Nonlinear Grey-box Identification of a Landing Gear based on Drop Test Data

Abstract

In many aircraft applications, especially on an antiskid control design, it is important to understand and consider the gear walk phenomenon, which is characterized by the deflection on the landing gear structure due the high braking force acting at the tire contact with the ground. This phenomenon is observed on drop tests, and its prediction on landing gear design depends on an adequate evaluation of the equivalent stiffness and damping of the structure, which is difficult, since they depend on the mechanism configuration. In this paper, it is presented a grey-box identification methodology for estimating these parameters of the landing gear, based on simulated data of a drop test. As the drop tests are mandatory obligatory for certificating modern aircraft according to e.g. Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), we hope to introduce a method based on measurements that are available at the design phase. The method will be useful to decrease men/hour costs and increase reliability by enabling better and more accurate anti-skid design.