STATIC AND FATIGUE SIMULATION OF AIRCRAFT LANDING GEAR

M.VIJAYAN 1, JENITH N BARNABAS 2, K.HARIRAM 3

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Udaya School of Engineering, Vellomodi-629204,
Kanya kumari, Tamilnadu, INDIA1, 2, 3
Tel : + 91978886149991 ,+ 9180565656562,+9194434950933 .
vijayaero1990@gmail.com1jenith.net@gmail.com2
ABSTRACT: The main objective of this project is to analyse the aircraft landing gear with different material
.All the parts of landing gear designed by Pro-E Software but Static and fatigue simulation done by Solid
works Soft ware.Current we are landing gear material is Alloy Steel .In this fatigue simulation, the damage
percentage and life of axle is 0.0178961 and 5587.82 cycles respectively .Instead of this material is
introducing carbon steel on that part .After static and fatigue simulation completed , the result value of damage
percentage and life of axle is higher than previous material.

.
.Key words: (Landing Gear , Alloy Steel , Cast Caron Steel , Fatigue)
1.INTRODUCTION

bottom of the tire) and the attachment point to the

Another aircraft major component that is needed to

aircraft. Since, landing gear may be attached to the

be designed is landing gear (undercarriage). The

fuselage or to the wing; the term height has

landing gear is the structure that supports an

different meaning. Furthermore, the landing gear

aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi, take-off,

height is a function of shock absorber and the

and land. In fact, landing gear design tends to have

landing gear deflection. The height is usually

several interferences with the aircraft structural

measured when the aircraft is on the ground; it has

design. In this book, the structural design aspects of

maximum take-off weight; and landing gear has the

landing gear are not addressed; but, those design

maximum deflection (i.e. lowest height).

parameters which strongly impact the aircraft

LANDING GEAR CONFIGURATION:

configuration design and aircraft aerodynamics will

The first job of an aircraft designer in the landing

be discussed.

gear design process is to select the landing gear

1.Wheel hub

configuration. Landing gear functions may be

performed through the application of various

2.Lower Link

landing gear types and configurations. Landing

3.Upper Link

gear design requirements are parts of the aircraft

general design requirements including cost, aircraft

4.Axle

performance, aircraft stability, aircraft control,

5.Piston

maintainability and operational considerations. In

general, there are ten configurations for a landing

The landing gear usually includes wheels, but some

gear as follows:

aircraft are equipped with skis for snow or float for

water. In the case of a vertical take-off and landing

1. Single main

aircraft such as a helicopter, wheels may be

2. Bicycle

replaced with skids. illustrates landing gear primary

parameters. The descriptions of primary parameters

3. Tail-gear

are as follows. Landing gear height is the distance

4. Tricycle or nose-gear

between the lowest point of the landing gear (i.e.

5. Quadricycle
6. Multi-bogey
Transport aircraft McDonnell Douglas MD-88 with
tricycle landing gear:

The features and the technical descriptions of each

landing gear configuration will be presented in this
section. The landing gear configuration selection
process includes setting up a table of features that
can be compared in a numerical fashion. It needs to
be clarified that for simplicity the term gear or

3. Bomber aircraft B-52 Stratofortress with

wheel is sometimes employed for a single strut

quadricycle landing gear is using parachute during

and whatever that is connected to it which

a landing operation

comprises such items as tire, wheel, shock

absorber, actuators, and brake assembly. Hence,
when the term nose-gear is used, it refers to a
landing gear configuration; while when the term
nose gear is employed, it refers to a gear that is
attached under the fuselage nose. In general, most
general aviation, transport and fighter aircraft
employ tricycle landing gear, while some heavy
weight transport (cargo) aircraft use quadricycle or
multi-bogy landing gear. Nowadays, the tail-gear is
seldom used by some GA aircraft, but it was

4. Transport aircraft Boeing 747 with multi-bogey

employed in the first 50 years of aviation history by

landing gear:

majority of aircraft.
MODELLING:
Pro-E Model of Aircraft landing Gear Parts:

1.Wheel Hub:

4.AXLE:

4.UPPER LINK:

2.PISTON:

3.STRUT:

5.LOWER LINK:

ASSEMBLE OF PARTS:
Properties
Name:

Alloy Steel

Model type:

Linear

Elastic

Isotropic
Default

failure

Max von Misses Stress

criterion:

CONVERT PRO-E ASSEMBLE MODEL INTO

IGES FORMAT:
After all the parts assembled in Pro-E,
save that model into IGES format shown below:
Assemble model Click file Save as Click

Yield strength:

620.422 N/mm^2

Tensile strength:

723.826 N/mm^2

Elastic modulus:

210000 N/mm^2

Poisson's ratio:

0.28

Mass density:

7700 g/cm^3

Shear modulus:

79000 N/mm^2

Thermal

1.3e-005 /Kelvin

expansion

coefficient:

save as type Select IGES(*igs.) Ok.

