ISSN 1068-7998, Russian Aeronautics (Iz.VUZ), 2012, Vol. 55, No. 4, pp. 348352. Allerton Press, Inc., 2012.

Original Russian Text S.A. Mikhailov, L.V. Korotkov, D.V. Nedelko, 2012, published in Izvestiya VUZ. Aviatsionnaya Tekhnika, 2012, No. 4, pp. 1518.

STRUCTURAL MECHANICS AND STRENGTH

OF FLIGHT VEHICLES

Analysis of Static Loading for a Helicopter Tubular Skid Landing Gear

a b b
S. A. Mikhailov , L. V. Korotkov , and D. V. Nedelko
a
Tupolev Kazan National Research Technical University, Kazan, Russia
b
OAO Kazan Helicopters, Kazan, Russia
Received July 6, 2011

AbstractWe compare the results of analyzing the stress strain state for the tubular skid landing gear
with regard for the physically and geometrically nonlinear scheme of deformation; the analysis is
carried out by the finite element method and with the aid of a special beam-type design model. The
analysis has been performed for a real helicopter design. The peculiarities of deforming the aircraft
structures of the type under study are shown based on the comparison results.
DOI: 10.3103/S1068799812040046
Keywords: helicopter, skid landing gear, landing gear spring, elastoplastic strains, nonlinearity, large
displacements.

The objective of the work has been to verify the design model of the helicopter skid landing gear
developed earlier for studying the dynamic loading of a structure at emergency landing. The main
theoretical principles for constructing the design model are presented in [1]. As was mentioned in [1], the
model is based on the geometrically nonlinear theory of the spatially deformable airfoil beams [2, 3]; in
this case, as a fundamental basis, use is made of the KirchhoffClebsch theory developed for analyzing
the beams that are nonlinear before deformation. To take into account the physical nonlinearity of
elastoplastic deformation of the landing gear material, use is made in the design model of the physical
relations connecting the bending moments in each design section of the tubular beam and the curvature
vector components based on the hypothesis of plane sections [4]. The system of resolving equations is
discretized by the general method of integrating matrices [5]. Figure 1 presents the general view of
a design model for the skid landing gear.
In disclosing the statically indeterminate design scheme by the force method, the imaginary cut of
the right-hand skid structure (in helicopter flight) in the cross-section corresponding to the points K1 and
K (Fig. 1a) is considered. Three unknown forces X ,..., X and unknown moments X ,..., X are
2 1 3 4 6

introduced at the imaginary cut location. The redundant reactions Rx 2 , Ry 2 , Rz 2 , Rx 4 are also
replaced by the unknown forces X 7 ,..., X 10 . The unknown forces X i , i = 1,...,10 are determined from the
strain compatibility conditions at the imaginary cut location or the condition of displacements in the
supports A2 and A4 being equal to zero.
In addition to the material presented in [1], let us consider in more detail the distinction in modeling
the landing gear springs and skids. The landing gear springs are modeled in the framework of
the geometrically nonlinear theory of the spatially deformable airfoil beams taking into account all
peculiarities of their work in the structure. In this case, the skids in the design model realize the
geometrical connection between the forward and back springs, taking part in redistributing the internal
force factors between as a part of the statically indeterminate structure. Skids do not by themselves
receive large displacements, which is confirmed by the experience of analyzing the structures of this type,
and their elastic strains remain within the scope of Hookes law. On these grounds, the approximate
scheme of taking into account the elastic strains of skids is introduced into the design model. This scheme
is similar to that presented in [6].

348
 ANALYSIS OF STATIC LOADING FOR A HELICOPTER TUBULAR SKID 349

Ry4
Rx4 X Y X10 X
Y B 4 X8
A Ry2
P M 4 Rx2 P M X7
R
Ry3 A2 z2 X9
B2 2 X2
B3 Rx3 X M
A
Ry1 P M X3 X6 X5 1 P
3 P M 3 Rx1 K1 P M O1 X4
O1 X4
Rz1 K2 X1
A1 X5 X6 X3
B1 Z Z X2
1 M (a) (b)
P P M

Fig. 1. Design scheme of the tubular skid landing gear structure.

Practically for all structures of the landing gear types being considered the skids are the circular metals
tubes of high stiffness, for which it is easy to determine the stiffness parameters: EJ x = EJ y = EJ S ;
GJ torq = 2GJ S , where J S is the moment of inertia for the tube cross-section.
By the action of forces and moments X i , i = 1,..., 6 concentrated in the imaginary cut cross-section, it
is easy to determine the increments of the rotation angles for the right-hand skid cross-section at the point
K1 , if it will be considered as a cantilever restrained beam [7]:
Qi ( l 2 )
2
Qi l 2 Ml 2 Mi l Ml 2 Mi l
Q = = ; Mbend = i = ; Mtorq = i = , (1)
2 EJ S 8 EJ S EJ S 2 EJ S 2GJ S 4GJ S
where Qi , M bend .i , and M torq.i are the corresponding shearing forces, bending and torque moments.
Under the assumption that the spatial angles 1 , 2 , 3 increments are small, we can determine
the total values of the cross-section rotation angles at the point K1 1 , 2 , 3 with regard for relations
(1) and forces X , i = 1,...,6 :
i

