Raisable landing gear for heavier-than-air aircraft, in particular for helicopters
AssigneeMessier-Bugatti
InventorMichel Derrien
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to raisable landing gear including a shock absorbing leg that is pivotally mounted, and to a driving actuator associated therewith. According to the invention, the leg is implemented in the form of two elements that are hinged to each other about an axis parallel to the pivot axis of the leg and that are connected together by means of a shock absorber, the bottom element forming a rocker and the top element forming a panel whose free end is connected to a drive actuator which is a shock-absorbing actuator having a force threshold, said shock-absorbing actuator serving to apply a predetermined torque that maintains the leg in position during normal landing, while allowing said leg to be raised against a controlled force in the event of a crash landing.
Claims10
Raisable landing gear for a heavier-than-air aircraft, the landing gear including a landing gear leg pivotally mounted to the structure of an aircraft about a pivot axis that is essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal midplane of said aircraft and fitted with at least one wheel stub axle, and also with an associated driving actuator for lowering and raising said leg, wherein the landing gear leg is implemented in the form of two elements one of which is hinged to the structure of the aircraft about an axis which constitutes said pivot axis of the leg, the said two elements being hinged to each other about an axis parallel to the pivot axis of said leg and being connected together by means of a shock absorber;
- one of said elements is a bottom element implemented in the form of a rocker whose free end is fitted with at least one wheel stub axle, and;
- the other one of said elements is a top element implemented in the form of a panel whose free end is hinged to the driving actuator, and wherein said driving actuator is a shock-absorbing actuator having a force threshold which applies a predetermined torque tending to maintain the leg in the position that it occupies during landing, while allowing said leg to be raised against controlled forces in the event of a crash landing.
Raisable landing gear for a heavier-than-air aircraft, the landing gear including:
- a landing gear leg pivotally mounted to the structure of an aircraft about a pivot axis that is essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal midplane of said aircraft and fitted with at least one wheel stub axle, and also with an associated driving actuator for lowering and raising said leg;
- wherein the landing gear leg is implemented in the form of two elements, one of which is hinged to the structure of the aircraft about an axis which constitutes said pivot axis of the leg, the said two elements being hinged to each other about an axis which extends in the same direction as the pivot axis of said leg and being connected together by means of a shock absorber;
- one of said elements is a bottom element implemented in the form of a rocker whose free end is fitted with at least one wheel stub axle;
- the other one of said elements is a top element implemented in the form of a panel whose free end is hinged to the driving actuator;
- wherein said one element that is hinged to the aircraft structure is the rocker forming bottom element, and the panel-forming top element is hinged to said rocker about an axis which coincides with the pivot axis;
- and wherein said driving actuator is a shock-absorbing actuator having a force threshold which applies a predetermined torque tending to maintain the leg in the position that it occupies during landing, while allowing said leg to be raised against controlled forces in the event of a crash landing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.