Faster up into the air with the "Swiss knife"

iglidur plain bearings defy aggressive conditions in the most diverse airport applications.

The development office Quickloading develops solutions to facilitate and accelerate the handling of aircraft. A wide variety of bearing solutions are used here all year round outdoors, in extreme cold and heat, and 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 most diverse applications. They are lightweight, tough, weatherproof and lubrication-free, making them capable of being used in extreme cold.

Profile

What was needed: iglidur plain bearings
Requirements: Bearings needed to be used continuously outdoors, in extreme cold and heat, and 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 plain bearings are light, tough, weatherproof and lubrication-free, which means they can be used in the extreme cold. In the iglidur Z version, they are even certified at up to -100°C. The extensive range helps the customer to obtain solutions for all requirements from a single source.

Couplings and hoses for aircraft aeration and ventilation and de-icing of engines are the main business of Quickloading.

Problem

The development office Quickloading is looking for solutions to facilitate and accelerate the handling of aircraft. One of the first projects was an aircraft de-icer for use in Krasnoyarsk, the third largest city in Siberia. When refuelling and loading at -55°C at times, the machine lowers itself on the nose wheel by up to 15 cm as long as the suspension does not ice up. To prevent icing, a jacket was developed for the nose wheel, which was fed with diverted air from the de-icing system. However, suitable materials had to be used for the extreme temperatures. The hoses were not allowed to break and for the couplings and sealing rings only components without lubricant were considered. For this purpose, the materials must not absorb water that would freeze.
Quickloading's couplings, hoses and transport trolleys were newly developed for another project, a ventilation and exhaust system for the aircraft interiors at Munich Airport. Here too one could fall back on the experiences from Siberia. Components had to be used that would work without problems all year round outdoors, in cold and heat, 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 are lightweight, tough, weatherproof and lubrication-free, allowing them to be used in the extreme cold. In the iglidur Z version, they are even certified at up to -100°C.
The plain bearings are also used for the ventilation and exhaust system at Munich Airport on the remote control of the couplings and on the moving parts of the PCA transport trolley. They withstand extreme conditions there: they stand outdoors all year round, are exposed to the cold in winter and the direct sun in summer. They 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 tougher hoses with higher tightness, have enabled savings in the compressed air supply and are the reason why the Quickloading solution is now used everywhere at Munich Airport and also at 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. By the way, you can find an overview of our plain bearing materials here. For example, various thrust washers, piston rings and bushings with and without flange made of iglidur are used in Quickloading. The extensive range helps to cover all requirements.

Overview of iglidur plastic 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 design office Quickloading

The locking and unlocking of the hose couplings must also function without problems at -55°C. Lubrication-free iglidur plain bearings from igus provide the basis for a trouble-free mechanism.

Wherever moving parts are exposed to extreme weather conditions year in, year out, Quickloading relies on igus components.

Further practical examples convince airport operators

Quickloading is also using the hoses and couplings developed in-house 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. With previously used systems, two employees were tied to one machine until the work was completed. The Body for De-icing and Aircraft Towing at Munich Airport (EFM in German) has given the designers outstanding praise for this: It is the only system with which EFM can solve this task economically, in other words, one in which the total costs are lower than the fees collected.

Another project was the "Swiss Army Knife" under the coupling rods. If the aircraft are towed from the parking area towards the tarmac, the coupling bar suitable for the aircraft type must be used, as the attachment points are not standardised. Tugs are often only equipped with two or three different towbars and can therefore only be used for certain types of aircraft; either that or the appropriate towbar has to be fetched from the depot, a time-consuming activity. This is how work began on a towbar that initially combines four, and now even six different couplings. They are arranged in a magazine, the head change takes only 30 seconds. The system has a spring-loaded and adjustable undercarriage with which the Quick Towbar Changer can be balanced, ergonomic handles for one-man operation and of course lubrication-free, weather-proof iglidur plain bearings.

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