Vibration Test campaign performed on a Landing Gear System

Abstract

The landing gear system is one of the most critical systems of the aircraft. The need to design a landing gear with high performance, longer life and with a significant reduction in terms of weight, production and maintenance costs represents a real challenge for a sustainable future that Europe is heralding.This paper presents the results of the experimental campaign of vibration tests performed on the main and side landing gear system, in both extended and retracted configurations, to be installed on the AIRBUS Group/Helicopter RACER compound helicopter demonstrator and it is part of the Project ANGELA within the European Research Program Clean Sky 2 Fast-Rotorcraft.Furthermore, in this paper will be described the tailoring of the standard. The hybrid nature of the RACER, not envisaged in any of the categories of the standard, required a tailoring phase to test the landing gear systems in a conservative condition. Thus, it will be shown how this phase led to defining a test sequence, a test setup and the vibration loads. The test campaign, conducted with RTCA DO 160-G tailoring, is part of a wider experimental activity aimed at the development, production and qualification of processes and materials that will allow the landing gear system to achieve the “Permit to Flight”.