PINS AND BUSHINGS OF ARTICULATED LANDING GEAR LINKAGE JOINTS IMPROVEMENTS

THE COSTS OF REPAIRING WORN LANDING GEAR LINKAGE JOINTS IS PROHIBITIVE. SINCE WEAR IS SUSTAINED BY SOFT BUSHINGS INSTEAD OF HARD PINS, THE LANDING GEAR MUST BE DISASSEMBLED, THE BUSHINGS REMOVED, THE LUGS RENOVATED, AND THE GEAR REASSEMBLED. THIS PROPOSAL PRESENTS MEANS TO REDUCE THE COST OF JOINT REPAIRS. DISCUSSED ARE NO-WEAR SOLUTIONS (HARD BUSHINGS, HARD PINS); SOLUTIONS IN WHICH THE PINS WEAR RATHER THAN THE BUSHINGS (HARD BUSHINGS, HARD PINS WITH SOFT SURFACES); AND A NOVEL SOLUTION USING A FLOATING SACRIFICIAL INTERMEDIATE MEMBER (HARD BUSHINGS, HARD PINS, SOFT INTERMEDIATE MEMBERS). THE SYSTEMATIC SELECTION OF MATERIALS, SURFACE COATINGS, AND SURFACE TRANSFORMATION PROCESSES BY TRIBOLOGICAL ANALYSIS IS INTRODUCED, AND A PROGRAM FOR SIMULATION-TESTING OF EXPERIMENTAL PINS AND BUSHINGS IS DESCRIBED.