Rudder Pedals and Brake System (2)

21-Jun-2020 10:49 ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

Due to an interference between the original brake lines and the forward tunnel cover, I decided to a redo would be appropriate.

For this attempt at bending, a jig based on the exact firewall geometry was first emulated with coat hangers, then laid out on the workbench.  The wooden constraints matched the indented box and helped make the two 45degrees bends in quick succession align properly.

 

 

The remaining bends were rough bent with the Imperial tube bending tool. The final configurations were carefully adjusted by hand.  Since these were with the ‘hard’ aluminum, the risk of cracking or compressing during the manual operation was minimized.  I am much happier with the final outcome.

 

Here the forward tunnel cover was relieved about 1/2″ from the stock cutout.  Even the new, better fitting brake lines would not fit into the original space.  On the right, the pilot side flexible lines were cable laced together on the workbench.

 

 

Here the rudder pedal / brake assembly is fit into the bearing blocks and bolted to the mount plates.  The flexible lines were hand tightened to check for lines rubbing together. Pinch points will be covered with plastic spiral wrap, then final cable lacing where needed.

 

 

The left photo shows building a cardboard template for cutting ceramic mat insulation for the forward tunnel.  RV10s generate plenty of heat transfer from this location as the engine exhaust pipes are immediately on the opposite side of the firewall.  The right photo shows relieving the stock Vans fuel valve bracket to accommodate the Andair valve and TS Flightlines flexible fuel hoses.  More on both these items later.

 

Posted in: RV-10 Build Project, Section 36, Brake Lines, Section 38, Rudder Pedals and Brake System

Rudder Pedals and Brake System (1)

13-Jun-2020 18:52 ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

The continuation from the brake line fabrication is preparation of the rudder pedal system.

The bearing blocks and mount plate were laid out with the corresponding hardware ready for processing.  The blocks appear to be black Delrin (or equivalent).

 

 

 

 

The center bearing block was measured, then drilled with a #10 drill to accept AN3-22A bolts.  The block was then cut in half for later mounting to the rudder pedal brace.

 

 

 

The side bearing blocks were drilled about 1/8″ deep using the mount plates as a template.  The remainder of the hole was completed in the drill press to achieve perpendicular alignment.

 

 

 

A feature recommended by other builders for the side bearing were oil holes added to the bearing blocks. These facilitate lubricating the friction points after installation.  The depth and location are first checked before going to the drill press.

 

 

 

This photo shows the completed bearing blocks after addition of the oil holes. Deburring the Delrin on the inside of the bearing hole required the use of a Dremel tool.

 

 

 

 

Spacers for the lower brake cylinder attachment point were made from AT6-058×5/16 tube. These are sized to accommodate AN3-12 bolts.

 

 

 

 

The main pedal parts were staged for match drilling and preparation for priming (SEM Self-Etch Primer) and final paint (PPG Concept – Boeing Grey).

 

 

 

Parts staged, primed and painted.

 

 

 

 

The brake doubler plates and brake pedal side plates were riveted together to make the brake pedal subassemblies.

 

 

 

 

All the prepared parts and hardware were stage for attachment to the pedal levers.

 

 

 

 

The Vans kit uses Matco brake components.  Here the completed pedals are enhanced with AeroSport pedal extensions 3D imprinted with N190XB.  Next actions are to fit these units into the fuselage, then attach soft brake lines.

Posted in: RV-10 Build Project, Section 38, Rudder Pedals and Brake System

Brake Lines (2)

06-Jun-2020 18:33 ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

After bending the under seat lines, the next step was install RattleTrap xTreme sound dampening material and continue with line fabrication.

Because of the adhesive backing on the foil sound dampening (potential fire hazard), that material will only be installed under the seats and rear portion of the tunnel.  Eventually the forward tunnel and engine-side firewall will be covered with Fiberfrax ceramic mat and stainless steel foil.

 

 

Here are pictures of the brake lines installed under the left seat and tunnel.  The material used was 1/4″ diameter ‘hard’ aluminum tubing. Flexible and stainless covered Bonaco lines will be used for the pedal connections, but the idea here was permanently install the fixed lines in static locations. Hopefully they should never need to be removed.

 

 

The bends on the right line were made more complicated than needed, but this line did fit well.  The lesson learned was applied to the left side, where the construction was simplified during the bending process.

 

 

 

The left photo show the AirWard parking brake kit which includes a Matco hydraulic valve.  That right photo is the forward tunnel after the heater plenum was installed with #6 screws.  If in the future the brake lines ever do need replacing, having a removable plenum will make the job much easier.

Posted in: RV-10 Build Project, Section 36, Brake Lines

Brake Lines and Misc (1)

31-May-2020 10:46 ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

After many moons of working on body, panel and fiberglass parts, I can now start installation of mechanical components.  First up are the firewall insulation and brake line fabrication.

