Aircraft trash compactor

An aircraft or space vehicle trash compactor, comprising:

• a. a housing having a support frame;
• b. a trash compacting chamber within said housing adapted to receive a disposable, self-supporting trash container and provided with containment walls and flooring which support the walls and bottom of disposable, self-supporting trash containers disposed therein;
• c. loading means to direct trash into disposable, self-supporting trash containers disposed with the compacting chamber;
• d. extendible ram drive means disposed within the interior of said housing and supported at one end thereof by the support frame in an upper portion of the housing and having a compacting ram at the other end thereof, the extendible portion thereof comprising a hollow head section secured to the support frame and at least two telescopically interfitting sections;
• e. hydraulic power means to extend the ram drive means to drive the compacting ram into a disposable, self-supporting trash container within the chamber to thereby compact trash therein;
• f. hydraulic power means to retract the ram drive means;
• g. means to sense the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic power means to extend the ram drive means;
• h. hydraulic power control means responsive to the hydraulic pressure sensing means to terminate the extension of the ram drive means and to retract the ram drive means when the compacting pressure applied by the ram to trash therein exceeds a predetermined maximum pressure greater than 15 psi.

A spool valve system for controlling the flow of high pressure fluid from a source thereof to at least two separate locations and the flow of fluid from the two separate locations to a receptacle therefor comprising:

• a. an elongated sleeve having a cylindrical wall and a longitudinal open ended bore therein;
• b. an elongated piston disposed within the bore having a plurality of shoulders which slidably and sealingly engage the bore of the sleeve, the outer surface of the piston between two of the shoulders in conjunction with the inner surface of the cylindrical wall defining an annular passageway;
• c. first conduit means in fluid communication with the high pressure fluid source and the bore of the sleeve and passing through the wall of the sleeve;
• d. second conduit means in fluid communication with the receptacle and the bore of the sleeve and passing through the wall of the sleeve;
• e. third conduit means in fluid communication with a first location and the bore of the sleeve and passing through the wall of the sleeve;
• f. fourth conduit means in fluid communication with a second location and the bore of the sleeve and passing through the wall of the sleeve;
• g. biasing means acting on one end of the piston to urge the piston to a first position within the bore of the sleeve, whereby the first conduit means in communication with the high pressure source is brought into fluid communication with the third conduit means through said annular passageway to direct high pressure fluid to the first location and whereby the second conduit means in fluid communication with the receptacle is brought into fluid communication with the second location to direct fluid from the second location to the receptacle;
• h. hammer means within the bore of the sleeve adjacent to the other end of the piston;
• and
• i. means responsive to the fluid pressure in one of the conduits in fluid communication with one of the locations to drive the hammer against the adjacent end of the piston to urge the piston against the biasing means to a second position within the bore of the sleeve when the fluid pressure exceeds a predetermined limit, whereby the first conduit means in fluid communication with the high pressure fluid source is brought into fluid communication with the fourth conduit means to direct high pressure fluid to the second location and whereby the second conduit means is brought into fluid communication with the third conduit means to direct fluid from the first location to the receptacle.