pumped up: hydraulic systems in aircraft

No matter their size, all aircraft require some kind of mechanism to power systems like landing gear, brakes, flaps, and various flight controls. All mechanical systems require some sort of medium through which they apply force and pressure, and in a hydraulic system, that medium is a liquid or oil. For comparison, pneumatic systems rely on compressed air or gas. In this blog, we’ll break down some of the most common applications for hydraulic systems, and how exactly they work.

Hydraulic systems enjoy several benefits over pneumatic systems: because they rely on liquids that are non-compressible, there is no delay in their movement, whereas a pneumatic system often has a delay as gasses are compressed. Additionally, because hydraulic oil is non-compressible, hydraulics can offer more weight, whereas air and gas can cause a device to shake and move around when the air pressure fluctuates.

Hydraulic fluid must act as a coolant, lubricate parts of the system, and accurately transmit pressure. Hydraulic fluid comes in three different types:

Mineral oil, dyed red and made from kerosene petrochemical products. Mineral oil inhibits foaming and corrosion, is chemically stable, and handles temperature changes well.
Synthetic oil, made from phosphate ester and is typically dyed purple (can also be amber or green). The biggest drawback of synthetic oil is that it can eat away at insulation and degrade wiring, so safe storage is absolutely necessary.
Vegetable oil is colored blue and made from alcohol and castor oil. Vegetable oil is only seen in older aircraft, as it can cause corrosion and sludge to build up.

Small aircraft will typically use mineral oil, but manufacturers will have their own recommendations.

The core of hydraulics revolves around Pascal’s Law, which states that if pressure is applied to liquid anywhere in a system, this action causes equal pressure to be distributed throughout the entire system. This means that a small device applying pressure in one area of the system can be transferred to other areas.

In aircraft, hydraulics are used in Aircraft landing gear, both to raise and lower them from deployment, in braking systems, in manipulating flight control surfaces like ailerons, flaps, and elevators, to control thrust reversers, and a wide range of other tasks.

At ASAP Parts 360, owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, we can help you find all the hydraulic systems and parts for the aerospace, civil aviation, and defense industries. We’re always available and ready to help you find all the parts and equipment you need, 24/7-365. For a quick and competitive quote, email us at sales@asapparts360.com or call us at +1-708-387-7800.

importance of proper bearing mounting

Aircraft bearings are a very useful type of fastener, allowing for constraint of movement to specific motions, all while reducing friction between the moving parts. This requires that bearings be accurately installed, lest the bearing’s life expectancy be cut short along with other problems. If a bearing is too loose, movement between components is less restricted, leading to problems such as wear, fretting, scoring, fracturing, and more. When a bearing is too tight on the other hand, increased force for mounting may be required, also leading to possible bearing fractures. According to estimates, about 16% of premature bearing failures are caused by poor installation of bearings. So what are some of the methods to correctly install a bearing, and what are things to avoid?

The two main methods of bearing mounting is through what is referred to as “cold” and “hot” mounting. Cold mounting, otherwise known as mechanical mounting, is mostly used for bearings that range from small to medium. Hot mounting utilizes hydraulics for installation and is more recommended for larger bearing mounting. By utilizing these techniques and using the right fitting tools, correct installation can be done easily, and will help to avoid problems that may arise in the future, extend the life expectancy and performance of the bearings, as well as decrease the amount of downtime for machinery due to repair caused by improperly installed bearings.

With cold mounting, using the correct fitting tools can protect the bearing from receiving force damage and ensure a proper amount of force is used during aircraft mounting. With cold mounting, the mistake many people make is to use hammer and pipes, which can lead to damage of the raceways, as well as allows for contamination, such as dirt, to enter the bearing and lead to friction. The bearing’s rolling element can also face damage if the pipe slips during installation.

With hot mounting, preheating the bearing can be very beneficial as it allows the inner ring to expand, thus making installation easier. This method also avoids dirt contamination as well as serves as a quick method of mounting. Mistakes that lead to improper hot mounting is through utilizing hot oil baths, which can lead to contamination of the bearing, or by using open flames which can be dangerous in itself. Standard protocol recommends heating through the use of induction before the bearing is installed, allowing for efficiency, safety, and control during the mounting process.

schaeffer saves tata steel port talbot from extreme malfunction

Tata Steel Port Talbot has been producing and consonantly using their Trunnion Bearings since 1960 when they were first installed. Over the years deterioration and constant use has caused for one of the bearings to fail which brought the company to action to replace in good time.

