Effect of Coulomb friction on shimmy of nose landing gear under time-varying load

Abstract

A nonlinear dynamic model of nose landing gear (NLG) shimmy considering the coupling of time-varying load and Coulomb friction is proposed, and the effects of Coulomb friction on the shimmy stability under constant load, time-varying load and vertical motion are investigated. The results indicate that the anti-shimmy effect of the Coulomb friction is weakened under time-varying load. The coupling mechanism between time-varying load and Coulomb friction is mainly reflected in the change of Coulomb friction caused by vertical motion. Finally, the influence parameters of Coulomb friction are analyzed, which can provide guidance for the design of Coulomb friction of NLG under time-varying load. The above is of great benefit to the development of new and more robust shimmy suppression strategies.