Sundstrand Corporation

John David Grant

William C Trommer

The invention is directed to a deployment apparatus for an extendable ram air turbine of an aircraft. The ram air turbine is movable from a stowed inoperable position within the aircraft to a deployed and extended operable position externally of and in an airstream of the aircraft. The deployment apparatus includes an ejection member secured at one end to the aircraft and pivotally coupled to a non-extendable portion of a strut assembly. The non-extendable strut portion is pivotally secured at one end to the aircraft and receives at its other end in a telescoping manner one end of an extendable strut portion which has at its other end an air turbine driven power unit. An extendable strut portion control arrangement is responsive to a preset strut assembly deployed position and the presence of a predetermined power output level provided by the air turbine driven power unit to thereby ensure that the extendable strut and air turbine are extended only upon deployment of the strut assembly and activation of the air driven power unit.

Deployment mechanism for RAM air turbine

A device for indicating the volume of liquid in a fuel tank or like container includes a linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) mounted within the tank, which is divided into a liquid containing section and a gas containing section by a longitudinally movable piston. Pressure gas is provided to the gas containing section of the tank through a port in a tank wall, and urges the piston to follow the liquid level in the tank. The LVDT has a fixed coil housing with a fixed electrical input and a rotatable core actuator. The core actuator is coupled for rotation in response to movement of the piston. Rotation of the actuator effects translational movement of the core within the coil, thereby producing a variable electrical output in response to changes in liquid volume.

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Rockford, IL, United States of America

John David Grant