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DESIGN, MODELING AND ANALYSIS OF LANDING GEAR OF
AN AIRCRAFT

SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL AND BUILDING SCIENCES


B.TECH MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

DESIGN PROJECT




Presented by

JOEL RAJAN MATHEW -08BME095
INDRAJEET RAJKHOWA 08BME088











SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL & BUILDING SCIENCES



APRIL 2011











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CERTIFICATE


This is to certify that the hardware project entitled DESIGN, MODELING AND ANALYSIS
OF LANDING GEAR is submitted by Joel R Mathew -08BME095, Indrajeet Rajkhowa-
08BME088 of SIXTH Semester to the School of Mechanical & Building Sciences, VIT
University Vellore. It is a bonafide record of work carried out by them under my supervision.

During the project phase, their involvement and interest are________________________





Mr. P.M.Anil Mr.Nitin Kotkunde
(Project Guide) (Faculty In-charge)


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Submitted for the Viva-Voce Examination held on ____________________






Internal Examiner External Examiner












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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Prof Nitin Kotkundeour faculty coordinator
who presented us a wonderful opportunity for the presentation of this project. With his powerful
questions and innovative suggestions we were able to come up with new solutions and unique
designs for the project. We would also like to thank Mr. P M Anil, our faculty guide whose
mentorship has aided us a lot in the completion of the project. He helped us in understanding the
basics of our project and was a guiding light throughout the design process.

We would also like to thank all our friends and family. Without their support and cooperation we
would never have achieved the success of this project. Their constant motivation and mind
blowing suggestions helped us to achieve novel endeavors.

Above all, we would like to thank God Almighty for helping us in successfully completing this
project and being our guiding light.







(i)
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ABSTRACT


The design of the landing gear is one of the more fundamental aspects of aircraft design. The
design and integration process encompasses numerous engineering disciplines, e.g., structures,
weights, runway design and economics, and has become extremely sophisticated in the last few
decades. Although the design process is well-documented, it is not available in an integrated
design methodology that can be used within an automated environment. The process remains a
key responsibility of the configuration designer and is largely experience-based and graphically-
oriented. However, as industry and government try to incorporate multidisciplinary design
optimization (MDO) methods in the conceptual design phase, the need for a more systematic
procedure has become apparent.


Solidworks software is been used to design the model..the focus of simulation would be on
loads on landing gear system and air frame for all aspects!!
















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CONTENTS

Abstract (i)

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 7

1.0 Problem Specification
1.1 Significance of the project.
1.2 Objectives
1.3 Methodology
1.4 Process Planning

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 11


2.0 basics of landing gear
2.1 detailed study
2.2 how to design and parameters

CHAPTER 3 DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF SPECIFIC 14
MECHANISM


3.0 Design specification of the model
3.1 various parts
3.2 2D models
3.3 3 d model of parts
3.4 assembling of parts
3.5 Images of Fabrication



CHAPTER 4 ANALYSIS 25
4.1 STRESS ANALYSIS
4.2 ANALYSIS ON HUB



CHAPTER 5 26

5.0 Conclusion

REFERENCES 27
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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION
The design and positioning of the landing gear are determined by the associated with
each aircraft, i.e., geometry, weight, and mission requirements. Given the weight and cg
range of the aircraft, suitable configurations are identified and reviewed to determine
how well they match the airframe structure, flotation, and operational requirements. The
essential features, e.g., the number and size of tires and wheels, brakes, and shock
absorption mechanism, must be selected in accordance with industry and federal
standards discussed in the following chapters before an aircraft design progresses past
the concept formulation phase, after which it is often very difficult and expensive to
change the design [19]. Three examples of significant changes made after the initial
design include the DC-10-30, which added the third main gear to the fuselage, the
Airbus A340, where the main gear center bogie increased from two to four wheels in the
-400 series, and the Airbus A-300, where the wheels were spread further apart on the
bogie to meet LaGuardia Airport flotation limits for US operators.
Based on the design considerations as discussed in this chapter, algorithms were
developed to establish constraint boundaries for use in positioning the landing gear, as
well as to determine whether the design characteristics violate the specified
requirements.
The considerations include stability at takeoff/touchdown and during taxiing, braking and
steering qualities, gear length, attachment scheme, and ground maneuvers.

1.0 Problem Specification
Basically the landing gear is the most important feature of an aircraft. It plays a major role. It is
dependent on the force being applied,the load being cariied and other physical factors. Problem
is basically on the material being used on making the varoius parts.

1.1Significance of the project
To model the landing gear on solidwors and study the force analysis on it.


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1.2 Objectives
The objective of this process is to successfully design, model and analyze a landing gear of an
aircraft.. The positioning of the landing gear is based primarily on stability considerations
during taxiing, liftoff and touchdown.



