ISSN 1068-7998, Russian Aeronautics (Iz.VUZ), 2010, Vol. 53, No. 4, pp. 369–374. © Allerton Press, Inc., 2010.

Original Russian Text © S.A. Mikhailov, L.V. Korotkov, D.V. Nedel’ko, 2010, published in Izvestiya VUZ. Aviatsionnaya Tekhnika, 2010, No. 4, pp. 3–6.

STRUCTURAL MECHANICS AND STRENGTH

OF FLIGHT VEHICLES

Analysis of Static Loading of a Helicopter Tubular Skid

Landing Gear
S. A. Mikhailova, L. V. Korotkovb, and D. V. Nedel’kob
a
Tupolev State Technical University, Kazan, Russia
b
OAO Kazan Helicopters, Kazan, Russia
Received September 27, 2010

Abstract—A three-dimensional design model of a helicopter tubular skid landing gear based on the
application of the large beam displacement theory is presented. The design model takes into account
special features of constructive, physical and geometrical deformation nonlinearity. The analysis of a
real helicopter structure is given that confirms sufficient validity of calculation results obtained using
the model developed by comparing with the results of the finite element analysis.
DOI: 10.3103/S106879981004001X
Key words: helicopter, skid landing gear, plastic deformation, large displacements, curvature vector,
nonlinearity.

The first three-dimensional design model of the helicopter skid landing gear on the basis of the large
beam displacement theory was developed by the authors as applied to the box-type skid landing gear [1].
As is known from the practice of helicopter construction, however, most of skid landing gears are
manufactured from metal tubes, that is, they are tubular structures. This investigation is aimed at
developing a three-dimensional design model of the tubular skid landing gear that makes it possible to
simulate any physical characteristics of the structure composite element material. In this case, the
geometric and constructive nonlinearity of the skid landing gear springs deformation is taken into account
by the technique presented in [2].
As a foundation in constructing the design model of the skid landing gear, use is made of the
Kirchhoff–Clebsch theory developed for the analysis of beams that are nonrectilinear before deformation.
In the papers of V.A. Pavlov, S.A. Mikhailov [3, 4] and their disciples the theory of large displacements
was advanced to the geometrically nonlinear theory of spatially deformable beams of an airfoil.
According to this theory, an elastic beam line can be described by the following system of integro-
differential equations:

⎡( κ ξ + ω 01 ) cos ϕ3 − ( κη + ω 02 ) sin ϕ3 ⎤ dS + C1 = 0;
1
ϕ1 − ∫
cos ϕ2 ⎣ ⎦

ϕ2 − ∫ ⎡⎣( κ ξ + ω 01 ) sin ϕ3 + ( κ η + ω 02 ) cos ϕ3 ⎤⎦ dS + C2 = 0; (1)

{
ϕ3 − ∫ ( κ ζ + ω 03 ) − tan ϕ2 ⎡⎣( κ ξ + ω 01 ) cos ϕ3 − ( κη + ω 02 ) sin ϕ3 ⎤⎦ dS + C3 = 0, }
where κ ξ , κ η , κ ζ are the components of the beam curvature vector in the section under consideration;
ω 01, ω 02, ω 03 are the components of the curvature vector of the initial state or the initial curvature vector;
ϕ1 , ϕ2 , ϕ3 are the angles of alignment of the unit vectors e1 , e2 , e3 in the local coordinate system Oξηζ
fixed with the section with the unit vectors i1 , i2 , i3 of the basic system O1 XYZ (Fig. 1).

369
370 MIKHAILOV et al.

Fig. 1. General view of arbitrary elastic beam deformation.

Expressions (1) determine the elastic beam line accurate to the position in space. The connection
between the section rotation angles ϕ1 , ϕ2 , ϕ3 and the linear coordinates of the corresponding point on the
elastic line in space (in the basic coordinate system O1 XYZ ) can be established using the following
relations
x = ∫ sin ϕ2 dS + C5 ;
y = − ∫ cos ϕ2 sin ϕ1dS + C4 ; (2)
z = ∫ cos ϕ1 cos ϕ2 dS + C6 .

The integration constants C1,…,C6 in Eqs. (1) and (2) are determined by the conditions of beam
attachment. The peculiarities of finding the integration constants as applied to this problem will be
discussed below.
Relations (1), (2) are a closed system of equations, the solution of which makes it possible to obtain
the stress strain state of a beam structure if the necessary equations determining the values of the
curvature vector components {κξ , κ η , κ ζ } are specified.
In the analysis technique developed to calculate the curvature vector components the following can be
used:
—the physical Kirchhoff–Clebsch relations if the elastic problem is solved:
Mξ Mη Mζ
κξ = ; κη = ; κζ = , (3)
EJ ξ EJ η GJ p
where M ξ , M η , M ζ are the bending moments relative to the corresponding axes of the local coordinate
system;
—the physical relations to take into account the conditions of plastic material deformation that
establish the connection between the bending moments M ξ , M η , M ζ and the curvature vector
components and that are based on the hypothesis of plane sections:
ε = κz, (4)
where κ is the curvature of the bent beam axis; ε are the linear strains (elongation); z is the distance from
the neutral beam section layer to the fiber being considered.

RUSSIAN AERONAUTICS Vol. 53 No. 4 2010