GB1024455A - Retractable undercarriages for aircraft - Google Patents

Abstract

1,024,455. Aircraft undercarriages. ELECTRO-HYDRAULICS Ltd. March 24, 1964 [April 9, 1963], No. 14118/63. Heading B7G. A bogie wheel undercarriage for aircraft wherein the bogie is rotated during retraction to facilitate storage, is provided with means for varying the distance between the attachment points of a shock absorber to the bogie and to the aircraft whereby the inclination of the aircraft on the ground may be varied. A bogie 5 (Fig. 2, not shown), has a pivotal connection 11 with a shock absorber 7 which is connected to rigid structure through pivots 8, 10 and link 9, in turn connected by pivot 24 to a jack 23. In Fig. 2 the undercarriage is shown shortened, with jack 23 contracted, but when extended, shock absorber 7 and link 9 are aligned and locked in that position by a latch 18 mounted on rigid structure at 19 and actuated by a jack 20 to engage pivot pin 8. In the alternative construction (Fig. 4, not shown) the shock absorber 7 comprises a cylinder 32 pivoted at 33 to fixed structure and containing a cylinder 26 closed at 31 to form a piston. The cylinder 26 houses a piston 28 above a sliding tube 27 fixed at its lower end to bogie 5 and provided with a separator piston 30. As shown in full lines the shock absorber is fully extended and to lower the rear end of the aircraft it is contracted to and locked in the dotted-line position and subsequently extended by applying pressure fluid to the space above piston 31. To provide for conditions when a tail-down landing may be necessary the main leg 1, 2 is constructed to be shortened by the application of pressure fluid to contract the leg.