Simulation model of an aircraft landing gear considering elastic properties of the shock absorber

Abstract For the investigation of elastic bending of the landing gear shock absorber of an aircraft under dynamic loads upon landing and subsequent braking during roll out, an MBS-based model of the landing gear is introduced. To separate effects of the elastic bending of the main landing gear the fuselage is considered rigid. After performing a flare with subsequent landing, the aircraft is stopped by means of an antiskid system. For comparison, an analytical-numerical study of a finite-element model of the main landing gear shock strut components is done for simple static and dynamic loads considering Bernoulli's hypothesis. Simulation of a rough-landing manoeuvre reveals that vibrations due to the elastic properties of the shock absorber not only increase loads on the components but significantly affect the braking process as well.