Laboratory
Experiment
5
Mohd
Ashraf
Mohd
Ismail
Name : Mohammed Ashraf Bin Mohammed Ismail
Student No: N0806406
Contact No: 98225529
Date Submitted:
Lab. : Operations of Landing Gears
Course Instructor: Mr Roger Chua
Table of Contents
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. 3
INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 4
OBJECTIVES................................................................................................................ 6
EXPIREMENT PROCEDURE ..................................................................................... 7
DISCUSSION OF RESULT.......................................................................................... 9
REFERENCE .............................................................................................................. 13
APPENDIX.................................................................................................................. 14
2
Abstract
This lab work is concerned with the experimental studies of the aircraft landing gear
system and demonstrate the landing gear and flap operations using hand operated and
electrically driven hydraulic pumps.
Introduction
to
Aerospace
Engineering
Lab
5
3
Introduction
Landing Gear of aircraft of an aircraft serves a number of very important functions.
It supports the aircraft weight during ground operation, dampens vibration when
aircraft is being towed or taxied and cushions the landing impact. The landing gear
must be constructed and maintained in a manner that provides the strength and
reliability needed to meet all the probable landing conditions.
Most aircraft are equipped with landing gears either as Tricycle Landing gears and
Conventional-Geared Aircraft.
Figure
1
-
Basic
types
of
Landing
Gears
Arrangement
Landing gear design for aircraft vary from simple, fixed arrangement(non retractable)
to very complex retractable system involving hundreds of part.
Figure
2
-
Fixed
Landing
Gear
Figure
3
-
Retractable
Landing
Gear
Landing gears are the most importance
mechanical assembly on aircraft, usually includes wheels, brakes, shock absorbers,
such as oleo strut to take on the landing weight of the aircraft.
The retraction systems of the landing gear can consist of mechanical system, electrical
system and hydraulic system. For this experiment we would concentrate on the
retractable landing gear operated by hydraulic system.
4
During the operation of aircraft with retractable landing gears, the system must raise
and lowers the gears without fail. Warning horn and position indicator in the form of
coloured light will inform the pilots whether the landing gears has been raised or not.
In the case of an emergency when the landing gears cannot be extended by normal
operation, either of the four methods must work
1) Air bottle to “blow” the gears down
2) Mechanical system where operation of a hand crank or ratchet perform the
extension operation.
3) Separate hydraulic system powered by other methods. (Example : Hand pump)
4) The use of mechanical system to release the up lock allowing the gear to free
fall into the down- and – lock position.
[Please note that the landing gears need to be down- and – lock position before
landing can take place]
Introduction
to
Aerospace
Engineering
Lab
5
5
Objectives
To
demonstrate
the
landing
gear
operations
using
hand
operated
and
electrically
driven
hydraulic
pumps.
To
demonstrate
the
flap
operations
using
hand
operated
and
electrically
driven
hydraulic
pumps.
6
Experimental Procedure
Set
up
procedure
1.
Make
sure
that
AC
master,
and
control
panel
master
switches
are
in
the
off
position
before
connecting
to
AC
power
source.
2.
Check
that
Gear
and
Flap
selectors
are
their
neutral
position.
3.
Check
hydraulic
fluid
level,
brake
master
cylinder
level.
4.
Connect
trainer
to
AC
power
source.
Landing
gear
operations
1.
Move
the
landing
gear
lever
and
flap
lever
to
the
neutral
position.
2.
Push
the
throttle
lever
forward.[i.e.
away
from
you]
3.
Turn
control
panel
master
on.(The
push
button
switch
on
the
right
hand
side
of
the
master
switch
should
also
be
depressed.)
A
green
light
indicating
that
the
gear
is
down
and
locked
will
illuminate.
[If
green
light
does
not
come
out,
make
sure
the
gear
is
down
and
locked.]
4.
Clear
the
area
of
personnel
and
any
object
that
would
interfere
with
movement
of
gear
or
lap.
5.
Select
‘gear
up’
by
placing
the
gear
lever
up.
6.
Pull
the
handle
of
the
hand
pump
out.
Operate
the
handle
to
pump
the
hydraulic
fluid
to
retract
the
landing
gear
manually.
