Aerospace: Banjo Fitting and Its Uses

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the concept of "banjo fitting" in aerospace applications, exploring its design, function, and potential uses. Participants share insights on its characteristics, compare it to other fittings, and discuss its presence in various contexts, including automotive and aerospace engineering.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants describe a banjo fitting as a type of pipe fitting suitable for high or low pressure applications.
  • Others explain that it resembles a doughnut shape and is used to deliver fluid through a tube, secured by a bolt and sealing washer.
  • A participant mentions that banjo fittings are not commonly seen on commercial aircraft but have been observed in automotive applications, speculating they may be used in small aircraft brake calipers.
  • One participant notes that the design allows for hard plumbing lines in tight spaces, providing advantages over conventional elbows.
  • There is a humorous exchange regarding the naming conventions in aerospace, with references to other fittings like "donkey's plonker" and "gorilla bracket," which some participants find amusing.
  • Some participants express curiosity about the design and terminology, seeking clarification on specific terms and their meanings.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the specific applications of banjo fittings in aerospace, with some suggesting automotive uses and others questioning their presence in commercial aviation. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the exact contexts in which banjo fittings are applied.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in the discussion regarding the specific applications and definitions of banjo fittings, as well as the lack of detailed technical specifications or examples from aerospace contexts.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to aerospace engineers, automotive engineers, and individuals curious about technical terminology and fittings used in engineering applications.

araanandv2
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Hi,

What is Banjo fitting?(In Aerospace)
Application of it?
 
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"Banjo fitting" is trying to fit your banjo into the overhead compartment without breaking it!

(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

Googling on 'Aerospace' and 'banjo fitting' gives a number of hits, for example:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/aviation/applications/AWD-CN/documents/US96-25-14.htm

A banjo fitting appears to be a type of pipe fitting that is particularly good in high or low pressure applications.
 
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Bascially it's a mounting system that looks a bit like a banjo (with a very short neck) - i.e. a circular frame that fits all the way round a object.

They are not only used for pipes. Some engine mounts are designed that way.

Aero engineers like giving things silly names - I know one engine mounting system usually called the "donkey's plonker". A different engine had a tank underneath is connected by a "gorilla bracket" (think King Kong with arms above head) - and the connection at the other end was called the "banana beam" (for the obvious reasons).
 
Donkey plonker? Is that another version of a dog bone?
 
Yeah, Aleph... I need details about this. I feel the need to bring it up in normal conversation, so I should know something about it. :biggrin:
 
You can probably work out which two senses were intended...

http://www.allwords.com/word-plonker.html

I guess it's a UK language thing.

Talking of which, a long while back we were teaching some USAF engineers about the Harrier VSTOL aircraft, in particular the vector thrust nozzles which are officially called "bifurcated pipes". As always with "English as a foreign language" terminology, the trainees were asked if they knew what it the word bifurcated meant.

Blank looks, till some guy on the back row said "Yeah. It's a pipe that's been furcated twice".
 
Oh, I knew what you meant by 'plonker'; it was the design of the engine mounting that I was curious about.
 
Something like the sketch. Best not ask why somebody (not me, honest!) thought this was a good idea.
 

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Well, that just looks... weird. I still don't quite see wherefrom the name derives, though (unless it was applied to the designer rather than the design itself).
 
  • #10
araanandv2 said:
Hi,

What is Banjo fitting?(In Aerospace)
Application of it?


I can't recall seeing a banjo fitting on an commercial aircraft but I have seen them on automobiles. It is a doughnut shaped fitting that has fluid delivered to it via a tube. The doughnout is held to whatever receives the fluid by a bolt with a sealing washer; the doughnut hole is slightly larger than the bolt. The fluid comes down the tube, through to the center of the doughnut, through the center of the bolt and makes a 90 degree turn into whatever device receives the fluid. Where is it applied? I don't know. Maybe to a small aircraft's brake caliper?

Go to Google images and search for banjo fittings
 
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  • #11
Joe Mechanic said:
I can't recall seeing a banjo fitting on an commercial aircraft but I have seen them on automobiles. It is a doughnut shaped fitting that has fluid delivered to it via a tube. The doughnout is held to whatever receives the fluid by a bolt with a sealing washer; the doughnut hole is slightly larger than the bolt. The fluid comes down the tube, through to the center of the doughnut, through the center of the bolt and makes a 90 degree turn into whatever device receives the fluid. Where is it applied? I don't know. Maybe to a small aircraft's brake caliper?

Go to Google images and search for banjo fittings
Thank you Very Much
 
  • #12
It's a "universal" elbow. Its design enables one to hard plumb lines where there is insufficient clearance for a bend or a conventional elbow, and enables the threaded section to be tightened to spec regardess of what direction is chosen for the tube. It offers some advantages that otherwise couldn't be met by other means. Their lower profile and greater mass might also be useful where the fitting would be exposed to damages.
 
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