Variable-Length Landing Gear for Reduced Aircraft Hold Volume
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing landing gear systems require complex and adjustable connecting rods to fit within limited aircraft hold volumes, necessitating specific attachment points and adjustments, which complicates installation and increases size.
Innovation Solution
A landing gear system with a lever and damping cylinder arrangement that uses an actuator to adjust the wheel-to-hinge distance, eliminating the need for additional attachment points and allowing direct adjustment of the damping cylinder length, while integrating compact actuators to manage landing forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If connecting rods are used to move the wheel closer to the strut hinge during retraction, then the landing gear can be housed in a reduced volume hold, but the device complexity increases and adjustment operations become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the wheel-to-strut distance adjustment function from the supporting structure and relocates it to the damping cylinder. By making the damping cylinder telescopic with adjustable length, the invention eliminates the need for complex connecting rods and their attachment points to the hold structure, while still achieving the same space-saving effect during retraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping cylinder is designed with telescopic capability and adjustable length, allowing dynamic modification of the wheel-to-strut distance. This dynamic adjustment mechanism replaces the static, complex connecting rod system, enabling the landing gear to adapt its configuration for optimal space utilization without requiring additional attachment points or complex synchronization mechanisms.
2Volume of stationary object
If connecting rods are used to synchronize wheel movement with strut retraction, then the landing gear can be housed efficiently, but the ease of manufacture decreases due to adjustment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the adjustment function from the supporting structure and integrates it into the damping cylinder assembly. This integration eliminates the need for separate connecting rods and their attachment points to the hold, significantly simplifying both the manufacturing process and installation procedures while maintaining the space-efficient retraction capability.
3Device complexity
If the damping cylinder length is fixed, then the structure is simpler, but the adaptability to different hold volumes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The damping cylinder is designed with telescopic capability and adjustable length, allowing it to adapt to different hold volumes and configurations. This dynamic adjustment feature enables the landing gear to be installed in various aircraft types with different space constraints, significantly improving versatility without adding excessive complexity to the overall structure.
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
Facilitates efficient housing of the landing gear in a reduced volume hold by simplifying installation and reducing the overall size of the gear, without the need for additional attachment points and allowing for adjustable damping cylinder length.
Implementation Method 1
The hinge member comprises a lever having a first end which is hinged to the supporting structure about a first hinge axis and a second end which is hinged to the cylinder about a second hinge axis, such that the lever pivots about the first hinge axis between an end position, in which the wheel is moved towards the first hinge axis
Implementation Method 2
A damping cylinder extends between the strut and the rocker lever to dampen the movements of the rocker lever during landing
Implementation Method 3
The landing gear further comprises an actuator connected to the lever and to the supporting structure to move the lever between its two end positions
Implementation Method 4
the away position being defined by a stop secured to the supporting structure and against which the lever in the away position is applied to take up the landing forces transmitted along a longitudinal axis of the cylinder
Data Source
AI summary
A landing gear includes a supporting structure, and a damping cylinder connected to a lever which is hinged to the supporting structure about a hinge axis. The lever is movable between a towards end position, in which the wheel is moved towards the hinge axis, and an away end position, in which the wheel is moved away from the hinge axis. The towards and away end positions are on either side of an intermediate position, in which the lever and the cylinder are aligned. The end away position is defined by a stop secured to the supporting structure and against which the lever in the away position is applied to take up the landing forces.