AIAA 96 - 4038 Landing Gear Integration in Aircraft Conceptual Design

Landing gear integration is one of the more fundamental aspects of aircraft design. The design and integration process encompasses numerous engineering disciplines, e.g., structures, weights, runway design, and economics. Although the design process is well-documented, it appears not to have been automated for uses in multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) procedures. The process remains a key responsibility of the configuration designer. This paper describes the development of an MDO-capable design methodology focused on providing the conceptual designer with tools to help automate the disciplinary analyses, e.g., geometry, kinematics, flotation, and weight. The procedures are described and illustrated by application to a notional large subsonic transport aircraft, illustrating the methods and design issues.