Aircraft baffle seal

Abstract

Baffle seals having low coefficients of friction and materials for constructing such baffle seals are disclosed herein. A baffle seal of one embodiment comprises a sheet of material sized to seal a gap between an aircraft's baffle and cowl. The sheet of material has a contact side for contacting a cowl contact surface, and the contact side has a kinetic coefficient of friction that is not more than 0.4. In an embodiment, a sheet of material for forming an aircraft baffle seal is provided. The sheet includes a flexible primary layer and a flexible contact layer presenting a contact side. The contact side has a kinetic coefficient of friction that is not more than 0.4.

1 . An aircraft baffle seal, comprising a sheet of material sized to seal a gap between an aircraft's baffle and cowl, the sheet of material having a contact side for contacting a cowl contact surface, the contact side having a kinetic coefficient of friction that is not more than 0.4.  
   
   
       2 . The baffle seal of  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material includes an elastomer sheet and a laminate, the laminate being at the contact side and having a kinetic coefficient of friction that is not more than 0.4 at the contact side.  
   
   
       3 . The baffle seal of  claim 2 , wherein the laminate contact side includes a material selected from the group consisting of PTFE, FEP, ETFE, Teflon®-S, and PFA.  
   
   
       4 . The baffle seal of  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material includes an elastomer sheet and a fiber cloth, the fiber cloth being at the contact side and having a kinetic coefficient of friction that is not more than 0.4 at the contact side.  
   
   
       5 . The baffle seal of  claim 4 , wherein the fiber cloth contact side includes a material selected from the group consisting of fiberglass, woven polyamide fibers, and woven para-aramid fibers.  
   
   
       6 . The baffle seal of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the sheet of material includes an elastomer sheet compounded with an antifriction additive; and    the elastomer sheet compounded with the antifriction additive has a kinetic coefficient of friction that is not more than 0.4 at the contact side.    
   
   
       7 . The baffle seal of  claim 6 , wherein the antifriction additive is selected from the group consisting of fluoroadditives and molybdenum disulphide.  
   
   
       8 . The baffle seal of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the sheet of material includes an elastomer sheet, a laminate, and a layer of fiber cloth;    the laminate is at the contact side and has a kinetic coefficient of friction that is not more than 0.4 at the contact side; and    the layer of fiber cloth reinforces the elastomer sheet to increase the durability of the elastomer sheet.    
   
   
       9 . The baffle seal of  claim 8 , wherein the laminate includes a material selected from the group consisting of PTFE, FEP, ETFE, Teflon®-S, and PFA.  
   
   
       10 . The baffle seal of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the sheet of material includes a standard elastomer and a low-friction elastomer on opposed sides of a fiber cloth; and    the low-friction elastomer is at the contact side and has a kinetic coefficient of friction that is not more than 0.4 at the contact side.    
   
   
       11 . The baffle seal of  claim 10 , wherein the low-friction elastomer includes a fluoroelastomer with antifriction additives.  
   
   
       12 . The baffle seal of  claim 10 , wherein the low-friction elastomer includes a fluoroelastomer without antifriction additives.  
   
   
       13 . The baffle seal of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the sheet of material includes an elastomer sheet having a parylene conformal coating; and    the parylene conformal coating has a kinetic coefficient of friction that is not more than 0.4 at the contact side.    
   
   
       14 . The baffle seal of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the sheet of material includes a standard elastomer and a laminate on opposed sides of a fiber cloth; and    the laminate is at the contact side and has a kinetic coefficient of friction that is not more than 0.4 at the contact side.    
   
   
       15 . The baffle seal of  claim 14 , wherein the laminate includes a material selected from the group consisting of PTFE, FEP, ETFE, Teflon®-S, and PFA.  
   
   
       16 . The baffle seal of  claim 1 , wherein the contact side has a kinetic coefficient of friction that is not more than 0.25.  
   
   
       17 . The baffle seal of  claim 1 , wherein the contact side has a kinetic coefficient of friction that is not more than 0.4 when the kinetic coefficient of friction is measured using the ASTM D 1894-01 test method with an opposing surface of stainless steel with a #8 finish, a cross head speed of 6 inches per minute, and modified with 0.25 psi surface pressure instead of 0.07 psi.  
   
   
       18 . A sheet of material for forming an aircraft baffle seal, the sheet comprising a flexible primary layer and a flexible contact layer presenting a contact side, the contact side having a kinetic coefficient of friction that is not more than 0.4.  
   
   
       19 . The sheet of material of  claim 18 , wherein the primary layer includes silicone or fluoroelastomer and the contact layer includes a fluorocarbon film laminate at the contact side.  
   
   
       20 . The sheet of material of  claim 19 , wherein: 
 the primary layer is from 0.06 to 0.13 inches thick; and    the contact layer is from 0.002 to 0.010 inches thick.    
   
   
       21 . The sheet of material of  claim 18 , wherein: 
 the primary layer includes silicone having a minimum tear strength of 140 lb/in; and    the contact layer includes a fluorocarbon film laminate at the contact side.    
   
   
       22 . The sheet of material of  claim 21 , wherein: 
 the primary layer is from 0.06 to 0.13 inches thick;    the contact layer is from 0.002 to 0.010 inches thick; and    the contact side has a coefficient of friction from 0.03 to 0.3.    
   
   
       23 . The sheet of material of  claim 18 , further comprising a third layer for reinforcing and increasing the durability of the primary layer.  
   
   
       24 . The sheet of material of  claim 18 , wherein the contact side has a kinetic coefficient of friction that is not more than 0.40 when the kinetic coefficient of friction is measured using the ASTM D 1894-01 test method with an opposing surface of stainless steel with a #8 finish, a cross head speed of 6 inches per minute, and modified with 0.25 psi surface pressure instead of 0.07 psi.  
   
   
       25 . The sheet of material of  claim 18 , wherein the contact side has a kinetic coefficient of friction that is not more than 0.25 when the kinetic coefficient of friction is measured using the ASTM D 1894-01 test method with an opposing surface of stainless steel with a #8 finish, a cross head speed of 6 inches per minute, and modified with 0.25 psi surface pressure instead of 0.07 psi.