Module 7 (Maintenance Practices) Sub Module 7.12 (Transmissions) PDF

PIA TRAINING CENTRE (PTC)
Module 7 - MAINTENANCE PRACTICES

Sub Module 7.12 - Transmissions
Category A/B1
MODULE 7
Sub Module 7.12
TRANSMISSIONS
ISO 9001:2008 Certified

PTC/CM/B1.1 Basic/M7/03
7.12
For Training Purpose Only

Rev. 00
Mar 2014

Category A/B1

Contents
TRANSMISSIONS -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1
INSPECTION OF GEARS AND BACKLASH -------------------------------------- 2
INSPECTION OF BELTS AND PULLEYS ------------------------------------------ 3
CHAINS AND SPROCKETS --------------------------------------------------------- 4
INSPECTION OF SCREW JACKS--------------------------------------------------- 6
LEVERS DEVICES -------------------------------------------------------------------- 8
PUSH-PULL ROD SYSTEMS -------------------------------------------------------- 9

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TRANSMISSIONS
The various types of transmission mechanisms were described
in Module 6 (Materials and Hardware). Here, in Module 7,
consideration is given to the inspections relative to such
transmission mechanisms as:
Gears
Belts and Pulleys
Chains and Sprockets
Screw Jacks
Levers
Push-Pull Rod Systems.

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INSPECTION OF GEARS AND BACKLASH

Gears can be found in a wide variety of applications, throughout
aircraft and engine installations. The most common applications
are those used to reduce or increase the rotational speed of an
input shaft.
Some aircraft engines utilise a reduction gearbox to slow the
main shaft speed to a lower figure for either the propeller or the
fan. Accessory drive gearboxes, actuators, flap mechanisms
and some flying control runs use gears of one form or another.
Wear in gears, assuming that the bearings are not worn, will be
found on the faces of the gear teeth. This wear shows up as
excessive backlash, which can be easily found by simply
rotating the input mechanism, such as the main drive shaft,
whilst holding the output rigidly. It should be borne in mind that
a small amount of backlash is essential for the correct operation
of bearings.
By rotating the input in both directions, the angular difference,
when measured, is the accumulation of wear of all the gear
teeth. The maintenance manual should give the total backlash
figure for the particular train of gears, to indicate whether the
train is serviceable or if further inspection is needed.
Because the majority of gears, whether in a train or a single pair
of gears, are within some other component, any signs of wear
or other problems are usually solved by replacement of the
major component.

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INSPECTION OF BELTS AND PULLEYS

It is rare to find belt drives being used on modern aircraft. Due
to the risk of slippage once the belt has taken on a slight
stretch, there has to be some method, often automatic, to retain
the set tension over a long period.
In some installations, the drive from the high-speed engine to
the low-speed propeller is accomplished by the use of a
toothed belt drive. The teeth on the inside of the belt engage
with grooves machined onto the drive (and driven) pulleys. This
reduces the chance of slippage. Most piston engines on
smaller aircraft have a belt drive to the ac generator or the
vacuum pump, similar to that found on many motor cars.
The same maintenance applies to most belts, in that the
security is checked before each flight. The belts must also be
checked, at regular intervals, for signs of wear, by fraying and
splitting, in addition to a tension check on the either the belt
itself or the tensioning mechanism. The majority of belts
(whatever their usage), have a finite life and are also subject to
on-condition monitoring.

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CHAINS AND SPROCKETS

Chain assemblies should be inspected at the specified
frequency, which is laid down in the aircraft maintenance
manual. One of the major checks should be that the chain
passes smoothly over the sprockets. If there is any roughness
or binding, then further checks will be required.
Another major check of the chain assembly is that for wear,
which involves applying a load to detect whether the chain is
worn. The load can be applied to a free length of chain where
the amount of deflection can be measured and compared to a
limit published in the manuals. An alternative would involve
pulling the chain at a pulley and seeing if the chain can be lifted
from the sprocket by a significant amount.
Failure of either of the preceding checks, followed by a check
for chain elongation, would require replacement of the chain. A
typical percentage limit of elongation could be 2% when the
cleaned and dried chain is loaded with the correct tension.
Chains should also be checked for normal faults that can befall
most mechanisms; these include damage, corrosion,
cleanliness and insufficient lubrication.
One other inspection, which could be done on a chain
assembly, might be for correct articulation. This check involves
the chain being drawn over the plain shank of a screwdriver.
Tight joints, found by this method, should be carefully inspected
and the chain rejected if there are any doubts as to its
serviceability.

