V64C 25/56, V64C 25/54 1997).

According to the technical nature of the patent of the Russian Federation No. 2089453 is selected as the closest prototype.

A common disadvantage of the prototype floats and floats described in the other patents mentioned is that the floats cannot be put back into containers after takeoff. Therefore, flying with floats filled is possible only at low speeds if absolutely necessary. Meanwhile, there is currently a practical need to provide land aircraft, in particular, helicopters, the possibility of their operation from the sea surface.

The objective of the invention is to create a universal design of the float for a reusable inflatable chassis system with the possibility of regular release before landing and cleaning after take-off in order to ensure the operation of the aircraft from the sea surface.

The objective of the invention is solved in that for the inflatable chassis of the aircraft, a two-volume pneumoframe float is proposed, made up of annular inflatable sections of flat cutting, the first pneumoframe volume creating the bulk of buoyancy by filling the internal usable space with low-pressure atmospheric air, and the second pneumoframe volume serves as a ballast cavity, which after splashdown as a result of its disclosure is filled with water.

The technical result obtained is characterized by the following essential features:

- nodes of two variable volumes of the float are made in the form of a package of a set of flat annular inflatable sections, communicating with each other and having the ability to inflate to form a supporting pneumoframe with internal useful space, and the useful space of the first volume provides the ability to create the necessary buoyancy by filling it with atmospheric air , and the useful space of the second volume provides the possibility of the formation of ballast water by filling it with water after splashdown and I.

- the vertical overall height of the float is limited by diagonal cable braces.

- the float is equipped with the possibility of evacuation of the inflatable annular sections using an onboard ejector or a special vacuum unit.

- the plan of the ring inflatable sections of the float in plan can be made in the form of a circle, ellipse, oval, rectangle with rounded corners or with a combination of elements of these shapes.

- for aircraft performing regular take-offs and landings from lakes and rivers, the float can be made in a single-volume air version without a ballast part.

In FIG. Figure 1 shows the container of the float when folded (parts of the container body are slightly apart so that the lines of the parts of the inner filling are better visible).

In FIG. 2 shows the float during the opening of the first pneumoframe volume and filling its internal usable space with atmospheric air.

In FIG. Figure 3 shows the float during the opening of the second pneumoframe volume and filling its internal usable space with water after splashing the aircraft

The float device of the inflatable landing gear of the aircraft of FIG. 1, 2, 3 includes:

The container (1), which contains the sliding part of the housing (2) and the intermediate bottom part (3). On the inner wall of the container (1), the upper end face of the flat corrugated packet of annular inflatable sections (4) of the volume forming the air usable space is fixed. On the upper plane of the intermediate bottom part (3), the lower end of the corrugated packet of annular inflatable sections (4) of the same volume is fixed. On the lower plane of the intermediate bottom part (3), the upper end face of the corrugated packet of annular inflatable sections (5) of the volume forming the ballast usable space is fixed. The lower end of the corrugated package of the annular inflatable sections (5) of the ballast volume is fixed on the inner wall of the sliding part of the housing (2). The container (1) has a built-in cavity (6) in which the balloon (7) for emergency release of the float with a manometer, sensors and command units is placed. The inner wall of the container (1) contains openings (8) communicating the internal usable space of the air volume with the atmosphere. The sliding part of the housing (2) on the outside has openings (9) to allow water to pass into the ballast usable space. The container (1) and the intermediate bottom part (3) are interconnected by force diagonal braces (10), which are optimally dispersed in the usable space of the air volume.

