Search Results

THE AUTOMATION OF DIRECT and indirect air carrier operations is essential for growth and for carriers to maintain competitiveness in a deregulated transportation environment. The automation of commercial shippers' traffic operations is necessary to dramatically reduce the overall cost for transportation of goods while improving operational efficiency and effectiveness. The matter of computerization of transportation operations should be placed on today's agenda if companies involved in transportation are to compete and maximize profits in the 1990's. The traffic manager without automation, is an obsolete traffic manager.

In the language of Logistics, Airports represent transformers between transport in-land and by Air; most of the technology developed for warehouses and distribution centers could undoubtedly be used in Airport operations just as well. However, in many Airports so far, a lot of work has been done on those activities that are specific to Airlines, whereas not all innovations developed for the more down-to-earth activities are exploited; there is scope for further advancement, and I wish to highlight some opportunities.

Since deregulation, the passenger and cargo market have taken on a new prospective in the air transportation industry. Todays demanding cargo market require: Shorter on ground turn around time Reduced conversion time for convertible aircraft Increased reliability Low Maintenance Reduced labor costs New aircraft development will also give strong consideration to the factors listed above since the cost of ownership plays a very significant role in the purchase of new airplanes.

An airframe manufacturer is compelled to include the requirements of the air cargo transport market, existing and anticipated, in the definition of its products- A combi aircraft, derived from the passenger version, requires configuration flexibility. With the addition of an aft located main deck cargo door, six (6) 96 in × 125 in pallets may be carried on the main deck. All six (6) pallets can be loaded to a 96 in high contour, with both lateral upper corners cut. A number of other ULDs can be accommodated, e.g the AHA container, up to the 20 ft pallet. The flexibility to adapt to market requirements and i.e. airline route networks is achieved by the convertibility from the typical passenger layout with six (6) to five (5) to four (4) pallet combi configurations up to an all-passenger mode, with particular attention to conversion times.

A new approach to analyzing the effectiveness of shoring (any method of spreading out concentrated loads) has been developed which allows air cargo operators to carry cargo which would otherwise exceed airplane structural capabilities. This analysis technique gives the operators a set of tools to determine shoring requirements for any piece of cargo. With these tools, an airplane's capability to handle outsized cargo can be significantly expanded.

This paper deals with a conceptual aircraft cargo loader “that can do everything” commonly referred to as The Super Loader. The Super Loader is intended for use at air terminals to transport loads such as palletized cargo, containers, wheeled vehicles, shelters, and airdrop platforms from the storage docks to the military and civil aircraft, and vice versa. The loader may be described as a self-propelled, air transportable (in a C-141, C-17, C-5) 60,000 lb lifting capacity, adjustable height vehicle that will load/off load all transport aircraft from a C-130 whose cargo deck is only 3 feet, 3 inches high to a B-747 whose main deck upper limit is about 18 feet high. The Super Loader must also service the lower lobes of wide-bodies and main decks of narrow-bodied aircraft like the DC-8 and B-707. In brief, this loader will be required to interface with both civil and military cargo systems, present and future.

The ability to carry cargo efficiently in passenger aircraft has influenced airline economics to the point that optimisation of the freight capacity is mandatory. This document discusses the alternative loading possibilities in defined Lover Deck Compartments and their doors to cater for current and future trends in ULD dimensions. As a result items for study centred on: 1) Optimisation of the available volumes Freight capacity resulting in the selection of “Pallets”-doors for both the Forward and AFT Compartments. Flexibility to meet Freight and Baggage requirements. Possible load arrangements to optimize aircraft C of G 2) Bulk Cargo Compartment Additional LD3 Container position in AFT/Bulk compartment to cater for an uneven number of Baggage container, allowing the carriage of an additional pallet. What is regarded as an optimum is presented.

Technological advances combined with increasing historical experiences now enable improved planning of future inter-modal cargo terminals. Terminal costs can be reduced and terminal efficiency increased by proper advanced planning. Recognition of changing factors and technology is vital in planning new terminals. Each terminal has unique requirements to satisfy. Major factors can now be identified and considered.

This paper presents an efficient adhesively bonded joint design for application to a composite space frame. After preliminary investigations were conducted to evaluate several alternative joint configurations, an adhesively bonded insert type T-joint was chosen for use in a composite space frame because of its high specific stiffness and large bond area. The stiffnesses of each joint were investigated both analytically and experimentally. Since the lower rail is the primary load bearing member, the joints along it were selected for a detailed study. Two types of analyses were completed. First, a formulation based on the layered beam concept and strain energy theorems was used as an approximate measure to evaluate the effects of varying geometrical parameters. The relationships between joint flange width, insert thickness, and weight were considered. Using the geometry determined by the approximate formulation, a finite element analysis was completed.

The efficient use of materials to absorb kinetic energy in automobile components subjected to impact loads has been receiving increased attention due to the reduced crush space on smaller vehicles. Substitution of lightweight materials into primary structural components has further accelerated the need to characterize the impact performance of a variety of new materials. This paper summarizes the results of an experimental program that was undertaken to investigate the impact performance of composite front-end components of a composite space frame based on a targa-top body configuration. Various front lower body rails designed with Kevlar-fiber composite materials were evaluated for energy absorption using static crush tests. A dynamic sled test of a Kevlar front substructure was completed and compared to a similar test of a mild steel front substructure.