1.3 Methodology
The methodology was divided into three phases:
1.3.1 Design
- The various parts to be designed are the cylinder, fixed mount,sway link,strut ,tyre,wheel
and link arm.
- The design was based on the various parts of the landing gear.

1.3.2 Modeling:
- During this phase, we used Solidworks 2011 as a modeling tool for the landing gear of an
aircraft.
- The model was made on the basis of varoius parts and their measurements.
- It was assembled and various simulations were performed.
1.3.3 Analysis:
- Using Solidworks, we determined the force anlaysis on the piston when the aircraft is
landing and the procedure of landing gear.




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1.4 Process Planning


The best way to complete things in time is to set a series of goals for one self. We planned to
make ourselves clear regarding the various processes involved in this project, our methodology
of approaching them and also the order in which we plan to attack our targets. Hence we got
ready with the activity chart giving us an overview of our approach and targets.







1.5 Gantt Chart
GANTT CHART
Sl.No Activity
Weeks --->
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1 Topic Selection
2 Zeroth Review(Abstract & Gantt Chart)
3 Literature Review
4 Work Division
5 Design of the structure
6 CAD Modelling
7 Analysis
8 Final Calculations & Graph


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CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 M .CAO, Wang and lee discussed in their journal about how To advance the state of
the art of physical-principle-enhanced hybrid artificial neural network (ANN)
modeling, network configurations with parallel modules (PMNN) reflecting the
structural information of the physical principles have been developed (Cao,
2001). In this paper, the PMNN configuration is applied to develop a scalable
and invertible dynamic magneto-rheological (MR) fluid.
2.2 P.Garg and Gary Anderson in their paper we emphasize several advances
recently made in the area of structural damping aimed towards reducing, and
preferably eliminating, mechanical vibrations
2.3 B goodwine and stepan in their paper addresses dynamic and control issues
related to a dynamical model called the classi cal shimmying wheel. The
classical shimmying wheel models the rolling dynamics of many physical rolling
systems such as aircraft nose wheels, motorcycles, automotive systems, and
tractor-trailer systems




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CHAPTER III
DESIGN
Configuration Selection
The nose wheel tricycle undercarriage has long been the preferred configuration for
Passenger transports. It leads to a nearly level fuselage and consequently the cabin
floor when the aircraft is on the ground. The most attractive feature of this type of
undercarriages is the improved stability during braking and ground maneuvers. have a
stabilizing effect and thus enable
the pilot to make full use of the brakes. These factors all contribute to a shorter landing
field length requirement.
Landing Gear Disposition
The positioning of the landing gear is based primarily on stability considerations
during taxiing, liftoff and touchdown, i.e., the aircraft should be in no danger of turning
over on its side once it is on the ground. Compliance with this requirement can be
determined by examining the takeoff/landing performance characteristics and the
relationships between the locations of the landing gear and the aircraft
Angles of Pitch and Roll During Takeoff and Landing
The available pitch angle (\) at liftoff and touchdown must be equal, or preferably
exceed, the requirements imposed by performance or flight characteristics. A geometric
limitation to the pitch angle is detrimental to the liftoff speed and hence to the takeoff
field length. Similarly, a geometric limitation to the roll angle could result in
undesirable operational limit under cross-wind landing condition. For a given aircraft
geometry and gear height (hg), the limit for the takeoff/landing
pitch angle follows directly from Fig. 3.1. The roll angle at which the tip of the wing just
touches the ground is calculated using the expression
tan! = tan + tan tan

Pitch Angle Required for Liftoff
The takeoff rotation angle is prescribed in preliminary design, and then estimated.
The final values for \ and | are found as the detailed performance characteristics of the
aircraft become available.

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Pitch and Roll AnglesDuring Landing
With the flaps in the fully-deflected position, the critical angle of attack of the wing during
landing is smaller than in takeoff. Consequently, the pitch angle during landing is
generally less than that during takeoff. In the absence of detailed information, the pitch
angle on touchdown (\TD) may be assumed equal to \LOF. As for the roll angle upon
touchdown, an upper limit of between five [20] and eight [5] degrees is generally applied
to large transport aircraft.

Stability at Touchdown and During Taxiing
Static stability of an aircraft at touchdown and during taxiing can be determined by
examining the location of the applied forces and the triangle formed by connecting the
attachment locations of the nose and main assemblies. Whenever the resultant of air
and mass forces intersects the ground at a point outside this triangle, the ground will
not be able to exert a reaction force which prevents the aircraft from falling over. As a
result, the aircraft will cant over about the side of the triangle that is closest to the
resultant force/ground intersect.


