Integral accumulator valve and ram module with seal heater
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsThaddeus Jakubowski, John Foster, Paul Kersens
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method is provided for pre-heating seals in an unpressurized gas-powered stores ejection system. The system and method allow the seals of the stores ejection system to be made pliable when operating at a low ambient temperature, and thus reliably seal during operation in Arctic cold start environments.
Claims10
A stores ejection system for mounting a jettisonable store on an aircraft, said stores ejection system using a gas as a source of energy and a transfer mechanism and comprising:
- an on-board source of pressurized non-pyrotechnic gas for providing said source of energy and said transfer mechanism;
- at least one pneumatically-driven release and jettison mechanism for releasably mounting said store;
- an actuation system for said release mechanism, including an accumulator for receiving and storing pressurized gas from said on-board source of pressurized gas at a specified operating pressure, a dump valve, at least one seal associated with said dump valve;
- and
- a heater for maintaining said at least one seal at a temperature at which said at least one seal remains pliable.
A method of mounting a jettisonable store on an aircraft, said aircraft having a stores ejection system comprising an ejector mechanism and a storage device, an on-board source of pressurized non-pyrotechnic gas for providing a source of energy and a transfer mechanism, at least one pneumatically-driven release and jettison mechanism for releasably mounting said store, an actuation system for said release mechanism, including an accumulator for receiving and storing pressurized gas from said on-board source of pressurized gas at a specified operating pressure, a dump valve, and at least one seal associated with said dump valve, the method comprising:
- heating said at least one seal to a temperature at which said at least one seal remains pliable;
- and
- pressurizing said pneumatically-driven release and jettison mechanism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.