Philippine State College of Aeronautics

Institute of Engineering and Technology

Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

AMT 1205– Aircraft System

MIDTERM ACTIVITY MODULE #2

Delgado, Brendan Lewis A.

AAMT 1-7
05/26/2021
ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY:
Instruction: Answer every question with all your knowledge and own words
regarding this module topic

1. ) What are the operating principles and purpose of aircraft pneumatic system?

The pneumatic system operating principles is the same as the hydraulic system
but uses gas or compressed air instead of liquid to transfer power. The compressed air
is commonly used but the gases such as nitrogen or other inert gases are used for special
applications. The air is pumped into the receiver using the compressor with the use of
pneumatic system.

The receiver contains compressed air which has a large volume for pneumatic
system use. The atmospheric air has airborne dirt, water vapor, and other contaminants.
The air filters and air dryers are used to keep the compressed air clean and dry, which
makes an improvement in reliability and service life of the components and system. They
use different types of valves for direction control, pressure, and actuator speed. They
operate at 100 psi or less for equivalent force in cylinders and other actuators and must
be larger than hydraulic counterparts.

The pneumatic system is used in some aircraft designs to have the same function
as the hydraulic system. They are used as backup systems for the hydraulic parts if the
hydraulic system fails.
2. ) What are the difference between hydraulic and pneumatic system of aircraft?

PNEUMATIC SYSTEM HYDRAULIC SYSTEM

The pneumatic system uses air instead of The hydraulic system uses hydraulic fluid.
liquid to transfer power.
There is a delay in the pneumatic system The liquids are not very compressible
movement due to compressed gas. which the movement is not delayed.

Maintenance is easier and quicker Maintenance is difficult and slower.

Produces less power Produces more power
The working fluid or compressed air is The working fluid or hydraulic fluid is more
cheaper than hydraulic expensive than pneumatic
Limit of pressure is at 10 bar. Pressure is produced from 100 to more
than 700 bar.
The process of pneumatic system is The process of hydraulic system is
cleaner than hydraulic system messier.
The system is easier to operate than The system is more difficult to operate
hydraulic system. than pneumatic system
It has a low initial and operating cost It has a high initial and operating cost
Designed as an open system Designed as a closed system
Pressure relief valve is not needed Pressure relief valve is needed
Leakage doesn’t affect the system Leakage slows down the system
Free from fire hazards Not safe from fire hazards
Lighter in weight Heavier in weight
The compressed air that is stored in a It requires power to continue the process
tank, releases into the atmosphere to
make the fluid to flow as the air
compressor is used
It requires lubrication for special parts It is self-lubricated

3. ) Explain how pneumatic system works

The pneumatic system works when the system uses compressed air to transmit
and control energy. The compressor sucks in the air and stores it in the receiver. The
compressed air is then used to supply the system with a series of pipes and valves. The
components for this system are air compressors, relief valves, control valves, check
valves, restrictors, variable restrictor, filters, desiccant/moisture separator, and chemical
drier.
 The purpose of the air compressors is to compress the air and store the
compressed air into the receiver. The relief valves are used to prevent damage and limits
the pressure. It also prevents extra pressure from bursting lines and blowing out the seals.
The control valves are used to control the emergency air brakes and consist of three-port
housing, two poppet valves, and a control lever with two lobes.

The check valves are used in both hydraulic and pneumatic systems. This allows
air to enter the left port and compresses the spring which forces the check valve to open.
The check valve closes when the air enters from the right then prevents the airflow out.
The restrictor has a purpose of reducing the rate of airflow and operating actuating unit
speed. The variable restrictor has an adjustable needle valve which moves up or down in
order to increase or decrease the size of the hole. This also determines the rate of airflow
through the restrictor.

The filters protect the system from dirt that tries to enter the system. The dirt can
clog the cartridge and the relief valve opens which the unfiltered air enters and out to the
outlet port. The desiccant/moisture separator is located below the compressor which
removes the moisture created by the compressor. The chemical drier has a purpose of
absorbing any moisture that is collected from the lines and other parts of the system.

For the high-pressure system, the air is stored in 1,000-3,000 psi metal bottles
depending on the system. This type of system has two valves on which on is a charging
valve. The ground-operated compressor could be connected on the charging valves
where it adds air to the bottle. The other valve is the control valve which acts as a shut
off valve to keep the trapped air until the operation of the system. The storage cylinder
has a disadvantage where the system cannot be recharged while in flight and limited by
the small supply of air. The bottled air supply is used for emergency operations such as
the landing gear or brakes. This system type is increased for its usefulness.
 For the medium-pressure pneumatic system, which contains 50-150 psi, the air
bottle is not included. In general, it draws the air coming from the turbine engine’s
compressor section. The process occurred is bleed air and used to give pneumatic power
for starting the engine, engine and wing deicing. On some cases, it gives hydraulic power
to the aircraft systems. The bleed air is used on pressurizing reservoirs of the hydraulic
system.

For the low-pressure pneumatic system, they are installed in many aircraft
where it supplies low-pressure air from vane-type pumps. The electric motors or aircraft
engine operates the pumps. This system consists of a housing with two ports, drive shaft,
and two vanes. The drive shaft and vanes contain slots so the vanes can allow itself
through the dive shaft to slide back and forth. The shaft is found in the housing which
causes the vanes to form different size of chambers. The largest chamber is connected
to the supply port. The outside air enters the largest chamber and the drive shaft rotates
and changes positions of the vanes and the size of the chambers when the pump begins
to operate. The vane moves in a clockwise motion, separating the largest chamber and
the supply port which the largest chamber has trapped air inside.

The largest chamber becomes very small as it moves itself in a clockwise motion
where the air is compressed. The chamber closest to the pump is where it is connected
to the pressure port and flows compressed air to the pressure line. That same chamber
rises up and increases its again to contain the trapped air. The supply of air is obtained
by the supply port and the chambers go to the same cycle over and over again. The
system gets the supply of compressed air from 1-10 psi. the low pressure is used in wing
deicing boot systems.

References:

https://www.nfpa.com/home/About-NFPA/What-is-Fluid-
Power.htm#:~:text=The%20principles%20of%20pneumatics%20are,a%20receiver%20u
sing%20a%20compressor.

https://www.ispatguru.com/basics-of-pneumatics-and-pneumatic-
systems/#:~:text=A%20pneumatic%20system%20is%20a,to%20transmit%20and%20co
ntrol%20energy.&text=Most%20pneumatic%20systems%20rely%20on,pressure%20tan
k%20called%20a%20receiver.

https://www.aircraftsystemstech.com/2017/06/aircraft-pneumatic-systems.html

Delp, F., Kroes, M. J., Sterkenburg, R., Watkins, W. A.(2013), Aircraft maintenance and
repair, The McGraw-Hill Education, Inc. U.S.
HONESTY CLAUSE
My signature below constitutes my pledge that all of the writing is my own work, with the
exception of those portions which are properly documented.

Delgado,Brendan Lewis A. ____________________

Student’s name and signature Parent / guardian signature