Elastomeric gasket with multiple skeletons for placement between two parts of an aircraft and a method for making the same

• US 10,166,703 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2017
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Patent Well, LLC
• Original Assignee: The Patent Well, LLC
• Inventors: Dry, Michael, Boyd, Matt, Boomer, Kent, Busby, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Gilbert Y
• Application Number:
  US15/666,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20170326762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2043/561 under vacuum conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/203 Making multilayered articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/56 Compression moulding under special conditions, e.g. vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2075/00 Use of PU, i.e. polyureas or polyurethanes or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2305/00 Use of metals, their alloys or their compounds, as reinforcement
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2009/003 comprising a metal layer
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/265 Packings, Gaskets
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 37/32 Safety measures not otherwise provided for, e.g. preventing explosive conditions extinguishing or preventing fires in aircraft A62C
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/00 Equipment not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/126 consisting of additions, e.g. metallic fibres, metallic powders, randomly dispersed in the packing

Abstract

An assembly for use on an aircraft wing having an aircraft skin and a fuel tank, the assembly comprising a metal access door for accessing the fuel tank, a metal retainer ring for engaging the wing and the access door. Fasteners removably couple the access door to the retainer ring. A lip, which may be on the wing surface, is configured to receive a perimeter of the access door when the access door is coupled to the retainer ring. A polyurethane elastomeric gel gasket having a metallic skeleton is configured to lay between the access door and a lip of the metal wing surface. Under compression, the polyurethane will deform and squeeze out the edges and flatten so as to provide metal-to-metal contact between the access door and the lip.

Claims

1. A gasket for use with a two piece aircraft part assemblies, each of the pieces having generally flat inner facing mating walls and outer perimeters in a pre-compressed state comprising:

a partially open, flexible metallic skeleton being generally tabular in nature, the skeleton having a generally flat upper surface and a generally flat lower surface, an inner perimeter and an outer perimeter; and

a pliable, resilient, elastomeric, sticky, substantially air bubble free, coherent, homogeneous, silicon-free polyurethane body, substantially filling the openings of the skeleton and being generally tabular in nature, the body being ring shaped having a generally flat, tacky upper surface, a generally flat, tacky lower surface, an inner perimeter wall, and an outer perimeter wall;

wherein the outer perimeter walls of both the skeleton and the body generally conform to the shape defined by the outer perimeters of the aircraft parts assembly; and

wherein the gasket is adapted to lay between the mating walls of the pieces and receive compression therebetween; and

wherein the skeleton has multiple layers with the polyurethane body substantially filling the openings in the multiple layers;

wherein the polyurethane body is resistant to Jet A fuel.

2. The gasket of claim 1, wherein the multiple tabular layers are joined at their edges and comprise concentric layers.

3. The gasket of claim 1, wherein the gasket is in an uncompressed state between about 30 and 100 mil thick.

4. The gasket of claim 1, wherein the gasket is between about 20 and 80 mil thick in a compressed state.

5. The gasket of claim 1, wherein in the compressed condition the gasket is about 40-80% of its uncompressed thickness.

6. The gasket of claim 1, wherein the pre-compression thickness of the skeleton is between about 15 and 30 mil and wherein the compression thickness of the gasket is at least pre-compression thickness of skeleton.

7. The gasket of claim 1, wherein the multiple layers comprise at least one of the following:

woven metal, expanded metal, metallic mesh, or chopped metal.

8. The gasket of claim 7, wherein the at least one layer is comprised of either knitted aluminum or monel.

9. The gasket of claim 1, wherein the two pieces are any two aircraft pieces placed under compression.

10. The gasket of claim 9, wherein the two pieces are an aircraft antenna and the fuselage of an aircraft.

11. The gasket of claim 9, wherein the two pieces are a light fixture and the fuselage of an aircraft.

12. A method of making a gasket for use with a generally flat inner facing mating wall having an outer perimeter of a fuel access door and an opposed generally flat outward facing mating wall having an inner perimeter of a wing of an aircraft, the gasket having a porous, partially open metallic skeleton being generally tabular in nature and generally ring shaped, the skeleton having a generally flat upper surface and a generally flat lower surface, an inner perimeter wall and an outer perimeter wall;

and a pliable, resilient, elastomeric, sticky, substantially air bubble free, homogeneous, coherent polyurethane body, substantially filling the openings of the skeleton and being generally tabular in nature, the body being ring shaped having a generally flat, tacky upper surface, a generally flat, tacky lower surface, an inner perimeter wall, and an outer perimeter wall;

wherein the inner perimeter walls of both the skeleton and the body generally conform to the shape defined by the inner perimeter of the outward facing wall and wherein the outer perimeter walls of both the skeleton and the body generally conform to the shape defined by the outer perimeter of the fuel access door; and

wherein the gasket is adapted to lay between the inner facing mating wall member and the outward facing mating wall member, the method comprising the steps of;

providing a mold in the shape of the skeleton to receive the skeleton therein;

selecting a polyurethane that will cure to form a sticky, pliable, resilient elastomer;

pouring a pre-cured polyurethane mix of the selected polyurethane in the mold to substantially cover the skeleton;

removing any air from the polyurethane mix; and

allowing the polyurethane mix to cure.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the removal step is accomplished with vacuum.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the vacuum is applied to the mold.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the vacuum is applied to a vacuum chamber in which the mold is placed.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the removal step is accomplished with compression.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein, prior to the pouring step, the skeleton is subject to compression.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the skeleton is knitted.

19. A gasket for use with a two piece aircraft part assemblies, each of the pieces having generally flat inner facing mating walls and outer perimeters in a pre-compressed state comprising:

a partially open, flexible metallic skeleton being generally tabular in nature, the skeleton having a generally flat upper surface and a generally flat lower surface, an inner perimeter and an outer perimeter; and

a pliable, resilient, elastomeric, sticky, substantially air bubble free, coherent, homogeneous, silicon-free polyurethane body, substantially filling the openings of the skeleton and being generally tabular in nature, the body being ring shaped having a generally flat, tacky upper surface, a generally flat, tacky lower surface, an inner perimeter wall, and an outer perimeter wall;

wherein the outer perimeter walls of both the skeleton and the body generally conform to the shape defined by the outer perimeters of the aircraft parts assembly; and

wherein the gasket is adapted to lay between the mating walls of the pieces and receive compression therebetween;

wherein the skeleton has multiple layers with the polyurethane body substantially filling the openings in the multiple layers;

wherein the polyurethane body is resistant to Jet A fuel; and

wherein the multiple tabular layers are joined at their edges and comprise concentric layers; and

wherein the concentric layers are knitted.

20. A method of using a sealant with an aircraft fuel access panel assembly, the assembly having two parts, the two parts being aircraft parts, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a gasket, having a fuel resistant polyurethane body and a knitted mesh having multiple concentric tabular layers, that selectively adheres to one of the two parts of the assembly more readily than the second of the two parts of the assembly;

placing the two parts of the assembly together with the gasket assembly between the parts of the assembly;

first compressing the gasket between the two parts of the assembly;

repeatedly thermally cycling the assembly;

after thermally cycling, removing the one part of the assembly from the other with the gasket that will selectively adhere, maintain its integrity, and release cleanly from one of the two parts and, following the removing step;

replacing the two parts of the assembly together; and

second compressing of the gasket between the two parts of the assembly.