Landing Gear Interlock With Rounded Lobes for Torque Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft landing gear designs face challenges in efficiently transmitting mechanical torques while minimizing material usage and manufacturing complexity, particularly in high-stress zones prone to twisting, bending, and shearing stresses.
Innovation Solution
The design features a male part interlocked with a female part along an interlocking direction, where the external contact surface of the male part is exclusively convex with rounded lobes, preventing pivoting and enhancing mechanical resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a one-piece forged part with axle hands is used to transmit mechanical torques, then mechanical resistance and durability are improved, but manufacturing complexity and material loss increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The landing gear structure is divided into separate modular components: a rod and axle hands that can be manufactured independently and then assembled through interlocking male and female parts. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized separately, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining the required mechanical resistance through proper interface design.
2Weight of moving object
If the diameter of the forged blank is reduced to minimize mass, then weight is reduced, but the mechanical resistance in high-stress zones decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the structure into modular components that interlock, the design allows for optimized material distribution. The rod can have a smaller diameter while the interlocking interface with axle hands provides the necessary mechanical resistance, achieving weight reduction without compromising strength in high-stress zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The interlocking interface combines multiple components with potentially different material properties or structural characteristics, creating a composite structure that optimizes both weight and mechanical resistance. The male and female parts work together to distribute stresses effectively.
3Strength
If traditional interlocking with grooves is used to prevent rotation, then mechanical torque transmission is achieved, but surface treatment quality deteriorates due to complex geometries
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces traditional grooves with rounded lobes on the external contact surface of the male part. This curved geometry eliminates sharp corners and complex凹 features, providing a smooth surface that is much easier to treat uniformly with protective coatings while still effectively preventing rotation and transmitting torque through the interlocking interface.
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft landing gear having a male part interlocked with a female part along an interlocking direction is provided. The external contact surface of the male part, when it is observed along the interlocking direction, can be an exclusively convex closed surface having external contact surface portions in the form of rounded lobes that form obstacles to the pivoting of the female part with respect to the male part about the interlocking direction. The aircraft landing gear is suitable for use with an aircraft.