Landing Gear Strain Sensing for Accurate Ground Load Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for detecting overload conditions in aircraft landing gear are inaccurate and costly, as they rely on pilot reports and accelerometer measurements, failing to provide quantitative load data and unable to detect overloads during towing operations, leading to unnecessary maintenance and inspections.
Innovation Solution
A system with strategically placed sensors, including strain gauges and processing architecture, predicts ground loads on landing gear by measuring strain data, allowing for accurate detection of overload conditions and identifying affected components, even during towing operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If accelerometer measurements and flight data are used to detect overload conditions, then the detection system can operate with existing avionics equipment, but the measurement accuracy is highly inaccurate and produces overwhelming number of erroneously detected overload conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/accelerometer-based detection system with an optical interferometric measurement system. The Michelson interferometer uses light waves to measure ground loads directly, substituting the indirect accelerometer measurements with direct optical measurement of structural deformation, thereby achieving high measurement precision while maintaining ease of implementation through non-contact sensing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces strain gauges as intermediary elements that directly sense the mechanical strain on landing gear components. These strain gauges serve as mediators between the physical load and the measurement system, converting mechanical deformation into electrical signals that can be accurately processed, thus eliminating the errors inherent in accelerometer-based indirect measurement
2Reliability
If accelerometer measurements are used to assess landing events, then the system can detect hard landings, but it fails to detect overload conditions during towing operations when aircraft power is off
Solution Approach 1:
The optical interferometric system and strain gauge network are designed to be passive measurement systems that do not require aircraft power to operate. The strain gauges naturally respond to mechanical deformation under any condition (landing, towing, static), and the optical measurement system passively detects these responses, enabling the system to autonomously monitor loads across all operational states without requiring active power supply or complex processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal measurement system that functions across multiple operational scenarios including landing, towing, and static conditions. The strain gauge network and interferometric measurement approach are designed to detect ground loads regardless of the specific operational context, making the system adaptable to various phases of ground operations without requiring different detection methods for different conditions
3Device complexity
If overload detection is based on pilot opinion and reporting, then no additional detection equipment is required, but the measurement precision and objectivity of overload conditions cannot be determined
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces subjective pilot reporting with an objective optical measurement system. The Michelson interferometer provides quantitative, objective measurement of ground loads through optical path length changes, eliminating the subjectivity inherent in pilot opinion while maintaining relatively simple system architecture through the use of established interferometric techniques
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces strain gauges and optical interferometry as intermediary measurement mechanisms that objectively quantify ground loads. These intermediaries convert physical deformation into measurable signals, providing precise quantitative data that replaces subjective pilot assessment while maintaining system simplicity through direct measurement rather than complex analysis
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 system provides objective, accurate assessment of landing gear loads, reducing maintenance costs and eliminating unnecessary inspections by predicting overload conditions and identifying specific components requiring attention.
Implementation Method 1
The plurality of sensors measure strain experienced by the landing gear and each sensor yielding strain data
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a system for predicting loading of a landing gear including, a plurality sensors positioned proximate to the landing gear. The plurality of sensors measure strain applied to the landing gear, and each sensor yielding strain data. The system further includes a processor that receives the strain data from the plurality of sensors and predicts at least one ground load based on strain data. There is further provided a method for predicting loading of a landing gear. The method includes powering a plurality of sensors located proximate to a landing gear structure, interrogating the plurality of sensors via data acquisition circuitry to yield strain data, instructing the data acquisition circuitry as to a sampling rate and data resolution to be used for the interrogating, and, finally, processing the strain data to predict a ground load.