7.
When
gear
is
fully
retracted,
the
red
‘gear
up’
light
illuminate.
8.
To
test
gear
warning
horn
pull
throttle
back,
horn
will
sound.
[To
silence
horn
move
throttle
forward
for
this
experiment.]
9.
To
extend
gear,
place
gear
lever
in
the
down
position.
Gear
will
free
fall
partially.
If
the
throttle
is
pull
back,
what
happen?
10.
Use
the
manual
hand
pump,
until
the
gear
is
down
and
locked
completely.
‘Gear
down
and
locked’
light
(green)
will
illuminate.
[What
happens
to
the
warning
horn?]
11.
Push
back
the
handle
of
the
hand
pump
and
move
landing
gear
lever
to
the
neutral
position.
Also,
push
the
throttle
lever
forward.
12.
Turn
on
hydraulic
pump.
13.
Select
‘gear
up’
by
placing
the
landing
gear
lever
up.
Check
for
smooth
operation
and
gear
up
light
(red)
turning
on.
14.
Select
‘gear
down’
by
placing
the
landing
gear
lever
down.
Gear
should
extend
and
‘Gear
down
and
locked’
light
(green)
will
illuminate.
15.
Turn
motorized
pump
off.
Flap
operation
1.
Select
‘flap
down’.
Extend
manual
pump
handle
and
manually
pump
flap
to
the
‘down
position’.
2.
Select
‘flap
up’
and
using
the
manual
pump
return
flap
to
the
‘up
position’.
3.
Turn
on
motorized
pump.
Raise
and
lower
flap
and
check
for
smooth
operation.
4.
Turn
motorized
pump
off.
Shut
down
procedures
1.
Make
sure
landing
gear
is
down
and
locked.
2.
Make
sure
that
flap
is
up.
3.
Turn
switches
off
and
disconnects
AC
power
cord.
Introduction
to
Aerospace
Engineering
Lab
5
7
LEADING
PARTICULARS,
HYDRAULIC
POWERPAK
Operating
Pressure.
.
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.
.1150
psi
Main
Relief
Valve
Cracking
Pressure
………………………………………….1250-‐1300
psi
Thermal
Relief
Valves
Cracking
Pressure.
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.2000-‐2050
psi
Hydraulic
Fluid
Required
.
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...
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.MIL-‐H-‐5606
ReservoirCapacity
(full)…………………………………………………….4.5
pints
(approx.)
ReservoirCapadty
(emergency)
...
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………..
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.0.95
pint
Detent
Release
Pressure
Landing
Gear
(RH)
…………………………………………………………...1150
psi
Flap
…………………………………………………………………………
1150
psi
Weight
(dry)
…………………………………………………………………………….8.25
lb
8
Discussion of Result
Reports:
I.
Observations
1.
Compare
the
sizes
of
the
inlet
line
to
the
hydraulic
pump
and
the
pressure
line
from
the
pump.
Write
down
the
advantage(s)
of
this
type
of
arrangement.
The
size
of
the
inlet
line
to
the
hydraulic
pump
is
larger
than
the
pressure
line
from
the
pump.
The
advantage
of
the
inlet
line
to
be
larger
because
it
ensures
the
high
flow
volume
rate
at
the
inlet
line
does
not
get
jammed.
The
advantage
of
the
pressure
line
to
be
small
is
so
that
it
can
enable
a
high-‐pressure
flow
at
the
outlet.
Using
the
fomular
(Pressure
=
Force/Area)
if
we
decrease
the
area,
we
require
lesser
force
to
achieve
the
same
amount
of
pressure
2.
Is
the
reservoir
used
in
the
system
a
non-‐pressurized
or
pressurized
type?
Justify
your
answer
from
your
observation.
The reservoir used in the system is a non-pressurized type as there’s an air vent tube
on the top of reservoir
3.
In
the
gear
up
position,
the
landing
gear
actuator
is
in
the
retracted
position.
4.
The
landing
gear
is
equipped
with
down-lock
mechanisms.
5.
The
landing
gear
is
equipped
with
a
low
brake
pressure
system
using
the
disk
type
brake.
6.
