AIRCRAFT AUXILIARY AND

LANDING GEARS SYSTEMS

AMT 221 (LEC)

 NOSE WHEEL
STEERING SYSTEMS
 Nose wheel steering is found on most tricycle gear aircraft. On
small aircraft the nose wheel is usually controlled by a direct connection
between the rudder pedals and the nose gear.

Large aircraft steering is usually activated by a hydraulic actuator

that is controlled by the rudder pedals or by a separate steering
mechanism.

A shimmy damper is also a part of most nose wheel steering

systems.
 SMALL AIRCRAFT

Almost all airplanes with tricycle landing gear utilize some type of
nose-wheel steering on the ground by controlling the nose wheel.

Some of the smallest airplanes, however, have a castering nose

wheel. In these cases, differential braking does the steering.

Other small airplanes link the nose wheel to the rudder pedals
directly.
SMALL AIRCRAFT

castering nose wheel nose wheel with links to

rudder pedals
 SHIMMY DAMPERS

The geometry of the nose wheel makes it possible for it to shimmy, or oscillate
back and forth, at certain speeds, sometimes violently.

To prevent this highly undesirable

condition, almost all nose wheels are equipped
with some form of hydraulic shimmy damper as
a part of the nosewheel steering system.

The shimmy damper is a small hydraulic

shock absorber that is installed between the
nose-wheel fork and the nose-wheel cylinder.
 Steering Dampers
In many cases, the steering actuators serve as
the steering dampers because they are constantly
charged with hydraulic fluid under pressure.

As the nose wheel attempts to vibrate or

shimmy, these cylinders prevent movement of the
nose gear.

This type of system is used on large aircraft

while a piston type shimmy damper is usually used
on small aircraft.
Steering Dampers
 LANDING GEAR
ALIGNMENT, SUPPORT
AND RETRACTION
 In order for the wheels to do their part in supporting the aircraft, there
must be a structure that connects the wheels to the aircraft.

This structure is the landing gear. The landing gear must be accurately
aligned, provide adequate support for the aircraft at any design gross
weight, and allow the wheels to retract if necessary.
 WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Alignment of the main gear wheels is very important in that misalignment
adversely affects landing and take-off, roll characteristics, tire wear, and steering
during ground operations. Severe misalignment can cause malfunction and
failure of some of the major components of the landing gear system.

Alignment consists of checking and adjusting the toe-in or toe-out

configuration and the camber of the gear. The aircraft maintenance manual
normally specifies the amount of toe-in and camber the landing gear should
have. The torque links are also very important in the alignment of the landing
gear.
 WHEEL ALIGNMENT

The amount of toe-in or toe-out of aircraft wheels is outlined in the

aircraft's service manual.

An aircraft's wheels are configured in a toe-in position if lines drawn

through the center of the two wheels, perpendicular the axles, cross ahead of
the wheels or toe-out if the lines cross behind the wheels.

As an aircraft moves forward in a toe-in arrangement, the wheels try and

move closer together. A toe-out configuration causes the wheels to try and move
apart.
WHEEL ALIGNMENT

Toe-in Toe-out
 WHEEL ALIGNMENT
In order to measure toe-in, a
carpenter's square is held against a
straightedge placed across the front
of the main wheels. The straightedge
should be perpendicular to the
longitudinal axis of the aircraft.

If this is correct, then the

distance between the blade of the
carpenter's square and the front and
rear flanges of the wheel will
indicate toe-in or toe-out.
WHEEL ALIGNMENT

straightedge

carpenter's square
 WHEEL ALIGNMENT
A spring-steel landing gear moves so
much, as the weight of the aircraft is placed
on the gear, that an alignment check is
difficult unless special procedures are used.

The recommended method of

checking for toe-in or toe-out is to roll each
wheel onto a pair of aluminum plates with
grease between them. If the aircraft is
rocked back and forth a bit before the
measurement is taken, the greased plates
will allow the wheels to assume their true
position of alignment.
 WHEEL ALIGNMENT

Camber is a measure of the

amount the wheel leans, as viewed
from straight ahead. If the top of
the wheel leans outward, the
camber is positive. If it leans
inward, the camber is negative.
WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Camber on a spring-steel-type
landing gear is affected to a great
extent by the operational weight of
the aircraft and should be adjusted by
the use of shims between the axle
and the gear leg.

A zero-degree camber at the

weight at which the aircraft is most
generally operated is the camber
usually recommended in the service
manual of most small aircraft.
WHEEL ALIGNMENT
SUPPORT
The landing gear is generally supported by the aircraft's structure. The
wings spars, along with additional structural members, support and attach the
main landing gear to the wings on larger aircraft.

Non-retractable landing gear is generally attached to the aircraft structure

by bolting the landing gear struts to the structure directly.

