Aircraft landing gear cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9573567-B2
Application number	US-201313779982-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2013
Priority date	Feb 28, 2013
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an apparatus for cooling at least one landing gear brake of an aircraft in flight is described. The apparatus includes an air handling assembly that is coupled to the aircraft. The air handling assembly includes at least one air inlet port. The apparatus also includes an air delivery assembly that is in air receiving communication with the air handling assembly. The air delivery assembly includes at least one nozzle that is configured to direct air into a first space adjacent a first side of the landing gear brake to create an air pressure differential across the landing gear brake.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A passive brake cooling system for cooling at least one landing gear brake stack of an aircraft in flight, the passive brake cooling system comprising:
an air handling assembly coupled to the aircraft, the air handling assembly comprising at least one air inlet port in air receiving communication with a non-compressed air source; and
an air delivery assembly in air receiving communication with the air handling assembly to receive non-compressed air from the air handling assembly, the air delivery assembly comprising at least one nozzle configured to direct air exiting from the at least one nozzle toward the at least one landing brake stack and into a first space adjacent a first side of the at least one landing gear brake stack to create an air pressure differential across the at least one landing gear brake stack.

2. The brake cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the air pressure differential forces air to flow across the at least one landing gear brake stack.

3. The brake cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the air handling assembly is coupled to an exterior surface of the aircraft, the at least one air inlet port being in air receiving communication with air external to the aircraft, the apparatus further comprising at least one air exhaust port being in air expelling communication with air external to the aircraft.

4. The brake cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the air handling assembly comprises an elongate body extending along a length of the aircraft.

5. The brake cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the air handling assembly comprises a plurality of air inlet ports.

6. The brake cooling system of claim 5 , wherein the air delivery assembly comprises a plurality of nozzles each coupled in air receiving communication to one of a plurality of air delivery passages, and wherein each of the plurality of air delivery passages is coupled in air receiving communication to one of the plurality of air inlet ports via one of a plurality of air handling passages.

7. The brake cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the air delivery assembly comprises an air manifold and a plurality of nozzles coupled to the air manifold.

8. The brake cooling system of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of nozzles are spaced circumferentially about the air manifold.

9. The brake cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one landing gear brake stack comprises a first landing gear brake stack and a second landing gear brake stack, and wherein the at least one nozzle comprises a first nozzle and a second nozzle, the first nozzle configured to direct air into the first space adjacent the first side of the first landing gear brake stack, and the second nozzle configured to direct air into a first space of a first side of the second landing gear brake stack, the first and second landing gear brake stacks being coaxial with each other.

10. The brake cooling system of claim 9 , wherein the first and second nozzles are spaced apart from each other, the first and second landing gear brake stacks being positioned between the first and second nozzles, and wherein the first nozzle directs air toward the second nozzle and the second nozzle directs air toward the first nozzle.

11. A method for passively cooling a landing gear brake stack of an aircraft in flight, the method comprising:
directing non-compressed air external to the aircraft to at least one nozzle adjacent the landing gear brake stack, the landing gear brake stack being internal to the aircraft;
moving the non-compressed air through the at least one nozzle toward the landing gear brake stack by directing the air exiting from the at least one nozzle into a first space on a first side of the landing gear brake stack;
pressurizing the non-compressed air in the first space to a first pressure, the first pressure being greater than a second pressure of air in a second space on a second side of the landing gear brake stack opposing the first side of the landing gear brake stack; and
forcing pressurized air in the first space to flow across the landing gear brake stack from the first space to the second space via a pressure differential between the pressurized air in the first space at the first pressure and the air in the second space at the second pressure.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein moving the air through the at least one nozzle comprises increasing a velocity of the air.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein moving the air through the at least one nozzle creates a high velocity air jet.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein moving the air into the first space comprises impinging the air directly against a surface of the landing gear brake stack.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising directing the air in the second space to a location external to the aircraft.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising creating a low pressure zone within the location external to the aircraft, wherein air in the low pressure zone is at a third pressure that is less than the second pressure.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising forcing convective transfer of heat from the landing gear brake stack to the air flowing across the landing gear brake stack.

18. A landing gear assembly for an aircraft having a landing gear cavity formed in a body of the aircraft, the landing gear assembly comprising:
a door pivotable with respect to the body of the aircraft;
a wheel assembly positionable within the landing gear cavity, the wheel assembly comprising at least one brake stack;
an air handling assembly coupled to an exterior surface of the door, the air handling assembly comprising an air intake in air receiving communication with a non-compressed air source; and
an air delivery assembly in air receiving communication with the air handling assembly to receive non-compressed air from the air handling assembly, the air delivery assembly comprising at least one air passage extending through the door and a nozzle coupled to the at least one air passage, wherein the nozzle is configured to accelerate the non-compressed air exiting from the nozzle toward the at least one brake stack when the wheel assembly is positioned within the landing gear cavity.

19. The landing gear assembly of claim 18 , wherein the wheel assembly comprises a tire and a rim about which the tire is positioned and within which the at least one brake stack is positioned, and wherein the rim defines a space adjacent a first side of the at least one brake stack, the accelerated air increasing a first pressure of air within the space to a pressure greater than a second pressure of air adjacent a second side of the at least one brake stack opposite the first side.

20. The landing gear assembly of claim 19 , wherein the air delivery assembly comprises a plurality of nozzles coupled to the at least one air passage, and the rim comprises a plurality of spoke cavities, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of nozzles accelerate air through the plurality of spoke cavities.

21. The landing gear assembly of claim 18 , wherein the air delivery assembly comprises an air manifold, the nozzle being coupled to the air manifold, and wherein the air manifold is attached to an interior surface of the door.

22. The landing gear assembly of claim 18 , wherein the wheel assembly comprises first and second brake stacks each associated with one of first and second coaxial tires, and wherein the air delivery assembly comprises a first air passage extending through the door and a first

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Kirkbride David W
• Jolliffe Darrell S

Classifications

• F16D65/847

  with open cooling system, e.g. cooled by air · CPC title

• B60R99/00 Primary

  Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• Y10T137/0318

  Processes · CPC title

• B60T5/00

  Vehicle modifications to facilitate cooling of brakes · CPC title

• B64C25/42 Primary

  Arrangement or adaptation of brakes · CPC title