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INSPECTION OF SCREW JACKS

There is little maintenance to be carried out on screw jacks,
apart from regular greasing of all the exposed threaded portions
and checks for backlash between the nut and the screw. Some
screw jacks are in the form of actuators and some are used to
drive flaps and other aerodynamic devices.
Thrust Bearings
Control Surface Attachment
A screw jack actuator (refer to Fig 1) is a fairly simple design

and correct maintenance is vital because it is part of the flying
controls. The actuator has a grease nipple fitted, which allows
not only the bearings to be kept well lubricated, but the screw
will also pick up some grease when the actuator is extended
and retracted.
In-service checks, other than lubrication will probably only
include backlash checks on the actuating shaft. These will
probably mean no more than a side-to-side hand movement of
the rudder trim tab, which ensures that the movement is not
excessive.
Another form of screw jack is that used to drive flaps up and
down. This form of jack will usually be found with a drive
gearbox, transmitting the motive power to the screw and ball
nut, that connects to the flap structure.
Control Input
Threaded Screw Shaft

Screw Jack Actuator
Fig. 1

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The rotation of the flap motor drives a number of the gearboxes

simultaneously, which transmit rotation to their respective
screws. The ball nuts are all driven down the screws and these
push the flaps to their selected position.
Because the screw jacks and their ball nuts are exposed to the
elements, it is essential that all checks and lubrication required
must be thoroughly done.
As previously mentioned, the screw jacks must be thoroughly
greased but only after all dirt, sand and other materials have
first been completely removed.
The nuts will be checked for wear at regular intervals and this
check will probably require special tools and measuring jigs. On
a day-to-day basis, the backlash on the nut/screw combination
can be checked by an up and down movement of the flap
trailing edge.

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LEVERS DEVICES
Levers can be found in numerous places within an aircraft and
maintenance of these items can vary, depending on their
location and purpose. As a rule, levers will be used to transmit
thrust from one medium to another. For example, a push/pull
system may drive a lever that operates a service, with an
increase or decrease of mechanical advantage or a change of
direction.
Apart from the bearings of the lever requiring lubrication,
(unless they are sealed-for-life bearings), there is little
maintenance required, other than physical checks for damage,
distortion and cracks.

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PUSH-PULL ROD SYSTEMS

The majority of aircraft push-pull systems can be found in both
the flying and engine controls (refer to Fig. 2). They may consist
of a series of hollow aluminium tubes, which have either fixed or
adjustable end fittings. Sometimes, to prevent the tubes
vibrating, their length is kept short and idler levers are fitted
between each pair of tubes. As an alternative, rollers or bushes
can be installed along the length of the push-pull tubes to
provide support.
The maintenance required for this type of control consists
generally of inspection and rigging. As the bearings in both the
idler levers if fitted, and the end fittings are normally sealed for
life, the only inspections to carry out are for signs of damage
and overheating. If the pilot complained of stiff controls, then a
check of each bearing assembly would be required, to check
which bearing was stiff.
Rigging of push pull rods is relatively simple. The rigging pins
hold the rods and levers in the datum position and the
adjustable ends are altered until all the connecting bolts can be
inserted without any force being required.

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Range of Movement
Engine Fuel
Control Unit
Push-Pull Rods
Pivot Point
Structure
Range of Movement
Support Arm
Push-Pull Rod Mechanisms

Fig. 2

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Module 7 (Maintenance Practices) Sub Module 7.12 (Transmissions) PDF

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