Lightweight Springs For Limited Life

Author:  Spaulding, E.H.
Source:  SAE: Trans. Vol. 64, 1956, p. 453-457
Doc ID:  1956004
Year of Publication:  1956
Abstract:  
A spring in the Constellation (749) main landing-gear drag-strut damper was redesigned to save 17 lb. The smaller spring required a reduced-size housing, and the overall weight saving per airplane using two such units totaled 55 lb. These springs have served well for over 20,000 hr. This unusual weight saving was achieved by increasing the working stress more than 50% over conventional design practice. A high working stress was made possible through the use of preset and stresspeen techniques on springs of unusually high quality.