Method and device for controlling coupled forward and aft doors of an aircraft landing gear bay

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017166300-A1
Application number	US-201615374652-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 9, 2016
Priority date	Dec 11, 2015
Publication date	Jun 15, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system for the control of the door assemblies of a bay of a landing gear of an aircraft, that is retractile and is able to be deployed, the opening of the bay for the landing gear being able to be closed by a forward door assembly and an aft door assembly, comprises a coupling mechanism of the forward door assembly and the aft door assembly, that is configured such that the aft door assembly is not completely closed, but is ajar, as soon as the forward door assembly is opened during the deployment of the landing gear and the aft door assembly is completely closed at the complete closing of the forward door assembly when the landing gear is retracted.

First claim

1 . A method for control of door assemblies of a wheel well for landing gear of an aircraft that can be retracted and deployed, an opening of the wheel well for the landing gear to pass through being adapted to be closed by a forward door assembly and an aft door assembly,
the method comprising a coupling phase comprising coupling the forward door assembly and the aft door assembly so that the aft door assembly:
is not completely closed, but is ajar, as soon as the forward door assembly is opened during deployment of the landing gear; and
is completely closed on complete closing of the forward door assembly during retraction of the landing gear.

2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the coupling step comprises mechanically coupling the aft door assembly and the forward door assembly.

3 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , applied to a landing gear wheel well in which:
the forward door assembly comprises a left forward door and a right forward door, the two forward doors rotating symmetrically about respective lateral axes; and the aft door assembly comprises a left aft door and a right aft door, the two aft doors rotating symmetrically about respective lateral axes, wherein the left aft door is coupled to the left forward door and the right aft door is coupled to the right forward door.

4 . The method as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the coupling step comprises preventing the aft doors of the aft door assembly from being completely closed when the forward doors of the forward door assembly are not completely closed during the retraction of the landing gear.

5 . A system for control of door assemblies of a wheel well for landing gear of an aircraft that can be retracted and deployed, an opening of the wheel well for the landing gear to pass through being adapted to be closed by a forward door assembly and an aft door assembly, the system comprising a mechanism for coupling the forward door assembly and the aft door assembly that is configured so that the aft door assembly:
is not completely closed, but is ajar, as soon as the forward door assembly is opened during deployment of the landing gear; and is completely closed on complete closing of the forward door assembly during retraction of the landing gear.

6 . The system as claimed in claim 5 , for a landing gear wheel well in which:
the forward door assembly comprises a left forward door and a right forward door, the two forward doors rotating symmetrically about respective lateral axes; and the aft door assembly comprises a left aft door and a right aft door, the two aft doors rotating symmetrically about respective lateral axes, the system comprising: for each of the two forward doors, at least one actuator articulated, on one side, to the landing gear wheel well and, on another side, to the forward door assembly concerned, the actuator causing opening and closing of the forward door assembly concerned; and for each of the two aft doors, at least one connecting link articulated, on one side, to the landing gear and, on another side, to the aft door assembly concerned, the connecting link causing opening and closing of the aft door assembly concerned in conjunction with deployment and reaction of the landing gear,
wherein:
the connecting link is a spring link adapted to be elongated spontaneously;
the coupling mechanism comprises two mechanical couplings respectively coupling the aft door assembly with the forward door assembly on a same side, each of the mechanical couplings including a torsion bar parallel to rotation lateral axes and mounted to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the torsion bar relative to the landing gear wheel well, the torsion bar inhibiting spontaneous elongation of the spring link when the coupled forward and aft doors are closed and allowing the elongation when the forward door is opened, thereby leading to the aft door remaining ajar.

7 . The system as claimed in claim 6 ,
wherein each of the mechanical couplings further comprises abutments respectively fastened to the forward doors and the aft doors cooperating with transverse fingers fastened to ends of the torsion bar.

8 . The system as claimed in claim 7 ,
wherein the transverse fingers are respectively in contact with the abutments when the coupled forward doors and rear doors are closed and escape from the abutments when the actuator opens the forward door.

9 . An aircraft including at least one landing gear wheel well that can be closed by a forward door assembly and by an aft door assembly,
wherein, for control of the door assemblies, the aircraft comprises a system as claimed in claim 5 .

10 . The aircraft as claimed in claim 9 ,
wherein the landing gear wheel well is that of nose landing gear of the aircraft.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sas

Inventors

• Cros Christian
• Phalippou Jérôme
• Mialhe Christophe
• Peres Jacques

Classifications

• B64C25/16 Primary

  Fairings movable in conjunction with undercarriage elements · CPC title

• B64C25/20

  mechanical · CPC title