Landing Gear Research Technologies For Future Design

Objective

There is always a request from the aircraft manufacturers to reduce the weight of airframe, engines and equipment so as to increase the range and payload of commercial aircraft. This has been highlighted by studies into future large aircraft with capacities of between 600 and 800 passengers. These studies have shown that there is a relationship between typical equipment weight and aircraft capacity, specifically that growth of equipment weight with MTOW is to a power of 3/2. In applying this relationship to the landing gear for a passenger aircraft of the size proposed, the weight of the landing gear is projected to be in excess of 20 tonnes. This clearly represents a significant proportion of the aircraft weight and the aircraft manufacturers suggested that this might be the subject of a research project with an objective to reduce the projected weight by some 25%.

EUROGEAR EEIG examined this requirement and identified that three areas of technology need to be addressed which, together, might enable the reduction in projected weight required by the aircraft manufacturers.

The three areas of technology are 1) design methodology, 2) advanced landing gear damping controls and 3) advanced structural composite materials.

Fields of science

• engineering and technology › materials engineering › composites
• engineering and technology › mechanical engineering › vehicle engineering › aerospace engineering › aircraft

Programme(s)

• FP3-AERO 1C - Specific programme of research and technological development in the field of industrial and materials technologies - Aeronautics research -, 1990-1994

Topic(s)

Data not available

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

Eurogear EEIG

Address

Zone Aeronautique Louis Breguet
78140 Vélizy-villacoublay
France

Participants (9)

Aérospatiale Société Nationale Industrielle SA

France

Address

316 Route De Bayonne
31060 Toulouse

British Aerospace Airbus Ltd

United Kingdom

Address

Filton House Filton
BS99 7AR Bristol

CENTRE D'ESSAIS AERONAUTIQUE DE TOULOUSE

France

Address

Avenue Henri Guillaumet 23
31056 Toulouse

Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA

Spain

Address

404,avenida Aragon
28022 Madrid

Cranfield University

United Kingdom

Address

MK43 0AL Cranfield

Daimler-Benz Aerospace Airbus GmbH

Germany

Address

Kreetslag 10
21129 Hamburg

Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Luft- und Raumfahrt eV (DLR)

Germany

Address

Münchnerstraße 20
82234 Weßling

Dunlop Ltd

United Kingdom

Address

Fort Dunlop
B24 9QH Birmingham

Université de Liège

Belgium

Address

21,rue Ernest Solvay
4000 Liège