Interconnecting strut for arranging between adjacent landing flaps of an aircraft
View Patent ↗An interconnecting strut includes two coaxially arranged strut elements which may be displaced relative to one another in the longitudinal direction of the interconnecting strut, two end stops defining the mutual displaceability of the two strut elements, as well as damping elements, which when a specific permissible displacement is exceeded, damp the displacement movement of the strut elements before reaching the end stops, in which the damping elements consist of a material which is plastically deformable in the occurring force range, the damping elements being compressed for damping the displacement movement in the longitudinal direction and, at the same time, being subjected to a cross-sectional enlargement transversely to the longitudinal direction, due to the compression.
1. An interconnecting strut with two coaxially arranged strut elements which may be displaced relative to one another in the longitudinal direction of the interconnecting strut, two end stops defining the mutual displaceability of the two strut elements, as well as damping means for damping the displacement movement of the strut elements when a specific permissible displacement is exceeded before reaching the end stops, the damping means comprising a plastically deformable material, the damping means being compressible in the longitudinal direction for damping the displacement movement and when compressed being subjected to a cross-sectional enlargement radially inwardly and radially outwardly transversely to the longitudinal direction, the damping means comprise a common damping element for tractive and compressive forces acting on the interconnecting strut when the permissible displacement is exceeded.
2. The interconnecting strut according to claim 1 , characterized in that the damping means are arranged coaxially between the two strut elements.
3. The interconnecting strut according to claim 1 , characterized in that the damping means comprise guiding means for the two strut elements arranged coaxially in one another, within the range of permissible displacement.
4. The interconnecting strut according to claim 1 , characterized in that the damping element is arranged between two retaining elements which are arranged to be displaceable towards one another between two stop surfaces arranged on one of the two strut elements by compressing the damping element, on both sides of the retaining elements respectively one collar, acting on one of the two retaining elements, being arranged on the other strut element, so that when the permissible displacement is exceeded, depending on the direction of force, one of the two collars impacts against one of the two retaining elements.
5. The interconnecting strut according to claim 1 , characterized in that the damping element is in one piece.
6. The interconnecting strut according to claim 1 , characterized in that the damping element comprises a ring.
7. The interconnecting strut according to claim 6 , characterized in that the ring comprises a transitional stage.
8. The interconnecting strut according to claim 1 , characterized in that the damping element is produced from fibre reinforced plastics.
9. The interconnecting strut according to claim 8 , characterized in that the fibre reinforced plastics material is carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP).
10. The interconnecting strut according to claim 1 , characterized in that the damping element comprises wound fibre reinforced plastics.
11. The interconnecting strut according to claim 1 , characterized by means for detecting the displacement of the strut elements relative to one another, a warning signal being generated when the permissible displacement is exceeded.
12. The interconnecting strut according to claim 11 , characterized in that the means for detecting the displacement of the strut elements comprise at least one sensor arranged on the one strut element as well as a transmitter element arranged on the other strut element which may be detected by the sensor.