Actuator and safety lock system for pivoting door thrust reverser for aircraft jet engine

A method for actuating thrust reverser doors to stowed and deployed positions and for providing a redundant safety lock system for such doors after they have been actuated to a stowed position for a thrust reverser for an aircraft jet engine propulsion system having a fan air stream and which includes an annular fixed structure that is secured to the aft end of an engine and which cooperates with at least two thrust reverser doors that are pivotally secured to spaced opposing side beams of such fixed structure, which method comprises the steps of:

• positioning an hydraulic actuator body within each side beam, each actuator body having a central reciprocal plunger slidably positioned therewithin;
• providing a central guide member for the reciprocal plunger within each actuator body;
• mounting a carriage means on such reciprocal plunger for cooperation with the actuator body to provide selective reciprocal movement of such carriage means on such guide member;
• providing a driving link connection between the carriage means and each thrust reverser door:
• selectively driving the carriage means along the guide member to a retracted position to cause an associated thrust reverser door to be pivoted to a thrust reversing position for the jet engine, and
• selectively driving the carriage means along the guide member to an extended position to cause said driving link connection to pivotally drive said associated thrust reverser door to a stowed position for permitting maximum thrust of the engine "by positioning said driving link connection in an over-center position thereby providing a primary lock to resist an undesired opening of said thrust reverser door in flight, and
• providing a secondary lock separated from said primary lock by releasably locking each thrust reverser door in the stowed position at each side of its forward portion and thereby providing lateral restraint against blocker door deflections due to internal pressure from said fan air stream.

A method for actuating thrust reverser doors to stowed and deployed positions in cooperation with a safety lock system for such doors after they have been actuated to a stowed position for a thrust reverser for an aircraft jet engine propulsion system having a fan air stream and which includes an annular fixed structure that is secured to the aft end of an engine and which cooperates with at least two thrust reverser doors that are pivotally secured to spaced opposing side beams of such fixed structure, which method comprises the steps of:

• providing at least one externally extending lock member in each side of a forward portion of each thrust reverser door;
• securing to each side beam a hinged latch member which is selectively pivotable to engage each lock member;
• providing an actuator which is operatively coupled to each hinged lock member that is responsive to a command to unlock each said latch member from each lock member to permit the associated thrust reverser door to be pivoted to a deployed thrust reversing position and that is responsive to a command to the latch member to locking engage the lock member, and
• selectively directing operative commands to the actuator whereby the latch member is unlocked from engagement with the lock member or the latch member locking engages the lock member.