Name: Peñaranda, Krist M.

Date: January 2020 Rating:

Subj/Sec: AMTE 132 – 10B Intr: Mr. Dean Chrysley Corpuz

1. Landing Gear Alignment, Support and Retraction.

A. Wheel alignment
Alignment of the main gear wheels is very important in that misalignment
adversely affects landing and take-off, roll characteristics, tire wear, and
steering during ground operations. Severe misalignment can cause
malfunction and failure of some of the major components of the landing
gear system. Alignment consists of checking and adjusting the toe-in or
toe-out configuration and the camber of the gear. The aircraft
maintenance manual normally specifies the amount of toe-in and camber
the landing gear should have. The torque links are also very important in
the alignment of the landing gear.
B. Support
The landing gear is generally supported by the aircraft's structure. The
wings spars, along with additional structural members, support and attach
the main landing gear to the wings on larger aircraft. Non-retractable
landing gear is generally attached to the aircraft structure by bolting the
landing gear struts to the structure directly. Retractable landing gear
systems must provide for the landing gear to move, so the upper shock
strut is attached to the air-frame using trunnion fittings, which are
extensions or shafts attached to the shock strut that mount into fittings
bolted to the airframe.
C. Small aircraft retraction systems
When the design speed of an aircraft becomes high enough that the
parasite drag of fixed landing gear is greater than the induced drag
caused by the added weight of the retracting system, retractable landing
gear becomes practical. Some smaller aircraft use a simple mechanical
retraction system, incorporating a roller chain and sprockets operated by a
hand crank. Many aircraft use electric motors to drive the landing gear
retracting mechanism and some European-built aircraft use pneumatic
systems. The simplest hydraulic landing gear system uses a hydraulic
power pack containing the reservoir, a reversible electric motor-driven
pump, selector valve, and sometimes an emergency hand pump along
with other special valves.
D. Large aircraft retraction systems
The actual system for retracting and extending the landing gear on large
aircraft is similar to that just described. However, there are several
additional features and components used because of the size and
complexity of the system.
Normally, large aircraft have wheel-well doors that are closed at all times
the landing gear is not actu¬ally moving up or down. Sequence valves are
used in the system to ensure the doors are opened before the landing
gear is actuated.

