Aeronautics and astronautics – Aircraft structure – Material discharging and diffusing
Patent
1993-10-06
1995-09-19
Grant, William
Aeronautics and astronautics
Aircraft structure
Material discharging and diffusing
222 52, 239171, 169 53, B64D 116
Patent
active
054510163
ABSTRACT:
A fluid drop system for an aircraft for use in firefighting is described. The preferred embodiment uses electronic control circuitry coupled with a hydraulic controller that opens and closes the fluid tank's door panels to rate-control fluid drops based on fluid volume remaining in the tank. The circuitry produces a command generated drop rate profile based upon manual drop rate and drop fraction selector controls. It does so by constant comparison of the instantaneous volume of fluid remaining in the tank with a predetermined, desired instantaneous remnant volume in accordance with a defined, declining-volume profile, e.g. one defining a constant drop rate. A stabilized feedback control circuit ensures that, at any instant of time, the opening in the tank's door panels releases a volume of fluid that will maintain the remnant tank volume equal to the desired tank volume. Such variable forces on the fluid as inertia, acceleration, declining mass and splashing automatically are compensated for by the feedback-based fluid drop rate control circuitry. External variables such as aircraft groundspeed, heat intensity, etc. may be taken into account, thereby to render highly controllable and accurate fluid drops for effective and efficient fire fighting operations.
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Foy Richard E.
Uglum Oddgeir
Erickson Air-Crane Co.
Grant William
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