초록 ▼

Each landing gear of the undercarriage of an aircraft includes an hydraulic cylinder, and the hydraulic cylinders are interconnected through hydraulic restoring devices. The hydraulic restoring devices yieldably urge the pistons in each of the hydraulic cylinders to an equilibrium position, thereby

Each landing gear of the undercarriage of an aircraft includes an hydraulic cylinder, and the hydraulic cylinders are interconnected through hydraulic restoring devices. The hydraulic restoring devices yieldably urge the pistons in each of the hydraulic cylinders to an equilibrium position, thereby restoring the length of each landing gear to an equilibrium length following a disturbance. In non-level landings, the hydraulically interconnected system causes the landing gear that strikes the ground first to be compressed and the other landing gears to be extended; this absorbs some of the energy of the impact. Extension of the other landing gears tends to limit the extent to which landing energy is converted to angular velocity of the aircraft caused by pivoting of the center of gravity of the aircraft about the first landing gear to contact the ground. Once all of the landing gears have contacted the ground, the restoring device acts to restore the aircraft to its normal equilibrium attitude with respect to the ground. In the event a non-level landing is aborted after one of the landing gears has struck the ground, the restoring device restores the landing gears to their normal in-flight configuration with respect to the airframe as the aircraft becomes airborne again in preparation for the next landing attempt.

대표청구항 ▼

A landing apparatus for use in an aircraft to reduce angular motions of the aircraft in a non-level landing and to restore the aircraft to an equilibrium attitude with respect to the ground following such a landing, comprising: an aft landing strut coupled to said aircraft; a forward landing strut c

A landing apparatus for use in an aircraft to reduce angular motions of the aircraft in a non-level landing and to restore the aircraft to an equilibrium attitude with respect to the ground following such a landing, comprising: an aft landing strut coupled to said aircraft; a forward landing strut couple to said aircraft; an aft damper coupled to said aft landing strut; a forward damper coupled to said forward landing strut; a restoring piston hydraulically coupled to said aft and forward dampers, compression of one of said forward and aft dampers forcing hydraulic fluid into said restoring piston and said restoring piston in response forcing hydraulic fluid into the other one of said aft and forward dampers, said restoring piston having a preferred configuration wherein hydraulic fluid is evenly distributed by said restoring device between said aft and forward dampers to restore said aircraft to said equilibrium attitude; an aft surge reservoir hydraulically coupled to said aft damper and to said restoring piston to limit the magnitude of the hydraulic pressure communicated therebetween; and a forward surge reservoir hydraulically coupled to said forward damper and to said restoring piston to limit the magnitude of pressure of said hydraulic fluid communicated therebetween. A method for use on an aircraft to reduce angular motions of the aircraft in a non-level landing and to restore the aircraft to an equilibrium attitude with respect to ground following such a landing, comprising the steps of: contacting said ground with a first landing strut; compressing a first damper coupled to said first landing strut; communicating said hydraulic fluid from said first damper to a restoring means; communicating hydraulic fluid from said restoring means to a second damper; expanding said second damper to extend a second landing strut coupled thereto; contacting said ground with said second landing strut to reduce angular motion of said aircraft in said non-level landing; and limiting the pressure of hydraulic fluid being communicated between said first and second dampers through said restoring means, said pressure being limited by surge means hydraulically communicating with said first and second dampers and said restoring means.