E. Emergency extension systems

Retractable landing gear systems must have a means of lowering the
landing gear if the primary method of lowering the gear fails. Because
there are many methods used to actuate the landing gear, this discussion
will be general in nature. Emergency extension systems generally use a
variety of methods to lower the gear. Some of the methods can include
mechanical, alternate hydraulic, compressed air or free-fall techniques to
lower the gear. In all cases, the emergency extension system's purpose is
to release the up-locks and move the gear to the down and locked
position.
2. Landing Gear Safety Devices
A. Safety switch
Most aircraft with retractable landing gear are equipped with a means of
preventing the retraction of the landing gear while the aircraft is on the
ground. If not, the landing gear would retract if the aircraft's hydraulic
system was powered and the gear handle was moved to the up position.
To prevent this from happening, a squat switch with a lever attached
prevents the gear control handle from being placed in the up position
when there is weight on the aircraft wheels. A switch connected to the
aircraft's landing gear senses whether the aircraft is on the ground or in
the air. If the aircraft is in the air, the switch pulls the lever away from the
gear handle so it can be placed in the up position. Some aircraft are
equipped with an override trigger that will manually pull the lever clear so
the gear handle can be moved to the up position.
B. Ground door clearances
Ground locks are used to secure the landing gear in the down position.
These locks are generally removed manually by ground personnel.
Ground locks are placed into position after the aircraft lands and are kept
engaged until the aircraft is ready for the next flight. The locks generally
consist of a pin inserted into the retraction mechanism in such a manner to
block the retraction of the landing gear.
C. Gear indicators
Position indicators, generally located close to the landing gear lever,
include green gear down and locked lights, a red gear door open light, and
red a gear disagreement light, but may use a red gear unsafe/in transit
light. Smaller airplanes do not use gear door open lights. General when
the gear is up and locked, all the lights will go out signaling that the gear is
up and locked. Switches or proximity probes at each gear position control
the lights in the cockpit.
D. Nose wheel centering
The nose wheel is equipped with centering cams located in the nose
wheel shock strut. These centering cams center the nose wheel when the
strut is extended after take-off. The nose gear will remain centered until
the weight of the aircraft, upon landing, compresses the strut moving the
centering cams away from their slots. This allows the wheel to turn as
commanded by the steering tiller or the rudder pedals.
3. Landing Gear Rigging and Adjustment
A. Types of brakes
There are two basic types of disc brakes in use today. For smaller aircraft,
on which brakes are used primarily as a maneuvering device and do not
require the dissipation of great amounts of kinetic energy, the single-disc
brake using spot-type linings has proven very effective
B. Gear door clearances
To set or check the gear door clearances, the airplane is first placed on
jacks. Once the main gear is properly adjusted in the retracted position,
the gear doors can be adjusted. This is usually done by setting the
retraction rod end at the gear door so the door will pull up tightly when the
gear is fully up. Over-tightening may result in door buckling. However, if
the door is too loose, it will gap in flight. All rod ends should be checked
for adequate thread engagement, for safety, and tightness of jam nuts
C. Drag and side brace adjustment.
The drag and side brace adjustments must be set so the gear stops in the
correct position and that the gear's alignment is set properly. Since
landing-gear systems are so different in construction always consult the
manufacturer's maintenance manual before performing any work on these
components.
D. Landing gear retraction checks
Landing gear retraction checks are performed as a part of hundred-hour
and annual inspections. They are also performed after replacement of
landing gear components or after an event that could damage the gear
such as a hard landing. To perform a retraction test, the airplane is placed
on jacks. Next the main gear is inspected for full travel from gear-down to
gear-up, which is accomplished by cycling the gear up and down while
watching for looseness, binding, and chafing of the gear or related parts.
The gear doors should be adjusted so that they pull up tightly when the
gear is fully retracted. If the doors are too loose, they will gap in flight.
Check all gear components for damage, for safety, and tightness.
4. Aircraft Breaks
A. Single disc brakes
Aircraft that must dissipate a relatively small amount of kinetic energy may
use single-disc brakes with linings made of an organic or metallic friction
materials. Many smaller general-aviation aircraft use a brake disc that is
bolted rigidly to the wheel and rotates between two brake linings mounted
in a caliper that is free to move in and out but is restrained from rotating.
When the brake is applied, a hydraulic piston moves out and clamps the
linings to the rotor disc.

B. Multiple disc brakes

When the tundra tire, with its large outside dimension and small inside
diameter, became popular just before World War II, an effective brake
was needed that would fit into the small diameter wheel. To gain the
maximum amount of friction area, stacks of discs were keyed to a torque
tube bolted to the wheel strut. Between each of these discs were thin
bronze- or copper-plated steel discs keyed to rotate with the wheel.
Hydraulic pressure forced an annular piston out against a pressure plate
that clamped the discs together, thereby slowing the wheel. This type of
brake had a very smooth action and provided high torque, but the thin
discs had a tendency to warp, requiring frequent manual adjustment to
compensate for disc wear.
C. Segmented rotor-disc brakes
The segmented rotor-disc brake is a multiple-disc brake in which the
rotating plates or rotors are made up of several segmented plates. The
space between the rotor segments and brake linings allow this type of
brake to provide improved brake cooling. Because this type of brake
cools more efficiently than other types of multi-disc brakes, it can provide
more efficient and longer braking action before the temperature limit of
the brake is reached.
D. Carbon brakes
Many aircraft employ multiple-disc brakes that use discs made of pure
carbon. The weight saving of carbon brakes is tremendous, and the heat-
dissipating properties of the relatively thick carbon discs eliminate the
need for extensive cooling periods after heavy braking. At present, these
brakes are used primarily on higher-performance military aircraft and jet
transport aircraft.