Condition at Touchdown
The most unfavorable condition at touchdown would be a landing with the aircraft cg at
its aft-most and highest location, which can lead to the tail scrape and tail tipping
phenomenon mentioned previously. Assuming there are no retarding forces, i.e., spin-
up load, a vertical force acting at a distance behind the aircraft cg is needed to produce
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a moment that will pitch the nose downward. Thus, the minimum allowable offset
between the aft-most cg and the main assembly mounting locations, identified as
constraint III


Sideways Turnover Angle
Forces acting sideways on the airplane in cross-wind landing condition or a highspeed
turn during taxiing could cause the aircraft to turnover on its side. It is thus desirable to
keep the turnover angle as small as possible. The angle is determined using the
expression and ' is defined as the angle between the aircraft centerline and the line
connecting the center of the nose and main assembly. The dimensions used in the
above equations are given in For land-based aircraft, either the maximum allowable
overturn angle of 63 degrees or the stability considerations at takeoff and touchdown
and during taxiing, whichever is the most critical, determines the lower limit for the track
of the main assembly.

Braking and Steering Qualities
The nose assembly is located as far forward as possible to maximize the flotation and
stability characteristics of the aircraft. However, a proper balance in terms of load
distribution between the nose and main assembly must be maintained. When the load
on the nose wheel is less than about eight percent of the maximum takeoff weight
(MTOW), controllability on the ground will become marginal, particularly in cross-wind
conditions.* This value also allows for fuselage length increase with aircraft growth. On
the other hand, when the static load on the nose wheel exceeds about 15 percent of the
MTOW, braking quality will suffer, the dynamic braking load on the nose assembly may
become excessive, and a greater effort may be required for steering [5]. Note that these
figures should be looked upon as recommendations instead of requirements.


Gear Length
Landing gear struts should be of sufficient length such that adequate clearance between
the runway and all other parts of the aircraft, e.g., the aft-body, wingtips, and engine
nacelles, is maintained when the aircraft is on the ground. For a low-wing aircraft with
wing-mounted engines, the above requirement proves to be one of the most challenging
design issues in terms of permissible roll angle at touchdown.

Landing Gear Attachment
From considerations of surrounding structure, the nose and main assembly are located
such that the landing and ground loads can be transmitted most effectively, while at the
same time still comply with the stability and controllability considerations. For a
wingmounted assembly, the trunnion is generally attached to the rear wing spar and the
landing gear beam and the loads are transmitted directly to the primary wing-fuselage
bulkheads. With the inclusion of fuselage-mounted assemblies in the multiple main-strut
configurations, a secondary frame would then be added at a distance behind the rear

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wing-spar, where loads are transmitted forward to the primary wing-fuselage bulkhead
through the keel and by shear in the fuselage skin. As for the nose assembly, structural

considerations may be conclusive in deciding the mounting location
Ground Operation Characteristics
Besides ground stability and controllability considerations, the high costs associated
with airside infrastructure improvements, e.g., runway and taxiway extensions and
pavement reinforcements, have made airfield compatibility issues one of the primary
considerations in the design of the landing gear [23]. In particular, the aircraft must be
able to maneuver within a pre-defined space as it taxies between the runway and
passenger terminal. For large aircraft, this requirement effectively places an upper limit
on the dimension of the wheelbase and track.













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Modelling of various parts of landing gear
was done in Solidworks.
2D DRAWINGS OF PARTS.-
Cylinder, lower sway link and link arm.






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Movable mount, oleo strut cylinder






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Oleo strut piston, strut and tyre





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Upper sway link, wheel hub and wheel




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3D MODELS OF VARIOUS PARTS-
ACTUATOR CYLINDER

ACTUATOR PISTON


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FIXED MOUNT

LINK ARM

LOWER SWAY LINK

MOVABLE MOUNT
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OLEO STRUT CYLINDER

OLEO STRUT PISTON

STRUT
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TYRE

WHEEL HUB

ASSEMBLING OF THE PARTS
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Another view
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Final assembling


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CHAPTER 4
ANALYSIS
STRESS ANALYSIS
STRESS ANLAYSIS ON THE MODEL WHEEL HUB
YIELD STRENGTH IS CALCULATED
SOLIDWORKS IS THE SOFTWARE USED.


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REFERENCES

1 C.D berg , P.E Wellstead journal of intelligent material systems, august 1998.


2 Arthur and Jemil , journal of intelligent material, march 2009.

3 Landing gear modelling
Website- www.aerojockey.com/papers/meng/node37.html
4 Landing gear immediate videos
Website-http://www.metacafe.com/watch/65265/amazing_landing_gear_rescue/

5 Inputs from book- Aircraft Landing gear design.







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Chapter 5

5.0 Conclusion



We completed the design of the landing gear as per our design considerations. We performed the
analysis tests on the piston part.. However some of the links showed restricted movements and so
we slightly redesigned the holding mechanism (using screws and nuts). But the main advantage
of this project is the knowledge it has granted us in designing and fabricating such mechanism.
We now have a clear understanding of the motion of such mechanisms and. Moreover we faced
many difficulties during its design that has helped us in improving our project. Hence this project
has helped us in gaining valuable experience about walking mechanisms.