Retracable Landing gear mechanism

Nitish Kumar (SC18B016)

February 25, 2020

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1 Typical description of a mechanism and it’s Joints,
Function etc.

fig1
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fig2

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2 degrees of freedom:

Also taking reference to fig 1.

n = 13(cylinder, piston, links), J1 = 14(1prismatic, 13revolutejoints), J2 = 1(cylindricaljoint).

Therefore,

D.O.F = 6 × (13 − 1) − (5 × 14) − (4 × 1) = −2

But D.O.F actually is 2 (1 for shock absorber and 1 for wheel).

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 Geometrical argument:
Fix the link 2 and 3 ,then AC, BE, GC, and HE lengths are known to
us. So point ’C’(D) and point ’E’(F) can be findout by the intersections of
the arcs AC and GC And arcs BE and EH respectively. Intersection of arc
CI and EJ with the cylinder gives points ’I’ and ’J’. since ’K’ and ’M’ are
fixed and KL and ML lengths are known to us so intersection of the arc of
these two gives the point ’L’. Thus the actual degree of freedom is 2.

3 Construction of joints :
Most shock struts employ a metering pin similar to that shown in Figure
13-16 for controlling the rate of fluid flow from the lower chamber into the
upper chamber.

fig3
On some types of shock struts, a metering tube is used.

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 fig4

4 Function & working :

Landing gear contain shock absorber which provide efficient landing of the
aircraft or take off.

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fig5

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fig6

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 fig7
Working :
Conventionally, when deployed, a locking mechanism is engaged, via
lock springs, to fix the landing gear in the deployed state: here, it is said
to be downlocked. When the Nose Landing Gear (NLG) is required to
retract, this locking mechanism is released with an unlock actuator. A
retraction actuator then moves the landing gear between the deployed and
retracted states. At the end of the retraction cycle, the NLG needs to
be fixed in the retracted state—at this point, it is said to be unlocked.
This is usually achieved with the use of a dedicated uplock mechanism and
associated (third) actuator, which clamps the landing gear in its retracted
position.
The alternative landing gear system uses the same locking mechanism
to uplock (as well as downlock) the NLG, through clever mechanism design.
This results in the need for only two actuators: a retraction actuator and
an unlock actuator. For this locking strategy, the springs used to engage
the lock mechanism when the NLG is deployed (when its weight works with
the spring force) must provide enough force to engage the uplock mecha-
nism when the landing gear is retracted (and its weight opposes the spring
force).The locking arrangement system is shown in It is therefore of critical
design importance to know if the lock springs can provide sufficient force to

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uplock the NLG in the stowed position, while keeping the spring stiffness
low to allow a small unlock actuator to be used.

5 References :
http://www.flight-mechanic.com/landing-gear-types-fixed-and-retractable-landing-
gear-part-two/
https://youtu.be/aHkVszeVceU
https://youtu.be/jwRl5GwUYN4

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