X 5l X l 2 X l X l 2 X l
1 = 1 + 1 1 + 3 ; 2 = 2 + 2 2 + 6 + 2 ; 3 = 3 + 3 3 + 4 , (2)
2 EJ S 8EJ S 2 EJ S 8EJ S 4GJ S
where 1 , 2 , 3 are the spatial angles of the back spring cross-section rotation at the point B1 (see Fig. 1a)
taking into account their orientation in the local axes of the skid cantilever being considered, l is the skid
length. Then the coordinates of the point K1 of the imaginary cut in the global axes O1 XYZ of the design
model can be calculated according to the formulas given in [6]:
l l l
X K 1 = X B1 + cos 2 cos 3 ; YK 1 = YB1 + cos 2 sin 3 ; Z K 1 = Z B1 sin 2 . (3)
2 2 2
The similar conclusions can be made for the right-hand skid cantilever from the side of the forward
spring (point B2).
Figure 2 presents the bending moment distribution diagrams for the landing gear skids in the
horizontal plane that, in the general case, are obtained in the following way:
for the right-hand skid it is obtained by summation of bending moment diagrams for each force X i ,
i = 1,...,6 in the corresponding plane and with the proper rule of signs accepted;
for the left-hand skid it is obtained by constructing the diagrams with account for the bending
moments acting along the edges of this skid { M x 3 , M y 3 , M z 3 } and { M x 4 , M y 4 , M z 4 } .
It should be noted that for the left-hand skid use is made of the similar scheme of taking into account
its elastic strains and geometrical mating at the points K 3 and K 4 (mating can be also made at the point

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350 MIKHAILOV et al.

B4 this question is not a matter of principle for this problem). To provide the geometrical mating of the
left-hand skid, we introduce the unknown boundary conditions C , C , C , C , C , C { that are the
x y z 1 2 3 }
integration constants of the main resolving equations for the forward spring [1], into the general number
of the main unknowns of the problem.
The finite element method was used to verify the design model developed and the corresponding finite
element model was composed, the fragment of which is shown in Fig. 3. The finite element model of the
skid landing gear was developed by V.P. Timokhin by using the MSC.Sofware (MSC.Patran 2008r1
preprocessor and MSC.Marc solver). The basic principles of the finite element simulation for the given
problem are presented in [8]. In this case, the landing gear springs are simulated by the two-dimensional
elements made of the elasto-plastic material with the failure criterion with respect to the maximum
permissible elongation. The finite element dimensions were chosen as a result of calculations, in which
we considered the influence of the element number in the circumferential and longitudinal directions on
the accuracy of the solution being obtained.

Mx4 My4 Mz4 A4

Y X
B4 A2
K
K3 4
Mx2
B2 My2
B3 A3
Mz2
Mx3 O1 A1
My3 Mx1 Z K1K2
Mz3 My1
Mz1 B1

Fig. 2. Scheme of taking into account skid elasticity. Fig. 3. The general view of the finite element model
of the skid landing gear.

To perform verification, we formed two abstract design cases, the loading schemes of which are
presented in Fig. 4:
1) each of the points B1 ,..., B4 is acted upon by the identical vertical conservative forces Py1 ,..., Py 4
equal to 2600 daN;
2) each of the points B1 ,..., B4 is acted upon by the identical vertical conservative forces Py1 ,..., Py 4
equal to 2600 daN and the longitudinal conservative forces Qx1 ,..., Qx 4 equal to 1000 daN.

(a) (b)

Fig. 4. Scheme of applying the external loads.

RUSSIAN AERONAUTICS Vol. 55 No. 4 2012

 ANALYSIS OF STATIC LOADING FOR A HELICOPTER TUBULAR SKID 351

The equal values of external loads on the forward and back springs of the landing gear to obtain the
substantial difference of their proper displacements are specified that is due to distinctions in their
stiffness characteristics. The external loads are specified in the global axes O1 XYZ of the design model.
Figures 5a and 6a present the calculation results according to the technique developed (curves) and the
finite element method (graphical marks) for design case 1. Comparison reveals the satisfactory agreement
of the results obtained.

(a) (b)

Fig. 5. Vertical displacements of the landing gear cantilever springs for design cases l (a) and 2 (b).

(a) (b)

Fig. 6. Maximum stresses in the landing gear springs for design cases l (a) and 2 (b).

According to the technique developed, in the zone of elastic strains of landing gear springs and at the
beginning of the development zone of their plastic strains, we have a slightly less values of the spring
cantilever displacements (Fig. 5a) in the O1Y axis direction. This fact takes place because this technique
does not take into account the influence of the shear strains on displacements of the design structure
cross-sections but the difference in the displacement values does not exceed 12 %. The satisfactory
coincidence of the bending stress values in the most loaded spring cross-sections (near the undercarriage
units A1 and A2) is also seen in Fig. 6a.
Figures 6b8 present the calculation results according to the technique developed and the finite element
method for design case 2 (notation is the same as for design case 1). Comparison reveals the satisfactory
agreement of the results obtained. A great number of design parameters is compared for the given design
case, since there is a great number of external loads directed along the different coordinate axes.

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352 MIKHAILOV et al.

(a) (b)
Fig. 7. Longitudinal displacements
of the landing gear spring Fig. 8. Vertical (a) and horizontal (b) reactions at undercarriage units A1 and A2
cantilever for design case 2. for design case 2

The slight disagreement of the calculation results is obtained for bending stresses (Fig. 6b),
displacements of the point B2 in the direction of the O1 X axis (Fig. 7) and the horizontal reactions Rx
values (Fig. 8b) that is explained to a greater degree by the approximate scheme used to consider
the elastic strains of the landing gear skids. It should be noted that the results obtained are characterized
by the quite adequate accuracy of engineering calculations.
Thus, the design model of the skid landing gear has been verified and can be used in further analysis.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was supported by the Federal Target Program Scientific and Scientific-Pedagogical Personnel of
Innovative Russia for 20092013 years (state contract no. P665 of May 19, 2010).

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