Month in the Patent Office: A Selection of the More Important Aircraft and Engine Specifications Published Recently

Abstract

A retractable divided‐axle typo undercarriage comprises a landing‐wheel supported by a triangular frame, one of the members of which is provided between its ends with a breakable joint controlled by a jack which is operated by hydraulic or other means so that this member can be short‐ened after the manner of a perambulator hood support to retract the landing‐wheel. As applied to a cantilever low‐wing monoplane, a wheel 1 is supported by an axle 6a, a shock‐absorbing leg 5, and a radius rod 7. The members 5, 6a are pivotally connected to a front spar 3. The radius rod 7 comprises a part hinged at 7b to rear spar 4 and at 7d to a part 7a pivoted at 7c to the outer portion of the telescopic strut 5. Joint 7d is extended or broken by the action of a ram 8 and in the fully extended position of the radius rod this joint locks slightly over the dead centre, as shown in full lines in the figure. For retracting the wheel a uniform pressure is applied to the ram piston, the ram exerting a progressively greater effort as the radius rod turns about its pivot 1c, thus compensating for the increasing moment the mass of the wheel, axle, etc., about the pivots on spar 3. In the fully retracted position the wheel 1 projects partly below the contour of the wing, in which position the stub axle rests on a rigid abutment so that the craft may be landed with the wheel redacted without suffering severe injury. A fairing to each wheel may be provided.

Citation

(1934), "Month in the Patent Office: A Selection of the More Important Aircraft and Engine Specifications Published Recently", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 6 No. 3, pp. 90-90. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb029789