Hydraulic system for an aircraft
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsMichael Thomas Fox, Eric Anton Howell, Jeffrey M. Roach
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hydraulic system for an aircraft. The hydraulic system can include a hydraulic actuator that is operatively coupled to a flight control member. Hydraulic fluid is moved through the hydraulic system by an engine driven pump that delivers hydraulic fluid to the actuator at a first pressure, and a boost pump that delivers hydraulic fluid to the actuator at a second pressure that is higher than the first pressure. The hydraulic system is configured such that the hydraulic fluid returning from the actuator to the engine driven pump can be delivered to the boost pump prior to reaching the engine driven pump.
Claims20
A hydraulic system for an aircraft, the hydraulic system comprising:
- a hydraulic actuator that is operatively coupled to a flight control member;
- an engine driven pump that delivers hydraulic fluid to the actuator at a first pressure;
- and
- a boost pump that delivers hydraulic fluid to the actuator at a second pressure that is higher than the first pressure;
- a valve positioned upstream from the boost pump and movable between a first valve position in which hydraulic fluid is delivered to the boost pump from the engine driven pump and a second valve position in which hydraulic fluid is delivered to the boost pump from a return line that leads away from the hydraulic actuator;
- and
- wherein hydraulic fluid returning from the actuator to the engine driven pump is delivered to the boost pump prior to reaching the engine driven pump.
A hydraulic system for an aircraft, the hydraulic system comprising:
- an engine driven pump that delivers hydraulic fluid at a first pressure;
- a hydraulic actuator;
- a supply line through which the hydraulic fluid is delivered from the engine driven pump to the hydraulic actuator;
- a boost pump that delivers the hydraulic fluid to the actuator at a second pressure that is higher than the first pressure;
- a return line that returns the hydraulic fluid from the actuator to the engine driven pump;
- and
- a spare line that extends between the return line and the boost pump, the spare line positioned along the return line upstream from the engine driven pump;
- wherein at least a portion of the time the hydraulic fluid that is supplied to the boost pump comprises the hydraulic fluid that is returning along the return line from the actuator towards the engine driven pump.
A method of operating a hydraulic system of an aircraft, the method comprising:
- supplying hydraulic fluid at a first pressure from an engine driven pump to an actuator without the hydraulic fluid being supplied with a boost pump with the actuator being operatively connected to a flight control member;
- returning the hydraulic fluid from the actuator to the engine driven pump along a return line;
- in response to a load pressure demand, supplying hydraulic fluid to the actuator from a boost pump at an elevated pressure that is above the first pressure;
- and
- in response to the load pressure demand, supplying at least a portion of the hydraulic fluid to the boost pump from the return line prior to the hydraulic fluid being returned to the engine driven pump.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.