The
hydraulic
system
is
open
system.
7.
How
is
the
hydraulic
pump
unloaded
in
the
system?
The
hydraulic
pump
is
unloaded
in
the
system
through
the
selector
valve.
The
hydraulic
pump
draws
fluid
from
the
reservoir
and
pumps
it
through
the
pressure
port
of
the
hydraulic
power
pact,
which
is
the
control
f
both
the
systems.
8.
When
using
the
hand
pump,
do
you
observe
any
difference
in
pumping
when
the
selector
valve
is
in
the
(i)
neutral
position
and
(ii)
gear
up
position?
Give
a
reason
for
this
difference.
I.
In
neutral
position
the
pumping
of
the
hand
pump
is
much
easier
because
there
is
no
pressure
build
up
and
the
hydraulic
fluid
is
allowed
to
pass
from
the
pressure
chamber
to
neutral
chamber
and
back
to
the
reservoir.
(Cam
lobe
8
will
open
the
poppet
valve
3(see
diagram
at
Q4))
II. In
gear
up
position,
the
pumping
of
the
hand
pump
is
much
harder
compared
to
the
action
when
in
neutral
position.
In
up
position
poppet
valve
1
and
4
will
open
and
other
will
be
closed.
The
fluid
therefore
flow
through
poppet
valve
4
and
to
the
rod
end
of
the
actuating
cylinder.
The
piston
will
retract
and
force
the
fluid
from
the
Introduction
to
Aerospace
Engineering
Lab
5
9
cp
end
of
the
cylinder
through
poppet
valve
1
and
back
to
the
reservoir.
9.
When
using
the
hand
pump,
after
operating
the
landing
gear
to
the
up
position
(steps
5
–
7),
the
selector
valve
is
then
shifted
to
the
neutral
position.
The
landing
gear
is
observed
to
creep
.
Give
a
reason
for
this
observation.
The reason for the landing gear to creep downward is because when there is no
pumping action the hydraulic fluid is not pressurized and there is no up-lock
mechanism to lock secures the gear in up position.
10.
When
using
the
hand
pump,
after
operating
the
landing
gear
to
the
up
position
(steps
5
–
7),
stop
pumping
and
with
the
selector
valve
remain
in
gear
up
position.
The
landing
gear
is
observed
to
slide
down
after
a
few
minutes.
Give
a
reason
for
this
observation.
The design of this landing gear system has no up lock mechanism that will secure and
lock the landing gear strut when it is in the up position.
11.
The
warning
horn
is
a
safety
feature
included
in
the
landing
gear.
(i)
When
you
are
on
steps
8
–
10,
what
did
you
observe?
(ii)
What
conclusion
can
you
make
from
the
observations?
a) The warning horn will sound when the the throttle is pulled back(reduce
speed) when the landing gear is not lowered.
b) It is a saftey feature to prevent the pilot to land the aircraft (belly
down)when the landing gear is not fully extended and not in the down-
lock configuration.
12.
An
indicating
system
is
used
to
provide
a
positive
indication
on
the
position
of
the
landing
gear
and
operation
of
locks.
What
is
the
system
provided
in
this
trainer?
Green
light
indicates
landing
gear
down
and
locked
Red
light
indicates
landing
gear
is
up.
10
II.
Write
down
the
answers
to
the
following
questions:
1.
Write
down
the
type,
colour
and
name
of
the
hydraulic
fluid
used
in
the
system?
The
hydraulic
fluid
used
in
the
system
is
a
Mineral
Base
Fluid
(MIL-‐H-‐5606).
It
consists
of
high
–
quality
petroleum
and
usually
dyed
red
colour.
2.
Name
two
other
types
of
hydraulic
fluids
that
we
can
use?
Vegetable
based
Fluid(MIL-‐H-‐7644),
usually
mixtures
containing
castor
oil
and
alcohol
and
coloured
blue
or
blue-‐green
or
almost
clear.
Phosphate
ester-‐base
fluid
(MIL-‐H-‐8446).
It
is
synthetic
fluid
utilized
in
most
transport
aircraft
because
of
it’s
fire
resistance
properties.
