LANDING GEAR in PPT, Serbia

The landing gear is one of our main products manufactured for the first time
in 1949 for the airplane S-49, piston trainer, since when we have designed,
developed and manufactured the landing gear for 14 types of airplanes.
Today, we produce the landing gear for the aircraft: Galeb, Jastreb, Kraguj,
Utva-75, Super Galeb, Orao, Lasta 2 and Lasta 3.

LANDING GEAR DESIGN

The company's design office house over 30 highly qualified personnel of

which approximately one third is engaged on work with aircraft landing gear.
The SDRC software system I-DEAS at PPT Landing Gear Division was
selected specifically to embrace the requirement of landing gear design and
is capable of:
 2D drawing
 Wire framing
 Solid modeling

CAD/CAM techniques are employed to explore design alternatives then to

supply optimum production configurations.

Design work on landing gear covers the following:

 aircraft requirements
 suspension options
 shock absorber techniques
 materials ethnology
 steering controls
 retraction mechanisms
 associated hydraulics
The determination of the pivot axes for three-dimensional geometry
DESIGN APPROACH

Landing gear design is dependent, not only on the type of aircraft, but also on
the requirements for its usage and intended operational role. The choice of
suspension and the shock absorber arrangement often result from the
matching of runway conditions with those of aircraft structure leading to
optimum passenger comfort.

DYNAMIC ANALYSIS

The design of aircraft landing

gear equipment involves the
application and dissipation of
energy within the various
mechanisms, not only for the
main function-that of landing-
but also for retraction,
lowering, steering and other
associated mechanisms.
Over the year Landing Gear
Division has developed
comprehensive analytical
techniques to determine the
performance of such
mechanisms.
These analyses insuring that
loads generated are well
within the strength and
performance parameters.
Upon request the airplane
Nose L.G. abd Main L.G. manufacturer we are able to
Aircraft Lasta 3 suggest the solution with the
most suitable kinematics,
minimal weight, minimal space requirement, simple maintains and long life-
time.
SHOCK ABSORBER

The oil-air shock-absorbers are designed to absorb the vertical component of

the kinetic energy of the airplane with high efficiencies approved by the drop
test. We are producing double stage, single stage and shock absorber with
use of needle.

Aircraft Lasta 3 - Nose L.G.

MATERIALS

The basic material used for the main elements of the landing gear is high
strength steel and high resistance aluminum alloys.
The landing gear components manufactured of these high resistant materials
are permanently under control during the entire manufacturing procedure
starting from forging, machining, heat treatment, final surface treatment and
installation.
Typical aluminum alloys include 3.4354, 3.4364, 2024, 7010 and 7075, while
the steels cover 300M, 4330 and 4340, also 35NCD THQ.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

PPT carries out all its research and development on landing gear units and
associated actuation system.
Test applicable to landing gear include:
 element testing of mechanisms
 stress evaluation
 dynamic testing of prototype units
 qualification testing for certification

PPT is capable of meeting all test requirements as laid down by the relevant
civil and military authorities.

LANDING GEAR TEST

The engineering development department covers every aspect of landing

gear qualification and is fully equipped for:
 drop testing
 strength testing
 fatigue testing
 functional testing
 vibration testing
 environmental testing
Aircraft Lasta 2: Main L.G. and Drop test result
PPT has available test equipment designed in compliance with MIL
specifications for testing of landing gear of aircraft.
The testing facilities available at PPT for the Landing Gear Division consist of:
drop test, strength test, fatigue test, durability test and impact test machinery.
In PPT testing Facilitates is possible to test the landing gear of the wheel
vertical force up to 25t.
The PPT landing gear test facility is computerized so that results are
available for engineering assessment.

 DROP TEST

The PPT possesses two towers for testing of landing gears to vertical
reaction on the wheel of 25t.
Measuring of vertical reaction on the wheel is carried out by three-axial force
indicator while acquisition and processing of the measuring results are
computed. It is possible to acquire testing data on 32 channels.
Shutting of wheels is carried out by a mobile equipment that can rotate two
wheels at the same time to 400km/h.

 DURABILITY TEST

The durability test system carries out simulation of the runway profile.
Both horizontal and vertical actuators can be used simultaneously.
The horizontal actuator can attain the force of up to 10t and the vertical one
25t.

 IMPACT TEST EQUIPMENT

The system enables duplicating of the drop test by application of the

simulation system.
The hydraulic impact simulation system uses the basic hydraulic system with
a shoot loop operating on the shifting control unit. The control signal to servo
actuator is realized with an analog computer known as collision simulator.
The test parameters such as simulated mass, wing lift and impact speed are
electronically adjusted on calibration dials.
The collision simulator duplicates the ideal mathematical impact model
between two masses. It determines the shifting links as a function of an
unknown shock absorber run and controls SHA to move toward the
appropriate shifting in #t# time.
It is possible to simulate smaller drop of 100 to 5000 kg wing lift from 0 to
100%, and the impact speeds up to 4.5 m/s.

