Wheel for aircraft undercarriage - has air guide vanes protruding sideways so that air drives wheel in travel direction on landing

摘要

The wheel comprises a rim(1) accommodating the tyre(2), and a dish-section(3) joining the rim to the hub. The vanes(4) are mounted on the rim and/or dish-section, and protrude outside the area enclosed by the former. They offer resistance to the air flow, particularly when landing, so as to drive the freely-rotating wheel in the travel direction. The vanes can be arranged to swing out in the axial direction from the dish-section into the working position, being either pneumatically or mechanically actuated. Alternatively they can be fixed in position and formed by an insulated component fitted onto the dish-section. USE/ADVANTAGE - Aircraft wheel rotation system greatly reduces friction between tyre and runway on initial impact, with consequent longer tyre life.