The float device of the inflatable landing gear of the aircraft operates as follows (Fig. 1, 2, 3):

Upon receipt of the “Release” control command via the compressed air line from marching engine compressors (1st power option), or from the compressed air line from the APU (2nd power option), or from an onboard high-pressure fan (3rd option supply) air with a working pressure is supplied to the volume of the annular sections (4) of the pneumatic frame of the air useful space. An increase in its vertical dimension to a nominal size begins. At the same time, due to an increase in the internal volume, air from the surrounding atmosphere is sucked into it through openings (8). When the nominal size of the vertical dimension of the air volume is reached, the power diagonal braces (10) are pulled and the pneumatic frame receives additional spatial rigidity. An alarm is issued for the released position of the air volume of the floats, warning the pilot that landing on water is allowed. After splashdown and transfer to the “Ballast filling” position on the control panel of the distributor, air is supplied from the air line to the volume of the annular sections (5) of the pneumatic frame of the ballast usable space, which at that moment is already immersed in water. Its volume begins to increase, sucking in the maximum amount of water. An alarm is issued for the released position of the annular sections (5) of the ballast volume.

As a result, due to the open air volume and ballast water, the aircraft receives sufficient buoyancy and good stability on the wave, as well as a lower drift speed.

Before takeoff, after the “Ballast Reset” command is received via the supply line, the internal volumes of the annular sections (5) communicate with the ejector or with the vacuum unit and are evacuated, which leads to their compression and displacement of water from the ballast usable space. In the process of ovobozhdeniya from ballast water, the aircraft is separated from the water and its take-off with climb.

At the height of cleaning the inflatable landing gear, the pilot on the control panel puts the landing gear switch in the "Cleaning the landing gear" position. In this case, the supply of compressed air from the marching engines or the APU to the ejectors for evacuation of the inner annular volumes (4) of the float is switched on. The volume of the float decreases, displacing air into the atmosphere through the holes (8) and at the final moment the sliding part of the housing (2) enters the container (1) until it stops. An alarm is triggered when the position of the float is removed. The chassis truss with containers (1) is moved to the retracted position. The aircraft continues to climb and fly to its destination.

In case of emergency release of the float, a pyro cartridge or an electric crane of the cylinder (7) for emergency release of the float are triggered and air rushes through the air reducer into the annular sections (4) of the pneumatic frame, increasing the internal usable air space to the nominal volume and sucking in atmospheric air through the holes (8). If necessary, for example, if the aircraft is overloaded, to create additional buoyancy a separate control command can connect a second ballast volume, which will also be filled with air from the atmosphere through openings (9). Moreover, after the reduction and assessment of the situation, as well as in the case of detecting clearly excessive buoyancy by controlling from the inflatable chassis panel, the pneumoframe from the annular sections (5) of the ballast usable space can be combined with the release of atmospheric air and re-released to fill with ballast water.

For aircraft performing regular take-offs and landings from the surface of lakes and rivers, where there is no strong waves, the float can be performed in a single-volume version without ballast usable space and ring inflatable sections (5), which greatly simplifies and facilitates the design of a reusable inflatable chassis.

The proposed device float inflatable landing gear of the aircraft allowed:

- to create the most compact, lightweight and reliable two-volume reusable design that provides the simplest cycle of release and cleaning of the inflatable landing gear for an aircraft operating at sea.

- to use for aircraft operated on the water surface of lakes and rivers, a float in a simplified single-volume version without a ballast part.

Claims (4)

1. The device of the float of the inflatable landing gear of the aircraft, containing the container of the float, the exhaust system, means of control and parameter control, characterized in that the nodes of two variable volumes of the float are made in the form of a package of a set of flat annular inflatable sections communicating with each other and having the property when inflated, form a supporting pneumatic frame with an internal usable space, and the usable space of the first volume provides the ability to create the necessary buoyancy using filling of atmospheric air, and the second storage space volume allows the formation of water ballast by means of filling it with water after the splashdown. 2. The device according to p. 1, characterized in that in order to increase the rigidity of the form in the released configuration of the float, the vertical overall height of the float is fixed by diagonal cable braces. 3. The device according to p. 1, characterized in that in order to ensure a discharge cycle of ballast water and a cycle of air displacement from useful spaces with subsequent cleaning of nodes of variable volume of the float into the container, it is equipped with the possibility of evacuating the inflatable annular sections using an onboard ejector or a special vacuum unit . 4. The device according to p. 1, characterized in that the package of annular inflatable sections of the float in plan can be made in the form of a circle, ellipse, oval, rectangle with rounded corners or with a combination of elements of these shapes.

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