Landing Gear Structural Integrity
Author: Pink, Jack
Source: BF Goodrich, Aerospace Engr Mag. March 96
Doc ID: 1996001
Year of Publication: 1996
Abstract:
A landing gear features an oleo-pneumatic shock strut which, as the name suggests, is filled with oil and air. The strut has a dual function:to dissipate the kinetic energy of vertical velocity on landing, and to provide ease and stability for ground maneuvering. Whe the airplane lands, the oil is forced from the lower chamber to the upper one through and orifice. Most struts have a metering pin extending through this orifice that strokes with the piston. By varing pin diameter, orifice area is varied, allowing optimization of the shock strut efficiency. The landing gear also enables the aircraft to roll up to its takeoff position and to take off without using a launching catapult or trolley, as well as to carry its own means of braking, without resorting to external arresting equipment. Shock struts are designed to withstand a vertical sink rate of 10ft/s for commercial airplanes and as much as 25ft/s for carier-based aircraft. In service, the probability of a 10ft touchdown is about one in 10,000,000 for a commercial airliner.
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