HYDRAULIC ACTUATOR WITH FLOATING PISTONS

• Main Authors: FENNY, CARLOS, A, KINARD, MARC, W, LAUFFER, JOHN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 01.05.2013
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY; BLASTING; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TOTRANSPORTATION; DETAILS OF FLUID-PRESSURE SYSTEMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS, e.g. SERVO-MOTORS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HEATING; HYDRAULICS OR PNEUMATICS IN GENERAL; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; MODULATION; SYSTEMS ACTING BY MEANS OF FLUIDS IN GENERAL; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; WEAPONS

A hydraulic actuator is configured to provide redundant boost control to an aircraft within approximately the same space required by a single hydraulic cylinder. The hydraulic actuator includes a housing and a piston assembly disposed within the housing. The piston assembly includes a ram, a first piston secured to the ram, and second and third pistons disposed on the ram such that the second and third pistons are translatable relative to the longitudinal axis of the ram. The pistons form two hydraulically separate actuator cylinders within the space required by a single cylinder which results in a reduction in the weight and size of the hydraulic actuator.