Tolerance Design and Robust Study for The Joint Clearances of Landing Gear Retraction Mechanisms.

Featured Application: Tolerance design is an essential process for a landing gear retraction mechanism. The results of the tolerance design would affect joint clearances, as well as the kinematic accuracy and robustness of the mechanism. The work presented here can be applied in the tolerance design of landing gear retraction mechanisms. It can also be used to analyze the kinematic accuracy and robustness of complicated mechanisms. Joint clearances inevitably affect the kinematic accuracy and robustness of landing gear retraction mechanisms. However, the complexity and uncertainty of the clearances lead to difficulty in establishing mathematic models and analyzing effects. In the interest of assessing the clearance effects on the kinematic accuracy of landing gears, an integrated tolerance theory is proposed in this paper. In the theory proposed, Jacobian–Torsor model is combined with robust analysis to establish the kinematic accuracy model and predict the influences of clearances. The overall steps to apply the theory presented in practice are given. A typical landing gear retraction mechanism is chosen for the case study and the results show that the tendencies of clearances can be observed. Through the process of tolerance design, robust study, and tolerance redesign, the kinematic accuracy is significantly improved. The integrated tolerance theory proposed and the study conducted will provide designers new insights for the clearance analysis of landing gear mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]