 FATIGUE TEST EQUIPMENT

The fatigue test system with three channels is available including three
actuators for the vertical, lateral and horizontal inlet as required servo-
regulators.
Servo-controls possess both force and run indicators. The equipment can test
the landing gear with a vertical force on the wheel to 25t.

4 5

1. Control Room, 2. Landing Gear Durability/Impact Test Equipment, 3. Small

Drop Tower, 4. Tyre/Brake Test Machine, 5. Large Drop Tower
AIRCRAFT WHEELS

All our wheels are virtually of the same type as that illustrated here. The
various existing alternatives differ in size only.
To make tire mounting and removal esier, these wheels consist of two wheel
halves assembled by tie bolts and self locking nuts of high strength steel. The
two wheel-halves are interchangeable. They are made of die forged
aluminum alloy and they are protected by anodizing and hot polymerized
paint resisting to shocks, oxidation and hydraulic fluids.
The wheels are fitted with taper roller bearings protected from external
projections by flanges. They are provided with fuses preventing tires from
bursting in case of abnormal overheating.
All our wheels can accommodate the tachometer driving device used in our
brake control systems.

BRAKES

These brakes have been designed for the simplest possible maintenance, at
the most reasonable price and for the best possible weight. Aircraft
manufactures have been attracted by the ease with which faulty parts can be
replaced. The brakes consist of three main parts:
THE BRAKE SUPPORT mounted freely on the wheel axle and remaining
fixed to it. THE HYDRAULIC UNIT which provides pressure for the disc
linings, by means of its pistons, whose backward movement is controlled by
automatic wear compensation devices. These devices are incorporated in
brake cylinders, and there fore retain the same efficiency at all times, and are
impervious to outside conditions.

THE OPERATIONAL UNIT, integral with structural parts, by means of

serration in the torsion tube, which makes it possible to transmit the braking
torque to the brake bar. This torsion tube and its functional components
which include rotary discs and supports carrying the friction linings. Supports
and rotary discs are segmented to prevent thermal distortion.
Our brakes are characterized by:
 short braking path
 long life-time
 simple maintenance

EQUIPMENT FOR TESTING WHEELS, TYRES AND BRAKES

Machines for testing of small diameters of tires and wheels are available. The
machine can be used for development testing of tires and brakes for
airplanes with the wheel dynamic load of up to 10 000 kg and the maximum
speed up to 400 km/h.
ACTUATION MECHANISMS

For lowering and retraction of landing gear, Landing Gear Division offers
suitable equipment to provide a total system. Depending on the geometry,
most our landing gears are capable of emergency free fall lowering. Typical
system components are:
 hydraulic actuators
 folding stays
 up/down locks
 door locks

Hydraulics is a PPT specialty and the company is ideally suited to produce

hydraulic system coordinated with the landing gear.

 INTERNAL LOCKING ACTUATORS

The hydraulic actuators produced by PPT may be provided with mechanical

locking system of the claw-type.

Aircraft G-4 and Main L.G. Retracting Actuator

The most attractive features of this device are, on the one hand, its
compactness i.e. its capability of taking up significant loads when compared
with its reduced overall dimensions and, on the other hand, its extreme
reliability proven by forty years of experience in aviation.
The automatic locking of the actuator rod at the end of travel is made
possible by the #claw# flexible fingers trapped between a rod shoulder and
locking piston.
Consequently, locking is achieved through the effect of the actuating
pressure, other wise, through a low external load. Unlocking is hydraulically
controlled, the locking piston moving back under the effect of the pressure.
These actuators are used for landing gear leg bracing, for door and air brake.
They include mechanical switches which allow to know whether the
mechanism is locked or not.
According to the applications required, locking can be achieved with rod
retracted or extended as well as in both positions in a few cases.

 UPLOCKS

Our uplock units, the design of which is based on a common principle are
intended for various installations. They ensure the automatic uplocking of a
landing gear unit. They consist of a box incorporating a switch and a
hydraulic actuator. The box encloses the locking device mainly consisting of a
hook and a link connected by an extension spring which during locking holds
the link roller on the hook path. These uplock units incorporate switches of
different types (microswitches or proximity switches) which indicate whether
the landing is locked or not. The single or double piston actuator ensures the
gear hydraulic unlocking with NORMAL or EMERGENCY system.