These massive bearings failure was first discovered by an engineer that was on the premise. Shortly after the discovery the engineer was on the phone with Schaeffer UK for further explanation of a failing non-drive side (NDS) of the V2 BOS plant Vessel. The plant has two vessels currently in use (V1 & V2) and each of them have the capacity of withstanding 330 tones.

Schaeffer Germany was quick to respond and had two of their own on the BOS plant. The two engineers from Schaeffer were able to determine the problem and drew out a plan to be carried out.

“A method statement document was drawn up by Schaeffer UK, which specified the sequence and method to replace the bearings and outline the TATA requirements. Included in this document was a detailed tooling list and a step-by-step procedure for the dismounting and mounting of the drive-side (DS) & non-drive-side (NDS) bearings.”

Taking advantage of their back up resources the FAG Split Spherical Roller Bearing [SSRB] was placed into use to decrease the time of involuntary inactivity. The damaged parts on the main unit was later figured out to have damaged other components.

The process the removal of the previous bearing took an approximated 36 hours. After the dismantling of the previous vessel the parts were later taken into forensic testing for further examination. With the completion of the replacement there were also follow up instructions left by the Schaeffer engineers along with extensive details pertaining to the Vessel.

ASAP PARTS 360 is leading Aircraft Bearing Distributor in the aviation industry. Having a wide array of parts in the routable and expendable market, ASAP is able to be your one stop solution. All of ASAP products have been tested and placed under warranty to ensure parts with every order.

skf designs new seal option on groove ball bearings

SKF is designing new Seal designs that uses a new dual-lip technology which provides additional technology for protection in certain environments and a larger range of SKF Explorer groove ball bearings. For users this is a technology that allows their bearing to last longer and function better especially when the environment is not perfectly conditioned to keep bearings in a good condition. For example if the outside environment is wet, dry or even dusty can cause operating conditions to change bearing quite frequently, but with the new Seals the ball bearings can be protected to last longer and operate better.

This second lip technology even though it sounds simple but when it comes to operations it creates a huge difference, for example the seal can now withstand more pressure which allows cleaning to happen more frequently reduces the amount of dust and contaminants to go through the seal.

There are certain conditions in which the seal’s maximum performance can be achieved, in the case of the new RSH seal it initially was designed to operate from a range of -35 to +105 degrees Celsius, it is also very resistant to lubricating oils such as mineral oil based lubricant and petroleum products. This was the initial product, eventually the design was modified to withstand higher temperatures and available to a wider range of ball bearings with larger bore diameters.

ASAP Semiconductor is a global distributor of all kind of parts and we are competitive to bring our customers the parts they need when they need them and for lower prices than the market. In our efforts to stay competitive we have created a platform to make requesting parts much easier, ASAP Parts 360 is an aerospace and ball bearings supplier and you can request pricing and availability if you submit a request for quote online at asapparts360.com with your part number and quantity needed and you shall receive a quote shortly after. You can also send a request for quote via email at purchase@asapparts360.com and be contacted that way, or you can call us at +1-708-387-7800 and speak with a sales representative to receive a quote over the phone.

skf supplies speedi sleeve seals

On February 9 2017, there was an article that was posted by Bearing.com which talks about how SKF South Africa is working to help an OEM customer reduce and cut down their lead times. This occurred because the customers were unhappy with the length of time they had to wait for certain items to be delivered. Because of this, it was only natural that the customer work with SKF bearings.

For the customer’s earthmoving equipment needs, SKF suggested that they use the Speedi-Sleeve. This Speedi-Sleeve uses a stainless steel material which can be described more in depth by the journalist.

“[The Speedi-Sleeve] uses a proprietary stainless steel material and manufacturing process giving an optimized seal counter-face surface that minimizes wear on both the sleeve and sealing lip. The contact surface is wear resistant. Imperceptible lubricant pockets enable the lubricant to reside on the sleeve and thereby prevent dry running of the sealing lip that otherwise can create excessive wear.”

SKF South Africa is a company that has been headquarted in Witfield, Boksburg, Gauten since 1914. The company provides bearing solutions, sealing solutions, lubrication systems, and a whole variety of asset management services and mechanical engineering in order to assist their customers. SKF South Africa is ISO9001:2008, ISO 140001, and OHSA 18001 certified. The company uses the philosophy of Board Based Black Economics Empowerment Act (BBBEE). The company has a title of a level 7 contributor in BBBEE.