As usual the brake parts are laid out prior to installation.  Here the standard Matco brake cylinders which come with the Vans kit are supplemented with 3/8″ ID springs and Climax C-037-A aluminum set screw collars.  The springs assist with brake pedal rebound and provide better control during braking.  Since the spring tension is adjustable via the collar, the final alignment can be fixed per desire after some braking tests.

 

The Vans brake plumbing will be augmented with a Matco park valve from the AirWard kit.  The final angles on the AN fittings will be selected for best alignment after the lines are bent.

 

 

 

The firewall on the quick build fuselage comes with the Vans brake line attachment already riveted in place.  This was removed to accommodate the base plate from the AirWard kit.

 

 

 

Since the interior side of firewall will also be covered with Rattle Trap sound dampening and heat reflective material, templates for the insulation material were measured and cut.

 

 

Hard 1/4″ aluminum tubing was selected for the brake line material.  Coat hangers were bent into templates for the under-seat hard lines.  Then the tubes were bent to fit.  Here are the first two examples prior to flanging.  The next steps will be the tunnel lines and connection to the parking brake valves.

 

 

 

GLARE SHIELD

The grab handles on the quick-build glare shield are very flimsy.  Since those holds are intended for passenger entry/egress, I feel some reinforcement is necessary.  Here the holes are measured and cut in a spare piece of fiberglass to add stiffness.

 

 

The final attachment of the reinforcement plate will be with rivets, then covered with 1/8″ closed foam padding bonded together with a covering material for anti-glare purposes.  Most likely this material will be grey trunk liner – thin, strong, and non-reflective.

 

 

 

INTERIOR PAINT

The front seat area paint of the cockpit was fine, but additional work was needed on the back seat/baggage area.  This was mostly due to perspiration drops on some flat areas from the previous work.  I wound up sweating at the end of the original paint session due to the high outside temperature.

 

These cosmetic issues have waited until now for resolution.  Now all the interior paint looks good, including the sills which were not part of the original paint session.

 

 

 

CABLE RUNS / BATTERY PLATFORM

With the time for pulling electrical wires fast approaching, attention is required for the previously installed nylon conduits.  Trimming back the excess length was performed.  Also done was the rivet installation of the secondary battery platform support bracket.

 

 

 

Posted in: RV-10 Build Project, Section 36, Brake Lines

Wing Tips (3), Pitot System

27-Dec-2019 15:24 ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

The 2019 holidays saw plenty of shop time for plane work with continuation of a variety of wing preparations.

PITOT SYSTEM

The pitot and angle of attack (AOA) aluminum tubes near the wing root were flared to accept unions-to-plastic-tube conversions.  Note the 37 degree angle and coupler nut are dry fit, no need for lubrication on these pneumatic AN fittings.

 

 

 

The pitot mast attachment bracket (fabricated in previous posts) was riveted onto the second to last wing rib.  The pitot probe tubes were then bent to about a 90 degree angle.

 

 

 

The aluminum tubes at this end of the wing were also flanged using a Parker Rolo-Flair tool.  The red and blue markings are colored Rescue Tape.  Blue for the pitot line, red for the AOA tube.

 

 

 

The flanged tubes were then arced backwards with an Imperial 368-FH bending tool. This configuration now allows connection of the pitot lines through the wing ends.  After the skin is permanently riveted the access will be limited.

 

 

 

Once the pitot tubes were finished, then the nylon wiring conduit was cable-laced into position.  A few custom jigs were made to hold the J-channel stiffener in perfect alignment with the wing ribs.  This stabilized the rib orientations while the conduit was laced.

 

 

 

WING TIPS

To finalize the wing tip geometry the flaps and ailerons were attached and placed in the “neutral position”. This is establish using a combination of the Aileron Bellcrank jig and moving the flaps to the upper, hard stop position against the rear spar. The final angle was adjusted to 3 degrees with a few thin shims. The red Gust Lock in the photo holds the flaps/ailerons together at the same angle.

 

 

Here are the before and after pictures of the final wing tip alignment.  The steps described below were needed to make the corrections.

 

 

 

First the rear edge of the wing tip was separated with a saw. This allowed the end panels to slide against one another.  The wing rib holes were drilled to even spaces.  The split wing tip was then attached to the wing, and the wing rib progressively clecoed from the front edge toward the rear.  Colloidal silica resin, a straightedge and spring clamps were used to align the rear edge with the neutralized flap/ailerons.

 

 

The final edge was allowed to cure for 48 hours. Then the overage from the wing tips measured.  Eventually this extra material was removed (more on this in a later post).  The overall outcome was very satisfactory.

 

 

 

Another addition to the wing tips was a stiffener rib.  This helps prevent “oil canning” in flight due to air pressure on the wing tip surfaces.

 

 

 

 

WING SKINS

With the wing tips nearing completion and all the other mechanical elements in place, time to start riveting the lower skins.  This was a time consuming, two person effort. The right wing took about 10 hours to finish. We are just starting on the left wing now.

