Aircraft landing gear assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12466549-B2
Application number	US-202318320443-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2023
Priority date	May 20, 2022
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

An aircraft landing gear assembly is disclosed including a leg assembly having a trailing arm configured to rotate about an axis and carry a wheel, a shock absorber coupled to the arm and enabled to dampen rotation of the arm about the axis within a normal operating range, and to limit the rotation of the arm about the first trailing arm axis to the normal operating range, and a fuse member coupled to the shock absorber. The fuse member is configured to fail in the event a vertical load on the wheel exceeds a pre-determined threshold, wherein failure of the fuse member allows the first trailing arm to rotate about the first trailing arm axis beyond the normal operating range.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An aircraft landing gear assembly comprising:
a first leg assembly comprising:
a first trailing arm configured to carry a first wheel and to rotate about a first trailing arm axis when the aircraft landing gear assembly is in an extended configuration;
a first shock absorber configured to dampen rotation of the first trailing arm about the first trailing arm axis within a normal operating range, and to limit the rotation of the first trailing arm about the first trailing arm axis to the normal operating range;
a first fuse member coupled to the first shock absorber, and configured to fail in the event a vertical load on the first wheel exceeds a pre-determined threshold, and
wherein the first trailing arm is coupled to the first shock absorber by the first fuse member such that failure of the first fuse member causes the first shock absorber and the first trailing arm to become decoupled and the first trailing arm to rotate about the first trailing arm axis beyond the normal operating range.

2 . The aircraft landing gear assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first trailing arm is coupled to the first shock absorber by the first fuse member such that failure of the first fuse member causes the first shock absorber and the first trailing arm to become decoupled.

3 . The aircraft landing gear assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first fuse member is located part way along the first trailing arm.

4 . The aircraft landing gear assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first trailing arm is configured to carry a single wheel only.

5 . The aircraft landing gear assembly according to claim 1 , wherein, failure of the first fuse member allows the first trailing arm to freely rotate about the first trailing arm axis such that at least part of the first wheel mounted to the first trailing arm is located above the first trailing arm axis.

6 . The aircraft landing gear assembly according to claim 1 , comprising:
a common pintle configured to mount the aircraft landing gear assembly to an aircraft and to rotate when the aircraft landing gear assembly moves towards and away from the extended configuration; a second leg assembly comprising:
a second trailing arm configured to carry a second wheel and to rotate about a second trailing arm axis when the aircraft landing gear assembly is in the extended configuration;
a second shock absorber configured to dampen rotation of the second trailing arm about the second trailing arm axis within a normal operating range, and to limit the rotation of the second trailing arm about the second trailing arm axis to the normal operating range; and
a second fuse member coupled to the second shock absorber, and configured to fail in the event a vertical load on the second wheel exceeds a pre-determined threshold, wherein failure of the second fuse member allows the second trailing arm to rotate about the second trailing arm axis beyond the normal operating range;
wherein the first and second leg assemblies are coupled to the common pintle, and the first and second trailing arms are configured to independently rotate about the respective first and second trailing arm axes.

7 . The aircraft landing gear assembly according to claim 6 , wherein the first and second leg assemblies are spaced apart from each other in a spanwise direction of the aircraft landing gear assembly.

8 . The aircraft landing gear assembly according to claim 6 , wherein, when the aircraft landing gear assembly is in the extended configuration, the first and second leg assemblies are spaced apart from each other in a lengthwise direction of the aircraft landing gear assembly.

9 . An aircraft comprising the aircraft landing gear assembly according to claim 1 .

10 . The aircraft according to claim 9 , wherein the landing gear assembly is mounted to the aircraft by a common pintle mounting such that the common pintle mounting rotates when the aircraft landing gear assembly moves towards and away from the extended configuration, the landing gear assembly further comprising;
a second leg assembly comprising:
a second trailing arm configured to carry a second wheel and to rotate about a second trailing arm axis when the aircraft landing gear assembly is in the extended configuration;
a second shock absorber configured to dampen rotation of the second trailing arm about the second trailing arm axis within a normal operating range, and to limit the rotation of the second trailing arm about the second trailing arm axis to the normal operating range; and
a second fuse member coupled to the second shock absorber, and configured to fail in the event a vertical load on the second wheel exceeds a pre-determined threshold, wherein failure of the second fuse member allows the second trailing arm to rotate about the second trailing arm axis beyond the normal operating range;

and wherein the first and second leg assemblies are coupled to the common pintle, and the first and second trailing arms are configured to independently rotate about the respective first and second trailing arm axes, and the first and second leg assemblies are arranged on the same spanwise side of a centreline of the aircraft.

11 . A method of operating an aircraft landing gear assembly, the aircraft landing gear assembly comprising:
a first leg assembly comprising:
a first trailing arm carrying a first wheel;
a first shock absorber; and
a first fuse member coupled to the first shock absorber;
wherein, during normal operation when the aircraft landing gear assembly is in an extended configuration, the first trailing arm rotates about a first trailing arm axis in response to a vertical load applied to the first wheel, the rotation of the first trailing arm being damped by the first shock absorber within a normal operating range, and being limited by the first shock absorber to the normal operating range; and wherein, in the event that the vertical load acting on the first wheel exceeds a pre-determined threshold, the first fuse member fails such that the first trailing arm rotates beyond the normal operating range, and wherein the first trailing arm is coupled to the first shock absorber by the first fuse member such that failure of the first fuse member causes the first shock absorber and the first trailing arm to become decoupled and the first trailing arm to rotate about the first trailing arm axis beyond the normal operating range.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein failure of the first fuse member causes the first shock absorber to become decoupled from the first trailing arm.

13 . The method according to claim 11 , the aircraft landing gear assembly comprising:
a second leg assembly comprising:
a second trailing arm carrying a second wheel;
a second shock absorber; and
a second fuse member coupled to the second shock absorber;
a common pintle coupled to the first and second leg assemblies, and rotatably mounted to an aircraft; wherein, during normal operation when the aircraft landing gear assembly is in the extended configuration, the second trailing arm rotates about a second trailing arm axis in response to a vertical load applied to the second wheel, the rotation of the second trailing arm being damped by the second shock absorber within a normal operating range, being limited by the second shock absorber to the normal operating range, and being independent of the rotation of the first trailing arm about the first trailing arm axis; and wherein, in the event that the vertical load acting on the second wheel exceeds a pre-determined threshold, the second fuse member fails such that the s

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Bishop Benjamin

Classifications

• B64D25/00

  Emergency apparatus or devices, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64C25/58

  Arrangements or adaptations of shock-absorbers or springs (shimmy-dampers B64C25/50) · CPC title

• B64C25/30

  emergency actuated · CPC title

• B64C25/12 Primary

  sideways · CPC title

• B64C25/10 Primary

  retractable, foldable, or the like · CPC title