Ground Support Equipment

www.hanleysmith.co.uk

Hanley Smith Ltd

Tel No 01279 414446

Fax No 01279 635101

The main company activity is the repair and overhaul of aircraft components and assemblies, which by necessity utilises many types of precision machine tools, embodying treatments and metal deposition including electroplating and metal spray techniques. All processes are undertaken within the strict observation and approvals of the regulatory authorities. Workshop handling facilities covers components and assemblies up to 100kg.

Since 1985 the company has steadily grown. In the course of that growth, we have been fortunate to have had various problems put to us, the solution of which has sometimes presented a commercial opportunity and is reflected in the following landing gear overhaul equipment and ground handling equipment being developed and ultimately seeing service round the world.

Wheel Half-Hub cup handling machine

Wheel Half-Hub cup assembly interference is among the heaviest found in aircraft engineering, so it is no wonder that it needs extra attention to dismantle. The difference between aluminium & steel coefficients of expansion rates helps, but to raise the hub temperature is an inconvenience and increases the cost of removal. If subsequent inspection or repair work is needed then the component must be allowed to cool before proceeding. The portable Half-Hub handling machine will remove most cups cold, without damage and is usually a one man operation. Installation is the reverse procedure but the hub must be heated and the cup chilled to briefly render a non interference condition. If the operation is cup change only, the time taken to remove and reinstall is two minutes, exclusive of heating or chilling time.

Brake disc flattening

Brake disc flattening equipment is designed as an accessory to the Half Hub cupping machine. Two parts comprise the tool, a concave base that will accept discs up to 24" diameter and a 10.5" diameter convex punch. Discs with a bore size between 3" and 10" and an outside diameter between 10" and 24"can generally be cold flattened by the machine using an hydraulic ram of 30 tons capacity.

Spring testing equipment

Brake springs requiring testing in excess of 200lbs can be physically and technically demanding. Hydropneumatics solved the first problem but in its application, consistency was not easily achieved, due to the inherent out of square condition of all spring's end faces. This problem was accommodated by, the mechanical referencing of the end faces and by averaging the multiple test procedure. A test reading can be taken every five seconds. To change from testing one spring type to another with different test loading is ten seconds.

Drive block pullers

The solution to a problem of removing tight fit dovetailed drive blocks from inboard half hubs, came from a 12 ton, hand pumped, hydraulic ram. A claw that hooked over the end of the drive block was attached to the cylinder body. A pad on the piston rod pushing against the hub wall and the cylinder extending from the piston carries the drive block with it. This hand held item replaces a non-transportable special purpose machine, with three hydraulic cylinders, to which inner hubs were previously sent for stripping, if the field tooling had proved inadequate.

Wheel seal insertion tools

Progressive development of grease management in new generation wheels has seen the introduction of improved sealing methods. The installation of these generally larger and stiffer seals requires considerably more effort than previously. The seal insertion tool is a capstan device with four rollers that can be radially pre set to match the seal diameter, and will drive the seal to its seating by the rollers imparting pressure at the seal rim while rotating, thus pushing the seal to its seat.

Tyre deflators

Safety is always the prime requirement, and with tyre deflation there are two main risk areas. Primarily the causing of embolisms and embedding of debris into the skin carried by escaping high pressure gas, and secondly the possible ingestion damage by the valve core being carried away by the exhausting gas and becoming fodder if not retrieved. Both problems have been overcome by our deflators. The exhaust route has been directed away from operator, and secondly the removed valve is retained within the deflator body until the deflator is removed from the valve. Now that dry nitrogen has replaced air as the inflation medium, ice formation is no longer a hazard.

Windshield bolt hole inspection prisms

This quirk of refraction never ceases to amaze first time users. Common knowledge in the optics industry, this application can save an inordinate amount of time when it comes to windscreen inspection. Removal is not necessary to check for delamination at the bolt holes or edges. Using this equipment allows a clear all round assessment of each hole condition.

Wheel bush and liner extraction tools

An expandable collet that will snugly fit within the bore of a bush or liner and engage on its inboard end, can extract most bushes and liners from 1.7" (45mm) to 7" (180mm) diameter, by either a press, a hydraulic ram or a pneumatic gun. A 45 kg wheeled tool kit enables interference fit components to be extracted at any location, quickly, cleanly and without damage to either component. With certain provisos, bushes and liners down to .25" (6,5mm) can be removed utilising pressurised water by means of dedicated lances. This patented system is known as `Bushbaby'

Cargo loading ramps

To load and carry a 50 Ton reactor across the Atlantic in an aircraft having 1.5" headroom clearance and a floor loading of 10 tons per linear metre was a daunting task, considering that the departure date was 21 days hence. Since that satisfactory project, sixteen more ramps have been made, some innovatively from a foam sandwich that has met the requirements and remains in service.