 

 

Posted in: RV-10 Build Project, Section 20, Bottom Wing Skins, Section 24, Wing Tips

Electric Aileron Trim

24-Nov-2019 10:45 ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

The aileron push rods must first be set into a ‘neutral’ position before the trim servo motor can be properly aligned and measured. The objective of this exercise was attach the aileron trim spring brackets.

The left picture shows attaching the aileron push rod end to the outboard pivot actuator.  The inner push rod end connects to the aft arm of the aileron torque tube in the wing root.  A bearing for the torque tube must first be installed in the tank spar.

 

 

The sealed tanks (see below) were then installed in the wings – capturing both ends of the torque tubes during the fitting process. These tubes could be installed with the tanks already attached, but the process was much easier with the tanks off.

 

 

Here are close-ups of the torque tube connections in the left wing.  Notice the jig in the left photo created to position the push rod.  The final push rod end lengths were adjusted to neutral with the jigs, then the jam nuts were tightening to hold everything firm.

 

 

Now began fabrication of the trim servo bracket.  After cutting, smoothing, and deburring  the trim bracket was provisionally assembled with clecoes. The inner left inspection plate was then match drilled as the base for the trim bracket.  A coat of SEM Self-Etching primer was applied to all surfaces.

 

 

Top and bottom views of the assembled trim servo in the bracket and the modified inspection plate.

 

 

 

 

The supplied Ray-Allen trim switch was connected between a 9V battery and the servo motor.  A Fluke voltmeter confirmed electrical contact during operation.  The motor takes ~27 seconds to move from the inner to the outer position.  This measurement and actually marking the two position limits were used to locate the center of travel for the aileron trim arm.  This measurement was transferred to the neutralized push rod via a parallel angle channel and a square.

 

The photo on the left shows prior to riveting, and on the right the final configuration.  It will be a challenge to install the springs once the push rod is permanently installed in the wing.

 

 

 

 

FUEL TANKS

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The quick build fuel tanks were removed for leak testing prior to aileron push rod adjustment.  My A+P friend Terry filled each tank with 30 gallons of aviation fuel for a week.  No leaks!   Once final wing assembly is complete, removing the tanks for leak correction would be very difficult. So just for good measure, all the rivets and seams on the spar side were also covered with a generous portion of Van’s tank sealant (similar to ProSeal).

Posted in: RV-10 Build Project, Section OP-38, Electric Aileron Trim

Bottom Wing Skins (2)

04-Nov-2019 18:44 ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

A series of miscellaneous activities were performed on the wings in the last few weeks.  This work was staged before any final riveting the bottom skins, as access is so much easier with the skins still off.

The quickbuild wings come with a main wiring channel in each wing. These roughly 5/8″ diameter hole have nylon inserts and are intended by Vans for the wingtip wire bundles.  Because of added electronics for heated pitot, aileron trim, autopilot servo, and the like, I wanted addition channels (thus the custom wire brackets from previous posts).  I also wanted dedicated grounding lines to the wingtips, so additional channels were created.  Here a template is used for reproducing the hole placement in the wing ribs.

 

 

Once measured, the 7/16″ holes are punched and then drilled with an angle head holding threaded bits.

 

 

 

The final configuration of each wing has three available channels, two through the ribs and one wiring chase attached to the custom brackets.  For the left wing, the 1/4″ soft aluminum tubes for the pitot and angle-of-attack (AOA) indicator will be fed through the larger of the runs through the ribs.

 

 

 

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PITOT MAST

A Gretz mount for a Garmin heated pitot needed to be crafted in the second from tip rib bay.  This location is further outboard from the Vans plans, but allows greater access for maintenance and adjusted once the bottom skin is attached.  On the left a backing plate is clecoed in place to mark the skin for a through-hole.

 

 

A sheet metal bending brake formed another  bracket for between the rib and the pitot mast backing plate.  The right photo shows the bracket clamped prior to drilling through the rib.

 

 

 

Here the #8 screw nut plates are attached to the pitot mast.

 

 

 

 

Two different views of the pitot mast – clecoed in the final position and showing in relation to the modified skin.

 

 

 

 

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MISCELLANOUS ACTIONS

Rich visited for two weeks to help with flap gap riveting, inspection port assembly and other miscellaneous activities.  We used CherryMax rivets of type CR3212-4-6 countersunk (qty. 6), and CR3213-4-2 (qty. 14) and CR3213-4-3 (qty. 6) round head rivets on the inner flap gap openings of each wing.

 

 

 

The wing bottoms were treated with SEM Self-etch primer from a rattle can prior to having the inspection port nut plates attached.

 

 

 

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AILERON ACTUATION

To properly locate the spring attachment points on the aileron push rods, the actuation levers and torque tubes must be installed and the rod oriented in a neutral position. More on that in  later posts.

Posted in: Custom Elements, RV-10 Build Project, Section 20, Bottom Wing Skins, Section 23, Aileron Actuation