Continuous-fiber composite materials are currently being evaluated as replacement materials for conventional steel alloys for primary load-carrying members of automotive structures. The objective of this study was to design and fabricate a composite space frame based on a targa-top body configuration. The present paper summarizes the overall structural design, fabrication, and vibrational response of the space frame. Initial structural optimization studies based on elastic load conditions were completed for the structure. Subsequent studies were directed toward redesigning the fiber orientation and thickness of the space frame beams to account for fabrication limitations and frontal impact loads. The frequency response of the composite structure was also determined computationally and experimentally and compared to the response of an optimized mild steel space frame.

Principals of operation and calibration of an instrument for measuring the local current density in an electroplating operation are presented. The use of the instrument to predict and control deposit thickness is explained.

Causes of chromium cracks and operating conditions which minimize visible cracked hard chromium plating have been identified as a result of a literature study and published data study. Elimination of visible chicken wire cracking in chromium plating production has been obtained by reducing the chromic acid to sulfate ratio and current density in one case study. Analysis of data in the study indicates consistency in ways of reducing cracks. An experimental design consisting of chromic acid to sulfate ratio, current density and temperature is proposed to verify these findings.

This system is designed to recover nickel and chrome, oxidize cyanide with PHOTOZONE activated oxygen, precipitate the residual metals and remove organic contaminants from the discharge to recycle water for reuse in the plating facility. The system is designed to treat concentrated and dilute waste water at a flow rate of 140 gallons per minute. The total volume of spent concentrated plating solutions is 127,000 gallons per year.

Environmental regulations are tightening worker exposure limits and disposal options for airlines who chemically strip and repaint their fleets. An alternative is to operate a polished aluminum aircraft fleet. The authors present an explanation of the grades of alclad aluminum fuselage skins used by commercial aircraft manufacturers and offer instructions on how to polish the unpainted alclad aluminum in order to operate the aircraft in the polished look. All fuselages on aircraft built by Boeing, Douglas, Lockheed, and the new EMBRAER Brasilia, were assembled using premium grade polished alclad aluminum. As a result, painted versions of aircraft built by the airframers have the capability to be stripped, polished and put in service as a polished aluminum aircraft.

Many aerospace components undergo a finishing process during their manufacture. Such finishing processes include chromium, nickel, zinc and cadmium plating on steels; anodize on aluminum alloys; and various coatings on titanium and nickel base alloys. Certain of these finishing processes result in loss of fatigue strength of the part in question. Loss of fatigue strength caused by chromium and nickel plating amounting to 60% has been measured. Shot peening is frequently used on fatigue critical parts to regain fatigue properties which may have been lost due to a particular finishing operation. Shot peening is a process which bombards the surface of a part with small spherical balls. The cold working effect of the peening balls leaves the surface of the part in a state of residual compressive stress. The beneficial compressive stresses induced by shot peening are effective in increasing fatigue properties of the component.

Determining residual stresses and detecting material defects through coatings is difficult with conventional testing techniques. X-ray diffraction can be used for residual stress determination on bare surfaces of a variety of materials, but fails to give any indication of stress in the underlaying metal through coatings. Nital etching cannot be used to detect grinding burns unless coating is removed. To overcome these difficulties, magnetic Barkhausen noise technique was used to study the feasibility of determining stresses and detecting grinding burns and heat treat defects through chrome plating. Test results suggest that the sensitivity of Barkhausen noise technique to defects and residual stresses through chrome is excellent up to plating thicknesses of 0.012 in. (0.3 mm). This technique can replace the presently used procedures to determine stress and to detect material defects through coatings.

A metallic matrix composite coating has been developed that imparts unique surface properties to a wide range of metallic substrates. The coating, based upon conventional electroless nickel technology, incorporates sub-micron particles of PTFE distributed uniformly throughout the coating thickness. The presence of the PTFE provides a continuous reservoir of lubricating particles giving a low friction surface that is accurate over the most complex components and that has many potential aerospace applications.

Coatings continue to be used on steel compressor components to maximize component life and compressor efficiency. Aluminum-ceramic coatings have been used on steel compressor components for a quarter of a century. During this time, coating application processes have been continually refined for improved performance. These processes are reviewed and a new process included - SermeTel Process 5380 DP. In this process, both coating material and process changes are made to produce finished coatings having improved surface finish, corrosion resistance and erosion properties. Test data is presented for comparison with earlier coating systems. For over twenty-five years, metallic-ceramic coatings have been successfully used on steel components of turbine engines to combat corrosion and erosion. The basic coating of this type, SermeTel W®, continues to be used in a variety of applications and is a base line from which new and improved coating systems can be compared.

A new system is presented for analysis and control of the chemistry of a metal finishing line. Parameters such as metals, acids, bases and pH are measured, statistically evaluated, and replenished. Results are viewed on a CRT screen, both current and historical, and output is provided in the form of graphs, tables, printed instructions and/or relay alarms. Examples are presented of parameters measured on a metal finishing line. THE TODD AUTOMATED CHEMICAL CONTROL SYSTEM took seven years to develop1. During that time, analysis of the critical parameters of seven processes were automated. The automation began with the electroless nickel plating process and was followed by titanium chemical milling, alkaline cleaning, chromated and non-chromated aluminum deoxidizing, chromic acid anodizing, and aluminum conversion coating. Replenishment was also implemented on two of the processes.