The
continual
modification
to
the
formulation
of
Phosphate
based
fluid
has
resulted
in
utilization
of
Type
I,
II,
III,
IV.
Current
example
of
type
IV
are
Skydrol
LD-‐4
and
Sydrol
500B-‐4,
and
are
coloured
purple.
3.
Write
down
the
full
name
of
this
selector
valve
used
in
the
system.
The
selector
valve
used
this
system
is
the
Poppet
type
four
way
valve.
(See
diagram
Below)
4.
With
reference
to
the
sectional
view
of
this
type
of
selector
valve
(given),
explain
how
it
controls
the
positions
of
the
landing
gear
actuator
when:
(a)
Selector
valve
in
the
gear
up
position.
(b)
Selector
valve
in
the
gear
down
position.
(a)
When
the
Landing
Gear
selector
valve
is
moved
to
the
up
position,
poppet
valve
1
and
poppet
valve
4
will
open
and
the
others
will
be
closed.
Fluid
will
therefore
flow
through
the
poppet
valve
4
and
to
the
rod
end
of
the
actuating
cylinder.
The
piston
will
retract
and
forcing
the
fluid
from
the
cap
end
of
the
cylinder
through
poppet
valve
1
and
back
to
the
reservoir.
(b)
When
the
Landing
Gear
selector
valve
is
moved
to
the
down
position,
poppet
valve
2
and
poppet
valve
5
will
open
and
the
others
will
be
closed.
Fluid
will
therefore
flow
through
the
poppet
valve
2
and
to
the
cap
end
of
the
actuating
cylinder.
The
piston
will
extend
and
forcing
the
fluid
from
the
rod
end
of
the
cylinder
through
poppet
valve
5
and
back
to
the
reservoir.
Introduction
to
Aerospace
Engineering
Lab
5
11
5.
Name
two
other
types
of
selector
valves
which
may
use
in
the
aircraft
hydraulic
system.
Selector
valve
are
used
to
direct
the
flow
of
hydraulic
fluid
to
or
from
a
component
and
achieve
the
desired
operation.
The
two
other
types
are
Rotary
Valve
and
Spool
or
Piston
Selector
Valve.
III.
From
the
Internet
or
any
other
appropriate
source,
find
out
what
are
the
new
Developments
in
aircraft
braking
technology.
(New
material
for
brake,
new
method
of
brake
actuation)
The latest and most advance in brake material are the new Carbon Composite
Brakes. They weigh 40 % less and yet can function in even higher temperature with
more reliability than the conventional steel segment rotor brakes. Carbon composite
brakes have become a long-life, lightweight alternatives to steel brake since their
introduction to commercial aviation first used on the Concorde.
Carbon fibers are molded into a precise shape and the resulting disks are then baked
in special ovens, which introduce natural gas. The brakes material absorbs the carbon
given out by natural gas, making the brakes even denser with carbon. It can take up to
5 months to produce each carbon disk.
When rubbed against itself, carbon composite can perform excellently as a friction
material. Carbon also offers reduced maintenance cost as they would last longer
(1200-1500 landing) compared to the normal conventional steel brakes (about 1000
landings).They are 40 % lighter than conventional brakes. At the present time, it is
more expensive to produce the carbon composite disk brakes.
The latest in brake actuating technology is being implemented on the new Boeing 787
“Dreamliner”. It has decided to adopt the electrical system than the hydraulic system
(now most common) because it attempt to eliminate the potential delays associated
with leaking hydraulic fluid, leaking valve and other hydraulic failure. Brake
actuating technology using electrical system are much easier to monitor the brakes
and system status. Other advantage also include
Fault Detection and isolation.
Electrical monitoring of brake wear.
Ability to eliminate schedule visual brake wear inspection.
12
Reference
1. Micheael J. Kroes, Willism A. Watkins, Frank Delp. Aircraft Maintenance &
Repair. Sixth Edition. Macmillan/McGrraw-HillSchool Publishing Company,
1993.
2. “Undercarriage.” Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undercarriage>.
1st October 2008.
3. “Landing Gear” FIU Education
<http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/aero/flight14.htm.> 2nd October 2008.
4.
Introduction
to
Aerospace
Engineering
Lab
5
13
