7.4 - Hydraulic and Pneumatic Systems

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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University *

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270

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Mechanical Engineering

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Nov 24, 2024

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docx

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1 Hello class, Explain how fluid power systems have led to improvements in aircraft operations. Fluid power systems like hydraulics are one of the most critical components of an aircraft and its development was a huge improvement to aviation. Before hydraulics, operation of aircraft were based off cables and pulleys, which required great strength to use especially when faced with high aerodynamic loads. Hydraulics are able to amplify the load input from the pilot, allowing the operation of bigger and faster aircraft. Hydraulics are considered a fluid power systems because they operate based on pascal’s principle by putting a small amount of pressure on a liquid to generate a large amount of power. It is commonly used for systems that require movement such as flight controls, nosewheel steering, reverse thrusters, brakes and retraction and extension of the landing gear. "Hydraulic systems have many advantages as power sources for operating various aircraft units; they combine the advantage of light weight, ease of installation, simplification of inspection, and minimum maintenance requirements. Hydraulic operations are also almost 100 percent efficient with only negligible loss due to friction" (FAA, 2018, pp. 12-2). Determine a drawback to using fluid power systems in aircraft operations. One of the biggest drawback of fluid power systems is in its failure, forcing the pilot to manually operate an aircraft under impossible aircraft loads. A hydraulic system could develop problems caused by a leak, contamination or a clogged filter. Any slight failure can create issues during flight, especially after landing but a complete failure can be catastrophic. An real life example would be an aircraft operation that had a complete loss of its hydraulic system was United Flight 232 on a DC-10 in 1989. The fan disk of the aircraft disintegrated into pieces and severed all the hydraulic lines. Without any hydraulics, the aircraft was completely unresponsive to any inputs from the pilots. The pilot "manipulated the throttle to bring the aircraft down. But cause of the loss of all hydraulics, the crew could not control the wing flaps to reduce airspeed effectively" (Dumas, 2010). The only thing they could do to is to adjust thrust on each engine by steering the plane. Upon landing, the right wing struck the, rupturing the fuel tank which caused an explosion, killing many on board. Identify and explain a challenge associated with maintaining fluid power systems. One challenge is to ensure no leakages occur when maintaining the systems. They also have to be inspected for contamination on a regular basis. "Air and water contamination are the leading causes of hydraulic failure, accounting for 80 to 90% of hydraulic failures. Faulty pumps, systems breaches or temperature issues often cause both types of

2 contamination" (Baker, 2020). A hydraulic system contains pressurized fluid, making it dangerous to work with especially if the pressure is suddenly released. If the high pressure fluid sprays out the fluid chemicals can cause skin irritation. It is also toxic to the environment if it gets into the water system and must be carefully handled and properly disposed of. References Baker, M. (2020). Most common causes of hydraulic systems failure. York Precision Machining & Hydraulics. https://yorkpmh.com/resources/commonhydraulic-system- problems/ Links to an external site. Links to an external site. Dumas, D. (2018). July 19, 1989: Human heroics overcome aircraft failure in Sioux City. Wired . https://www.wired.com/2010/07/0719sioux-city-crash-184-survive/ Federal Aviation Administration [FAA]. (2018). Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook: Airframe, Volume 2: FAA-H-8083-31A, Volume, 2. [Ebook]. Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc . https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/erau/reader.action? docID=6207150&ppg=1

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