Skid landing gear having at least one damper, and aircraft including the skid landing gear

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9926074-B2
Application number	US-201514963399-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2015
Priority date	Dec 11, 2014
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to landing gear of an aircraft, the landing gear having skids and cross-members. The landing gear has at least one damper device arranged on at least one of the cross-members referred to as a “damped” cross-member. The damper device includes two stroke-transfer means hinged to the damped cross-member and to a fuselage of the aircraft. Each stroke-transfer means comprises a crank hinged to the damped cross-member and a link rod hinged to the crank and to the fuselage. A damper is hinged to each crank.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Landing gear for an aircraft, the landing gear having a first longitudinal support skid and a second longitudinal support skid together with a cross-member referred to as a “front” cross-member and a cross-member referred to as a “rear” cross-member, each cross-member extending transversely between the first skid and the second skid, the landing gear having at least one damper device arranged on at least one of the cross-members that is referred to as a “damped” cross-member, wherein the damper device comprises:
stroke-transfer means referred to as “first” stroke-transfer means and stroke-transfer means referred to as “second” stroke-transfer means, each stroke-transfer means being hinged to the damped cross-member and being suitable for being hinged to a fuselage of the aircraft;
each stroke-transfer means comprising:
a crank hinged to the damped cross-member by a hinge referred to as a “first” hinge defining a first longitudinal pivot axis, the crank being provided with a first segment extending from a first free end to a first root, the crank being provided with a second segment extending from a second free end to a second root secured to the first root, the first free end having a hinge referred to as a “second” hinge defining a second longitudinal pivot axis; and
a link rod extending from a first end zone to a second end zone, the first end zone being hinged to the second free end by a hinge referred to as a “third” hinge defining a third longitudinal pivot axis, the second end zone having a hinge suitable for being fastened to the fuselage and referred to as a “fourth” hinge which defines a fourth longitudinal pivot axis; and

a damper hinged to the second hinge of the first stroke-transfer means and to the second hinge of the second stroke-transfer means.

2. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein the first stroke-transfer means and the second stroke-transfer means are identical.

3. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein a first distance in elevation lies between the first pivot axis of one of the stroke-transfer means and the second pivot axis of that stroke-transfer means, a second distance in elevation lies between the third pivot axis of that stroke-transfer means and the fourth pivot axis of that stroke-transfer means, and the first distance in elevation is greater than the second distance in elevation.

4. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the hinges is a ball joint hinge.

5. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the hinges comprises a laminated bearing.

6. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein at least one crank is L-shaped.

7. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein the first hinge of each crank is connected to a junction between the first root and the second root of that crank.

8. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein a first distance in elevation lies between the first pivot axis of one of the stroke-transfer means and the second pivot axis of that stroke-transfer means, a transverse length lies between the first pivot axis of that stroke-transfer means and the third pivot axis of that stroke-transfer means, and the first distance is equal to the transverse length.

9. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein a first distance in elevation lies between the first pivot axis of one of the stroke-transfer means and the second pivot axis of that stroke-transfer means, a transverse length lies between the first pivot axis of that stroke-transfer means and the third pivot axis of that stroke-transfer means, and the first distance is different to the transverse length.

10. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein the first stroke-transfer means and the second stroke-transfer means are arranged on either side of an antero-posterior plane of symmetry of the damped cross-member.

11. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein the second segment of the first stroke-transfer means extends transversely from the first hinge of the first stroke-transfer means towards an antero-posterior plane of symmetry of the damped cross-member, the second segment of the second stroke-transfer means extending transversely from the first hinge of the second stroke-transfer means away from the antero-posterior plane of symmetry.

12. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein the second segment of the first stroke-transfer means is arranged, while in flight, in alignment with the second segment of the second stroke-transfer means.

13. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein the first segment of the first stroke-transfer means, the first segment of the second stroke-transfer means, the link rod of the first stroke-transfer means, and the link rod of the second stroke-transfer means, when in flight, are parallel to one another.

14. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein the damped cross-member has a first downward branch secured to the first skid and a second downward branch secured to the second skid, with a central portion that extends between the first and second branches, and each stroke-transfer means is hinged to the central portion.

15. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein the damped cross-member has a single fastener system for fastening to the fuselage.

16. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein the damped cross-member has two fastener systems for fastening to the fuselage.

17. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein the damper is a hydraulic damper.

18. Landing gear according to claim 1 , wherein the damper is a damper including a viscoelastic member.

19. An aircraft having a fuselage, wherein the aircraft includes landing gear according to claim 1 attached to the fuselage, each fourth hinge being hinged to the fuselage.

Assignees

• Airbus Helicopters

Inventors

• Cranga Paul

Classifications

• B64C25/60 Primary

  Oleo legs · CPC title

• B64C25/52 Primary

  Skis or runners · CPC title

• B64C2025/325

  specially adapted for helicopters · CPC title