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Plain bearings for aircraft de-icers and ventilation systems

Cost savings for airport operators

iglidur® bearings defy aggressive conditions in various airport applications

The Quickloading development office develops solutions to facilitate and accelerate the handling of aircraft. Various bearing solutions are used here all year round outdoors, in extreme cold and heat as well as under the influence of acidic de-icing agents. The company now uses plain bearings made of the materials iglidur® G, iglidur® Q, iglidur® X and iglidur® Z in all possible types for the various applications. They are light, robust, weatherproof and lubrication-free, which means they can be used in extreme cold, for example.

Profile

What was needed: iglidur®plain bearing
Requirements: Bearings were needed that are used continuously outdoors, in extreme cold and heat as well as under the influence of acidic de-icing agents. The materials must also not absorb water, which would otherwise freeze.
Industry: Aerospace, airport
Success for the customer: The iglidur® bearings are light, robust, weatherproof and lubrication-free, which means they can be used in extreme cold. In the iglidur® Z version, they are even certified for temperatures as low as -100 °C. The extensive range helps the customer to obtain solutions for all requirements from a single source.

Problem

The Quickloading development office is looking for solutions to facilitate and speed up the handling of aircraft. One of the first projects was an aircraft de-icer for use in Krasnoyarsk, the third largest city in Siberia. At -55 °C at times during refuelling and loading, the aircraft lowers by up to 15 cm at the nose wheel as long as the suspension does not ice up. To prevent icing, a casing was developed for the nose wheel, which was fed with air diverted from the de-icing system. However, suitable materials had to be used for the extreme temperatures. The hoses must not break and only components without lubricants were considered for the couplings and sealing rings. In addition, the materials must not absorb any water that would freeze.
For another project, a ventilation system for aircraft interiors at Munich Airport, the coupling, hose and transport trolley were newly developed by Quickloading. Here, too, it was possible to draw on the experience gained in Siberia. Components had to be used that would work all year round outdoors, in cold and hot conditions and under the influence of acidic agents for de-icing the wings.

Solution

They found what they were looking for in the plain bearings from the iglidur® product range. They arerobust light,, weatherproof and lubrication-free, which means they can be used in extreme cold. In the iglidur® Z version, they are even certified for temperatures as low as -100 °C.
The plain bearings are also used for the ventilation system at Munich Airport on the remote control of the coupling and on the moving parts of the PCA transport trolley. They withstand extreme trade show conditions there: they are outdoors all year round, exposed to the cold in winter and direct sunlight in summer. They can also easily cope with the acidic agents used to de-ice the wings.
The couplings, which are lighter and at the same time less susceptible to damage, as well as the robust hoses with higher tightness, have enabled savings to be made on the compressed air supply and are the reason why the Quickloading solution is now used everywhere at Munich Airport and other
airports. The Quickloading company now uses the materials iglidur® G, iglidur® Q, iglidur® X and iglidur® Z in all possible types for the most diverse applications.You can find an overview of our bearing materials here. For example, various thrust washers, piston rings and bushings with and without flanges made of iglidur® are used in Quickloading. The extensive range helps to cover all requirements.

Overview of iglidur plastic plain bearings

Overview of all iglidur materials

"The iglidur product range was just right for us. Lightweight, robust, weatherproof and lubrication-free, these were our most important points, certified in the iglidur Z version down to -100°C - that was the end of our search.

Armin Van der Lelij

CEO of the Quickloading development office

Further practical examples convince airport operators

Quickloading also uses its self-developed hose and coupling for a third product: The Fanblade De-Icer (FDI). The lower weight compared to conventional systems makes it possible for a single employee to supply both engines of an aircraft with contour nozzles and to run the de-icing process largely automatically. Previously, two employees were tied to one aircraft until the work was completed. The company responsible for de-icing and aircraft towing at Munich Airport has praised the developers for this remarkable achievement: It is the only system with which EFM can solve this task economically, in other words, where the costs for the total expenditure are lower than the fees collected.

Another project was the "Swiss army knife" of coupling rods. If the aircraft are towed from the parking area towards the tarmac, the appropriate coupling rod for the aircraft type must be used, as the attachment points are not standardised. Tugs are often only equipped with two or three different rods and can therefore only operate certain types of aircraft or have to fetch the right rod from the depot, which takes time. This is how work began on a tow bar that initially combined four, and now even six different couplings. They are arranged in a magazine and the head change takes just 30 seconds. The system has a spring-mounted and adjustable chassis with which the Quick Towbar Changer can be balanced, ergonomic handles for one-man operation and, of course, lubrication-free, weatherproof iglidur® bearings.

The quickloading developments are offered to airport operators worldwide. Very few people have heard of lubrication-free plain bearings. But certifications and word of mouth from Lufthansa and Munich Airport are convincing arguments. Ultimately, the products are put through their paces in in-house tests. There have been no complaints so far.