Composite Twin-Beam Landing Gear for Impact and Vibration Damping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft landing gears made from composite materials are not widely considered, leading to heavy landing gear assemblies due to the lack of use of lightweight materials, which fail to effectively absorb impact energy and suppress vibrations efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A landing gear assembly featuring a flexure unit made of composite materials with coplanar upper and lower beams, incorporating energy-absorbing elastomers and trusses to dissipate energy and dampen vibrations, along with a monolithic unitary structure for reduced weight and enhanced durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If traditional metal materials are used for landing gear, then strength and durability are ensured, but weight increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials (carbon fiber reinforced polymers) to manufacture the entire landing gear structure, replacing traditional metal alloys. This resolves the contradiction by providing a material that simultaneously achieves high strength-to-weight ratio, reducing landing gear weight while maintaining structural strength and durability requirements.
2Weight of moving object
If composite materials are used for landing gear, then weight is reduced, but ability to absorb impact energy and suppress vibrations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the physical parameters of the composite material by incorporating viscoelastic polymers and rubber layers into the composite structure. This changes the material's damping characteristics and energy absorption capacity, allowing the lightweight composite landing gear to effectively suppress vibrations and absorb impact energy during landing and rebound phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-layer composite structure combining carbon fiber reinforced polymers with viscoelastic damping materials and rubber elements. This composite construction resolves the contradiction by integrating materials with complementary properties: the carbon fiber provides structural strength and light weight, while the viscoelastic and rubber components provide vibration suppression and impact energy absorption.
3Ease of manufacture
If composite materials are used for landing gear, then manufacturing complexity increases, but ease of manufacture should be improved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple manufacturing operations into a single composite molding process. The landing gear is manufactured as an integrated composite structure in one forming operation, combining what would traditionally require separate metal fabrication, assembly, and damping treatment steps. This resolves the contradiction by simplifying the overall manufacturing process despite using advanced composite materials.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a lightweight, cost-effective, and vibration-suppressing aircraft landing gear capable of resisting landing forces and absorbing impact energy, addressing the weight and vibration issues of traditional landing gear systems.
Implementation Method 1
an energy absorbing elastomer is made part of the structure in the gap between the stub leaf and the main leaf
Implementation Method 2
the overall purpose of the flexure unit is to dissipate energy and to dampen rebound vibrations during a flexure of the gear assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A main landing gear assembly for an aircraft has an upper beam and a lower beam. The proximal ends of the upper and lower beams are each connected to a trunnion assembly that is mounted on the fuselage or wing of the aircraft. The distal ends of the upper and lower beams are each affixed to an axel support structure on which a main wheel of the landing gear assembly is mounted. In the gear assembly, the upper beam and the lower beam are coplanar and act together, in combination, to accommodate a planar flexure of the gear assembly during aircraft takeoffs and landings.