Landing Gear Structural Health Prognostic/Diagnostic System

A structural health monitoring / prognostic system for landing gear will be developed and demonstrated using load and other parameters as input data. Loads experienced by in-service landing gear assemblies will be measured by strain gaging and calibrating the landing gear"s attachment pins. Other parameters such as the internal strut pressures will be monitored to provide data on the need for servicing or repair. The strain gage instrumentation will be installed in interior of hollow attachment pins and load calibrated prior to installation on the aircraft. By installing the instrumentation inside the pins the strain gages will be protected from environmental damage and can be prepared and calibrated prior to installation. This arrangement of load measurement devices will be able to determine all the loads acting on a gear without requiring information from other aircraft data sources. By accurately measuring the in-service loads on the landing gear the fatigue damage on these safe-life designed components can be accurately determined thus avoiding unnecessary removal from service while maintaining safety requirements for these critical components.