Stacked Hardware Blog

Contactors play a pivotal role in electrical engineering and industrial applications. Understanding their intricacies is essential for anyone involved in electrical systems design, maintenance, or troubleshooting. This comprehensive guide aims to illuminate contactor technologies, their functions, applications, and key considerations.

When you look at an aircraft from a distance, it might seem seamless and sleek. However, beneath the surface, aircraft designers have made a multitude of choices and trade-offs to achieve desired performance and safety standards. One crucial design element is the tail empennage, and a common design featured on many aircraft is the T-tail variation. In this blog, we will explore the pros and cons of a T-tail empennage, shedding light on the engineering decisions behind these specific components.

Aircraft control cables are essential components that form the backbone of control systems in various aircraft. These cables are responsible for transmitting the pilot's inputs within the cockpit to relevant control surfaces, which enables precise maneuvering during flight. In this blog, we will explore the nature and importance of aircraft control cables, shedding light on their role in ensuring safe and efficient aviation operations.

When removing an aircraft engine, there are several steps that must be taken before it can be fully removed. As engines work at extremely high temperatures with multiple moving parts, it is important to take great care when removing one for repair or replacement. This includes preparing a hoisting mount, as well as securing surrounding components. In this article, we will be discussing the various procedures that take place when removing an engine.

In aircraft engines, the fuel and air mixture used for power production enters the cylinders through intake valves while burned gasses are expelled through the exhaust valve ports; these cylinder ports are opened and closed by valve heads. The valves utilized in aircraft engines are of the conventional poppet type, and they tend to be classified according to their shape. They are often called mushroom or tulip valves because of their similarity in shape to these plants. In order to understand aircraft reciprocating engine valves, it is important to delve into their construction. The following blog will review the different types and construction of aircraft reciprocating engine valves.

When an airplane flies, it must counteract gravity by generating lift. Though the wings can generate enough lift on their own, a plane’s center of gravity is not always directly in line with its center of lift. Therefore, with only wings, the plane would be unstable in its pitch with its nose unintentionally tilting up and down mid-flight. To combat this, several control surfaces called “horizontal stabilizers” are placed on the tail to both balance the weight and lift of the plane. However, not all horizontal stabilizers are the same. While they all consist of horizontal, adjustable flaps on the tail, there are several different styles to choose from. For example, some planes have variable-position horizontal stabilizers, a design that combines the functionality of several different control surfaces all in one.

Fasteners are hardware devices that mechanically hold two or more materials/objects together. Generally, they are utilized to establish non-permanent joints, meaning that they can be removed without damaging the components they are joining. More than that, they encompass a broad category of fastening components including screws, nuts, bolts, rivets, and more.

Jack locks are components that may be found in various applications or settings, serving as components that offer increased physical security as needed to ensure workpieces and other various assemblies are secured with ease. There are various types of jack locks that may be used based on the specific assembly in question, each subtype varying in its use and scope. One notable type is the spring-loaded jack lock, those of which are workholding solutions that exhibit reliable locking mechanisms. With such components, workpieces can be clamped, and when locked, the spring-loaded jack lock will ensure that workpieces are held in place.

While many think that aircraft icing only occurs on colder days, this is not the case. In fact, the airframe exterior and many internal components are susceptible to icing for a number of reasons, all of which jeopardize passenger and aircrew safety. For example, as air and fuel are vital for an aircraft engine to run optimally, if they are blocked or restricted due to icing, it can have detrimental consequences. According to the NTSB, carb icing is responsible for at least 250 of the aircraft accidents that have happened in the last 10 years. To minimize this risk, there are several things one can do, some of which will be outlined in this blog.

When owning and operating an aircraft, it is important that all elements and systems are well-maintained and serviced to prevent any undesirable issues that may detract from the health of an assembly or the performance of the aircraft as a whole. One issue that pilots may face in their life is fuel contamination that of which is a preventable issue that has various negative effects such as damaging fuel cells, fuel system components, filters, and more. Additionally, contamination can even lead to instrument failure or the blockage of fuel supply ports, spelling a major hazard for an aircraft in flight. As a result, it is very important that pilots and operators understand how fuel contamination occurs, as well as how it can be prevented.

Commonly referred to as a reciprocating engine, piston engines are a common choice for powering small aircraft. Working to convert expanding gasses into mechanical energy, this is done by using pistons to push and pull on a crankshaft which drives the propeller. In addition, a piston engine is typically air-cooled, meaning it uses air flowing through the engine to keep it cool. This makes them well-suited for use in smaller aircraft with limited space for cooling systems.

While aircraft with propeller assemblies have long been superseded by gas turbine engines in terms of performance and capability, there are still many single-engine, light aircraft that feature such assemblies. As a moving assembly that is often subjected to intensive atmospheric conditions and wear, it is important that one enacts regular maintenance to prevent costly breakdowns or performance losses. For any pilot with an aircraft featuring a propeller, one of the easiest things you can do to better care for your assembly is to understand the basic components that make it up. As such, we will provide a brief overview of the most common propeller parts and terminology, ensuring that you have the knowledge you need to keep your aircraft airworthy.

Landing gear consists of several components that enable it to work as intended, some of which include torque links, trunnion and bracket arrangements, drag strut linkages, electrical and hydraulic gear retraction devices, as well as locking, sensing, and indicating elements. Additionally, the nose gear is designed with steering mechanisms to increase maneuverability. As landing gear are equipped with a myriad of components, this blog will cover how landing gear functions.

The ability of a computer to connect to local data networks and the internet is a feature that is often taken for granted in the present day, yet we often rely on it for countless business operations and personal activities. Network connectivity is made possible through a network interface card that is capable of translating computer data into a signal that can traverse a network. While most complete modern desktops and notebooks are now pre-assembled with network cards, those who are building or modifying their own systems may need to procure one for network connectivity.

Multiplexing is a valuable technique used by computer networking and telecommunications experts to combine multiple signals into one, saving physical channel resources. Commonly, multiplexers are brought up in the same context as mechanical switches because they perform similar functions. So what are the differences between multiplexers and switches, and in what situation would you choose one or the other? In this blog, we will discuss the similarities and differences between these two alike components.