EMERGENCY GRAVITY FREE-FALL DEPLOYMENT SYSTEMS FOR RETRACTABLE AIRCRAFT LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLIES

摘要

Systems are disclosed to allow for the landing gear doors to be opened in the event of an emergency gravity free-fall landing gear deployment with little or no contact with the landing gear tires. The emergency gear extension systems according to the embodiments disclosed herein thus permit the free-fall movement of the landing gear to be synchronized with the opening of the associated gear doors. That is, according to the embodiments disclosed herein deployment of the landing gear assembly is time-delayed relative to the opening of the associated gear door(s). In such a manner, the landing gear assembly is synchronously released only after the associated gear door is in a safe position during its opening sequence thereby avoiding the risk that the gear door will jam the full extension of the landing gear during an emergency gear deployment due to contact between the landing gear tires and the gear door.

主权项

1. An emergency gravity free-fall landing gear deployment system for aircraft comprising:
a landing gear assembly moveable between retracted and extended positions; a landing gear door having a closed condition when the landing gear assembly is in the retracted position and movable into an opened condition to allow the landing gear assembly to be moved into the extended position; a landing gear uplock mechanism which includes an uplock actuator having a preset deadstroke limit such that movement of the uplock actuator within a range of the deadstroke prevents the landing gear uplock mechanism from physically unlocking the landing gear assembly and movement of the uplock actuator beyond the deadstroke limit unlocks the landing gear uplock mechanism from the landing gear assembly; and a free-fall landing gear synchronization system operatively connected to the landing gear uplock mechanism and the landing gear door, wherein the free-fall landing gear synchronization system includes:
(i) a first operational sequence upon actuation of the free-fall landing gear synchronization system during which the uplock actuator is moved within the deadstroke range while simultaneously the gear door is allowed to gravity free-fall from the closed condition toward the open condition thereof, and(ii) a second operational sequence which is time-delayed relative to an onset of the first operational sequence during which the uplock actuator is moved beyond the deadstroke limit to allow the landing gear assembly to gravity free-fall from the retracted position to the extended position thereof, whereby the first and second operational sequences of the free-fall landing gear synchronization system allow the gear door to be moved by gravity free-fall toward the open condition thereof in advance of movement by gravity free-fall of the landing gear toward the extended position thereof.