Floating sockets for aicraft wheel halves

[monkeywrencher]

Hi. I have been trying to come with an idea in our manufacturing department in the wheel shop to ease splitting wheel halves.

I had designed a simple fixture consisting of a steel plate with 6 12pt deep sockets welded to the steel plate. These sockets match up to the bolthead pattern on the wheel half. The problem is the sockets are fixed in position. I thought that the fixture would work for assembly... place the bolts in, brake rotor, rim halves and tire, compress, then torque. Torquing seemed to tweak the sockets, requiring the fixture to be beaten off of the boltheads.

I figured if the sockets could rotate in this plate or setting about 30-40deg, , then stop or lock, this fixture would not tweak during assembly. It may also work for disassembly. The boltheads may be clocked to any position, so a socket which could rotate a bit may be able to pick them up.

Has anybody seen or know of any method available to create a fixture like this, where the sockets can rotate somewhat, but then lock into place?

Thanks!

 

[MikeHalloran]

You probably need to arrange it so that the sockets are actually free to rotate, but push the bolt heads against the faying surface in the wheel, just like an experienced mechanic would buck the bolts.




Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[monkeywrencher]

Mike,

Thats exactly what I need. But I haven't seen this done. To be able to captivate the sockets in a plate to eliminate lateral movement, but allow for about 40deg of rotation in the socket before the socket locks so the socket can key itself to the splines of the bolthead...

I was looking to see if anyone had any ideas on how to allow the sockets affixed to the plate to rotate somewhat...

 

[kontiki99]

I'm not sure I get the picture, but have you considered a coating of anti-seize compound?

 

[thruthefence]

I built a similar contraption years ago, using 3/8" drive socket wrenches, I had two, 'captured' in slots cut in a heavy duty service cart. ( the wrenches were mounted beloy the deck of the cart.) Because I had two different aircraft, I could adjust the wrenches in,toward the hub,(which is loosely secured to the deck) or out, toward the rim. I still had to lift the wheel vertically to reposition it, but it was much easier to build up a wheel this way. For your particular problem, as posted, perhaps you could use a simple 'breaker bar' under the deck of the apparatus 'captured' in a sort of V-shaped notch that would allow some degree of rotational movement of the socket drivers.

 

[KirbyWan]

If I understand Mike's idea it is to allow the sockets to spin but with some friction. Then the nuts could spin down to the surface and the friction between the bolt, nut and surface should be sufficent to tighten everything up if using an impact gun. Is this what you were suggesting Mike?

-Kirby

Kirby Wilkerson

Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.

 

[MikeHalloran]

Right.

As soon as you put a rotation limiter in the system, you're reacting the impact torque through the wrenching surfaces of the bolt head, and through the fixture.

What you want is to react the the impact torque through the seating surface of the bolt head to the wheel, so that the strain energy is stored in the bolt and the wheel, not in the bolt and the wheel and the bolt head holding fixture.

For example, by spring loading the sockets, axially, so that they push the bolt heads against the wheel's faying surfaces.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[thruthefence]

Kirbywan, Impact gun big "NO NO" on aircraft wheels.

 

[monkeywrencher]

Here is my failed Rev A wheel half bolthead holder sketch. Maybe this will help visualize what I am talking about. My crude tool sketches have gotten a bit better since . Right angle projection blah blah blah.

Two jobs I would be looking to use the tool for. This will fit in a tire compression mechanism I am designing. I am using a heavy duty transmission jack. I will modify the head of the jack to accept this (new) tool. This wheel half bolthead holder will sit on the transmission jack. It will then roll into a stand I am designing, with a flat steel plate (ramp, cutouts for the wheels to 'key' the jack in position) on the bottom, and an interchangable steel plate on top with a cutout 1-2" larger then the wheel half OD. The bolthead side of the wheel assy will sit on the bolthead fixture, with the boltheads sitting in the sockets. Place the wheel assy onto the fixture, roll into the stand, 2 pumps on the jack, and the tire will compress enough to add the nuts and washers.

2 problems with the first rev of the tool:

Doesn't work for total assembly (set bolts in sockets, brake rotor, wheel half, tire, then nutside wheel half, compress tire and torque nuts). After torquing the fixture had to be beaten off of the wheel boltheads, as I think the sockets tweaked and became under tension.

Wouldn't work with wheel disassembly. The boltheads may be clocked differently then the position that the sockets had been welded to plate.

What I think would make this tool successful is if the sockets could rotate slight. We could key the sockets to the boltheads. Also, the slop in the sockets may prevent the tool from getting stuck on after torquing the nutside...

 

[Compositepro]

There is a special socket tool that could be helpful to you. It is socket packed with spring loaded pins that will grab onto any size and shape of nut that fits into the socket. It's called a Gatorgrip. Or use a similar concept that you modify for your application.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000065CJ8...e=asn&creative=380341&creativeASIN=B000065CJ8

 

[monkeywrencher]

Thanks Composites!!!!!!!

I will definately check that out!

 

[KirbyWan]

That is a cool idea if it works without damaging the bolt heads. BTW I don't work on tires so I wasn't aware of the no impact gun rules, but it's good to know.

-Kirby

Kirby Wilkerson

Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.