Wheels
First Claim
1. Method of monitoring for the formation of a crack in a normally obscured part of a metallic wheel of an aircraft tire and wheel assembly comprisingproviding on at least the tire bead seat region of said normally obscured surface region an optical fiber responsive to formation of a crack in said surface, said optical fiber being arranged to extend in a non-rectilinear manner at said surface region, at least at a position thereof which is preferential for the development of a crack,inflating a tire whereby it is secured to and retained by said wheel in a manner in which said sensing element is obscured,providing a light source and light detector respectively to direct light to and receive light from said optical fiber,providing a test unit which is selectively positionable for cooperation with the wheel when the wheel is at rest to investigate whether a break has occured in said optical fiber, said test unit comprising at least one of said light source and light detector, andoperating said source and detector whereby a break in the continuity of the optical fiber may be detected by the test unit.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
To monitor for the formation of a crack in a metal wheel such as that of an aircraft tire and wheel assembly the wheel is provided with an optical fiber arranged to extend no-rectilinearly in a position of the wheel surface selected to be preferential for the development of a crack; preferably the preferential region for crack development is the tire bead seat region and the optical fiber is arranged to extend non-rectilinearly around the circumference of the tire bead seat region thereby to lie interposed between the wheel and tire.
14 Citations
14 Claims
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1. Method of monitoring for the formation of a crack in a normally obscured part of a metallic wheel of an aircraft tire and wheel assembly comprising
providing on at least the tire bead seat region of said normally obscured surface region an optical fiber responsive to formation of a crack in said surface, said optical fiber being arranged to extend in a non-rectilinear manner at said surface region, at least at a position thereof which is preferential for the development of a crack, inflating a tire whereby it is secured to and retained by said wheel in a manner in which said sensing element is obscured, providing a light source and light detector respectively to direct light to and receive light from said optical fiber, providing a test unit which is selectively positionable for cooperation with the wheel when the wheel is at rest to investigate whether a break has occured in said optical fiber, said test unit comprising at least one of said light source and light detector, and operating said source and detector whereby a break in the continuity of the optical fiber may be detected by the test unit.
- 8. An aircraft wheel for a pneumatic tire and of a metallic material potentially prone to develop a crack, said wheel having at least one surface region which is obscured when a tire is fitted to the wheel and at which cracks will develop preferentially and in a preferential direction, and provided on said surface region an optical fiber which extends non-rectilinearly over said surface region at at least the tire bead seat region and at a position which is preferential for the development of a crack, said fiber being arranged to allow light to be directed into an end of the fiber and to be received from said end or another end of the fiber.
- 10. Method of forming a metallic wheel adapted for being subject to a crack detection procedure comprising designing the wheel to have at least one surface region at which cracks will develop preferentially and in a preferential direction in a surface which is obscured when a tire is fitted to the wheel, and forming said wheel with an optical fiber which extends non-rectilinearly on said surface of the wheel at said surface at at least the tire bead seat region, said optical fiber being arranged to extend at least in part in a direction substantially perpendicular to said preferential direction of crack formation.
Specification