The Stucchi solution for land equipment of aeronautical use

The progress of modern aviation has led to the building of aircraft with steady performance and efficiency improvements: however, safety has always remained as one of the most important aspects in this sector, particularly for civil use airplanes that transport up to hundreds of passengers.

The systems that feed hydraulic fluid belong to the standard equipment of any aircraft, allowing the functioning of the landing gear, flight devices, doors and stairs: however, the extreme conditions under which these systems operate, in addition to the number of lives involved, require rigorous technical specifications.

In the first place, the oil used must be resistant to ignition, to prevent the quick spreading of fire inside the aircraft; in the second place, both the fluid and the components must endure sudden variations of pressure and temperature as the plane changes altitude.

These singular characteristics cannot be fulfilled by the oils, piping and components regularly employed in other sectors and, therefore, the search for specific solutions is necessary.

These particularities have created a compatibility problem with the land equipment, which must connect with the plane’s on-board equipment to carry out tests and maintenance, and therefore are instrumental to ensure the safety of the aircraft and its passengers.

How is it possible to quickly couple and uncouple the piping if the aircraft uses unique and specific components and fluids specially designed for aeronautical purpose?

Thanks to its 60 years of experience all around the world, Stucchi has developed a solution for this problem, the result of a close collaboration with the OEMs of the sector.

Our research and development process made possible the creation of the Skydrol® line, which offers specialised products for civil aviation.

Among the proposed solutions there are three series of flat face quick couplings, A-SK, VEPHD-SK and VP-SK, with sizes between ¼ and 1-1/2, maximum pressure of 500 bar and flow capacity of 750 l/m.

However, the most distinguished elements are the shape of the flat face and the compatibility with the Skydrol® oil used in aviation: therefore, the Stucchi products have found a special utility in the land equipment, mobile and fixed feeders for maintenance and test, and test bench for the components.

But the three series of quick couplings compatible with aeronautical systems are also outstanding in other aspects:

·        ● A-SK features high-resistance materials and an elaborated design, the best of the Stucchi technology for flat face couplings has made possible the elimination of fluid leaks and the risks of contamination, which always were crucial aspects in the field of oil-hydraulic circuits and are now even more critical in the aviation sector;

·       ● VEP-SK consists of flat face valves that avoid fluid leaks with a coupling/uncoupling system employing treated carbon steel screws, to resist wear and permit its use under strong vibration;

·       ●  VP-SK brings back the characteristics of the VEP-SK series but adding a duplicated closing system that eliminates the possibility of accidental coupling/uncoupling of the couplings.

Even in a demanding sector as aviation, Stucchi proposes high-performance solutions that combine speed and safety in the development of the operations, for the benefit of both the environment and people.

Discover all solutions provided by Stucchi – contact us now.