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Main landing gear with variable length drag brace

  • US 4,720,063 A
  • Filed: 09/30/1985
  • Issued: 01/19/1988
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1985
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. In an aircraft:

  • frame means defining a landing gear stowage compartment, a first mounting station in an upper central portion of the stowage compartment, and a second mounting station in said stowage compartment which is spaced both horizontally and vertically downwardly from the first mounting station; and

    a landing gear that is retractable into and extendable out from said stowage compartment, comprising;

    a folding wheel strut comprising an upper portion having upper and lower ends and a lower portion having upper and lower ends;

    wheel means at the lower end of the lower portion of the wheel strut;

    means mounting the upper end of the upper portion of the wheel strut to said frame means at the first mounting station, for pivotal movement about a fixed first horizontal axis;

    means connecting the lower end of the upper portion of the wheel strut to the upper end of the lower portion of the wheel strut, for pivotal movement about a second horizontal axis that is parallel to said first horizontal axis;

    an extend/retract actuator means connected between the upper portion of the wheel strut and a third mounting station on said frame means spaced from the first mounting station in a direction horizontally opposite the second mounting station, for pivoting the upper portion of the wheel strut in position about said first axis, between an in use position in which the upper portion of the wheel strut extends substantially vertically downwardly from the first mounting station and a retracted position in which the upper portion of the wheel strut is within the stowage compartment; and

    a folding drag brace truss means interconnected between the lower portion of the wheel strut and the second mounting station, said folding drag brace truss means being movable in response to pivotal movement of the upper portion of the wheel strut, between an in use position in which said folding truss means extends in a bracing position between the second mounting station and the wheel strut, to brace and fully stabilize the landing gear, and a folded position in which the folding truss means is located within the stowage compartment, generally between the first and second mounting stations, said folding truss means functioning in response to pivotal movement of the upper portion of the wheel strut to move the lower portion of the wheel strut between an in use position in which it is substantially vertically aligned with the upper portion of the wheel strut, and both of said wheel strut portions extend substantially vertically downwardly from the first mounting station, and a retracted position within the stowage compartment in which the upper portion of the wheel strut extends from the first mounting station generally towards the second mounting station and the lower portion of the wheel strut is folded generally up against the upper portion of the wheel strut.

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