Retractable landing gear systems must provide for the landing gear to
move, so the upper shock strut is attached to the airframe using trunnion
fittings, which are extensions or shafts attached to the shock strut that mount
into fittings bolted to the airframe.
 SMALL AIRCRAFT RETRACTION SYSTEMS

When the design speed of an aircraft becomes high enough that the
parasite drag of fixed landing gear is greater than the induced drag caused by the
added weight of the retracting system, retractable landing gear becomes
practical.

Some smaller aircraft use a simple mechanical retraction system,

incorporating a roller chain and sprockets operated by a hand crank. Many
aircraft use electric motors to drive the landing gear retracting mechanism and
some European-built aircraft use pneumatic systems.
 SMALL AIRCRAFT RETRACTION SYSTEMS

The simplest hydraulic

landing gear system uses a
hydraulic power pack containing
the reservoir, a reversible
electric motor-driven pump,
selector valve, and sometimes an
emergency hand pump along
with other special valves.
 SMALL AIRCRAFT RETRACTION SYSTEMS
To raise the landing gear, the gear selector handle is placed in the GEAR UP
position. This starts the hydraulic pump, forcing fluid into the gear-up side of the
actuating cylinders to raise the gear. The initial movement of the piston releases
the landing gear down-locks so the gear can retract.

When all three wheels are completely retracted, a pressure switch stops
the pump. There are no mechanical up-locks, and the gear is held in its
retracted position by hydraulic pressure in the actuators.

A pressure switch stops the pump at a predetermined pressure. If the

pressure drops enough to allow any one of the wheels to drop away from its up-
limit switch, the pump will start and restore the pressure.
SMALL AIRCRAFT RETRACTION SYSTEMS
 SMALL AIRCRAFT RETRACTION SYSTEMS
To lower the landing gear, the
selector switch is placed in the GEAR
DOWN position, which releases the
pressure on the up-side of the cylinders.
The shuttle valve moves over and fluid
flows through the power pack, allowing
the gear to free fall and lock down.

The pump operates to build up

pressure and ensure that all of the gears
will lock down. When they are all
locked, the limit switches shut off the
pump motor.
 SMALL AIRCRAFT RETRACTION SYSTEMS

An additional feature of this particular landing gear system is the

automatic extension system that will lower the landing gear when the
airspeed slows below a specified value, regardless of the position of the
landing gear selector.

A diaphragm actuated by the difference in pitot, or ram, air pressure

and static, or still air, pressure controls the free-fall valve. An airspeed
pickup tube on the side of the fuselage brings pitot and static pressure into
the automatic extension valve. When the airspeed is low, the diaphragm
holds the free-fall valve open.
SMALL AIRCRAFT RETRACTION SYSTEMS
 SMALL AIRCRAFT RETRACTION SYSTEMS
Regardless of the position of the landing gear selector, the actuating
cylinders cannot receive hydraulic pressure to unlock the down-locks and
retract the wheels.

When the airspeed reaches the predetermined value, the pressure

differential across the diaphragm is great enough to close the free-fall valve
so that pressure from the hydraulic pump can unlock the landing gear and
retract it.

If the airspeed in flight drops below the preset value, the pressure
across the diaphragm will be low enough to open the free-fall valve and
allow the wheels to free-fall and lock in place.
 LARGE AIRCRAFT RETRACTION SYSTEMS

The actual system for retracting and extending the landing gear on
large aircraft is similar to that just described. However, there are several
additional features and components used because of the size and
complexity of the system.

Normally, large aircraft have wheel-well doors that are closed at all
times the landing gear is not actually moving up or down. Sequence valves
are used in the system to ensure the doors are opened before the landing
gear is actuated.
 LARGE AIRCRAFT RETRACTION SYSTEMS

Most large aircraft use mechanical locks to hold the landing gear in its
UP or DOWN position. There must be a provision in these systems for the
hydraulic pressure to release the locks before fluid is directed into the
actuating cylinders.

The brakes are usually applied when the landing-gear selector is

placed in the GEAR UP position. This prevents the fire hazard that would
exist if the wheels were spinning while in the wheel wells as well as
preventing the possibility of damaging the aircraft due to a spinning wheel.
 LARGE AIRCRAFT RETRACTION SYSTEMS

Most of the large aircraft landing-gear systems use an orifice check

valve in the fluid lines to the actuators.

The weight of the landing gear dropping out of the wheel well could
cause it to fall so fast that damage to the structure is a possibility.
Therefore, the return flow from the actuator is restricted which prevents
uncontrolled free fall.

Unrestricted flow, however, is allowed into and out of the actuator

when the gear is being retracted.
 EMERGENCY EXTENSION SYSTEMS
Retractable landing gear systems must have a means of lowering the
landing gear if the primary method of lowering the gear fails.

Emergency extension systems generally use a variety of methods to

lower the gear. Some of the methods can include mechanical, alternate
hydraulic, compressed air or free-fall techniques to lower the gear.

In all cases, the emergency extension system's purpose is to release

the up-locks and move the gear to the down and locked position.
THANK
YOU!!!!