LOADS AND FIXTURES:

IMPORTING PRO-E ASSEMBLE MODEL INTO

SOLIDWORKS:

Fixture
name

When the solid works window open, the

Fixture Image

Fixture Details
Entities:
Type:

following steps are involved for importing the

assemble model,
Fixed

4 faces
Fixed
Geomet
ry

Open Solid works 2015 (icon) Click open

Click open type
Select IGES(*igs) Select assemble model

Load
name

Click Open.
SIMULATION RESULTS

Load

1.ALLOY STEEL
MATERIAL PROPERTIES:

Gravity

Load Image

Load Details
Entities:

1 face

Force
Valu s:

-289395
N

Reference:
Values:
Units:

Plane 2
-9.81
SI

STUDY RESULTS:

FATIGUE SIMULATION:

Type

Min

Max

von Misses
Stress

0.000184536
N/mm^2 (MPa)

863.427
N/mm^2
(MPa)

Node: 10069

Node: 21740

Type

Min

Max

Resultant
Displace
ment

0 mm

0.431681 mm

Node: 19871

Node: 6712

Type

Min

Max

Damage plot

0.01247 Node: 1

0.0178961
Node: 21781

Type

Min

Max

Life plot

5587.82
cycle
Node: 21781

8019.25 cycle
Node: 1

2.CAST CARBON STEEL

STUDY RESULTS:

MATERIAL PROPERTIES:
Type

Min

Max

von
Misses
Stress

1.2739e-006
N/mm^2 (MPa)

227.215 N/mm^2
(MPa)

Node: 4411

Node: 21781

PROPERTIES

Name:

Alloy Steel (SS)

Model type:

Upper link
lower link ,piston
strut ,wheel hub
Linear Elastic Isotropic

Default
criterion:

failure

Max von Misses Stress

Yield strength:

620.422 N/mm^2

Tensile strength:

723.826 N/mm^2

Elastic modulus:

210000 N/mm^2

Poisson's ratio:

0.28

Mass density:

7700 g/cm^3

Shear modulus:

79000 N/mm^2

Thermal
coefficient:

1.3e-005 /Kelvin

expansion

FATIGUE SIMULATION:

Name:

Cast Carbon Steel (axle)

Model type:

Linear Elastic Isotropic

Default
criterion:

failure

248.168 N/mm^2

Tensile strength:

482.549 N/mm^2

Elastic modulus:

200000 N/mm^2

Poisson's ratio:

0.32

Mass density:

7800 g/cm^3

Shear modulus:

76000 N/mm^2

Thermal
coefficient:

1.2e-005 /Kelvin

Type

Min

Max

Damage
percentage

0.01247

0.0176355

Node: 1

Node: 21781

Max von Misses Stress

Yield strength:

expansion

STUDY RESULTS:

Type
Life

Min
5670.37
cycles

Max

REFERENCES:
1. Norman S. Currey, Aircraft Landing Gear

8019.25 cycles

Design: Principles and Practices, AIAA, 1988

Node: 1

Node:
21781

2. Roskam J., Roskams Airplanes War Stories,

DAR Corp., 2006
3.

FAR

Part

23.473,

Federal

Aviation

Administration
4. Russell C. Hibbeler, Engineering Mechanics:
Statics, 12th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2009
5. Budynas R. G. and Nisbett J. K., Shigley's
Mechanical Engineering Design, McGraw-Hill, 9th
Edition, 2011
6. Aircraft Tire Data, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber
CONCLUSION:

Company

Aircraft landing gear modeled and simulated by

7. Aircraft Tire Data, Bridgestone Corporation

Pro-E and Solid works Software respectively

8. Paul Jackson, et al., Janes all the worlds

.Simulate landing gear with alloy steel material and

aircraft, Janes Information Group, several years

obtained stress, displacement, strain results from

solid works static simulation. Simulate landing gear

9. Green W. L., Aircraft Hydraulic Systems: An

with alloy steel material and obtained damage

Introduction to the Analysis of Systems and

percentage and life results from solid works fatigue

Components, Wiley, 1986

simulation .Simulate landing gear with cast carbon

10. Robert L. Norton, Design of Machinery: An

steel material and obtained stress, displacement,

Introduction to the Synthesis and Analysis of

strain results from solid works static simulation.

Mechanisms and Machines, McGraw-Hill, 2008

Simulate landing gear with cast carbon steel

material and obtained damage percentage and life

11. Arthur G. Erdman, George N. Sandor, Sridhar

results from solid works fatigue simulation. Then

Kota, Mechanism Design: Analysis and Synthesis,

compare all results with each material and choose

4th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2001

favorable material for landing gear axle part.Finally

cast carbon material is suitable material for aircraft

12. Anon, MIL-F-1797C, Flying qualities of

landing gear as per its results.

piloted

airplanes,

Air

force

flight

laboratory, WPAFB, Dayton, OH, 1990

dynamic