Aircraft pneumatic Systems

Aircraft pneumatic Systems

• Pneumatic means air

• The working medium is air
• The principle operation is as same as that of hydraulic
system
• The air in this pneumatic system is compressible.
• In hydraulic system as soon as the accumulator has been
used when the pump is not used the fluid drops from
accumulator
• In Pneumatic system air storage bottles are
used to store the pressure
• The air in the pneumatic system has to be
clean by means of filters and also keep free
from moisture and oil droplets
• For this reason liquid separators and chemical
dries are used in this system
• Another important reason of this system is that
there is no return valves
• After the compressed air has served its purpose
it can be dumped overboard by valves
 Typical air pressure system

• Used to provide pressurized air for

pneumatic system.
 Types of Typical air pressure
system

• High pressure system

• Medium pressure system
• Low pressure system
 High pressure system
• For high pressure systems air is usually stored
in metal bottles
• Pressure ranging from 1000 to 3000psi
• Has two valves
• Charging valve and
• Ground operated compressor
 Medium pressure system
• Pressure ranging from 100 to 150psi
• Does not include air bottles

• Draws air from jet engine compressor section

 Low pressure system
• Pressure ranging less than 100 psi
• Used in reciprocating types of aircraft
• Driven by electric motors or by aircraft engine
 Typical pneumatic power
system
• Provides power to operation of landing gear
• Nose wheel centering
• Propeller brakes
• Main wheel brakes
• Passenger doors
• Compressed air is the working medium
passed to each and ever systems and
subsystems
• Power is delivered to two systems primary or
emergency system
• Power section –portion of each engine nacelle
• Each nacelle consists of shuttle valve and
relief valve
• Power section provides compressed air to
primary system and stored in two storage
bottles
• Then it regulates air as per the requirements
for operating components
Power boost system
• Used in high
landing speed aircraft
Landing gear systems
Landing gear design vary from
simple to very complex
retractable systems involving
many hundreds of parts
 Types of landing gears
Three types

Tricycle type
Conventional type
Tandem type
Three common types of landing
gear
 Purpose of Landing Gear
• To provides structural support to the aircraft
for ground operation
• To provides maneuverability for ground
operation
• To provides a mean to absorb unusually loads
incurred during landing and ground operation
Design considerations

Picture from www.allstar.fiu.edu

 Design considerations
• Maximum strength
• Minimum weight
• High reliability
• Overall aircraft integration
• Low cost
• Airfield compatibility
 Design consideration
• Landing Gear should locate near the center
gravity (CG) of the plane
• CG location are depended on aircraft
configuration, loading, fuel state.
 Tri cycle type
• Nose wheel and two main gear assemblies.
• It keeps fuselage in level attitude when the
aircraft is on ground
 Convectional type
• Two main wheel assemblies ,one on each side
of the aircraft and a tail wheel.
• Used in older aircrafs
 Other classifications
• Non absorbing landing gear
• Shock absorbing landing gear
• Fixed gear
• Retractable gear
• Hulls and floats
 Non absorbing landing gear
• Non-shock absorbing struts made from steel,
aluminum, or composite material transfer the impact
forces of landing to the airframe at a non-damaging
rate. Rigid. Before the development of curved spring
steel landing struts, many early aircraft were designed
with rigid, welded steel landing gear struts.
• Temporarily store the energy and quick return to the
aircraft
 Rigid landing gear

Rigid –helicopters and sail planes

It provides cushion to the ground contact
 Shock landing gear
• It is made up of gears –struts of steel tubing
mounted in such that stretching action is
applied
• When the landing occurs the cord is stretched
thus storing the impact energy of landing
• The stored energy is returned to the aircraft
during landing
Shock absorbing landing gear
• Dissipates impact energy of landing through
some means
• Forces a fluid through restriction.
• The moment of force generates heat
• Heat is radiated to the atmosphere
• Two types
• Spring –oleo types
• Air –oleo types
 Fixed gear

• Non retractable landing gear is called as fixed

gear
• Attached to the structural members of the
aircraft, but is not actually fixed but it must
absorb stresses therefore the wheel must move
up and down while landing and Taxing
 Retractable gear
• Developed to eliminate the amount of drag caused
during landing
• The landing gear is completely retractable
• It can be fully drawn into fuselage or wings
• The direction of retraction varies.
• Some aircraft retraction takes place in rear
• Some aircraft retraction towards wing tips
• In some aircrafts the landing gear folds in fuselage
• The method of retraction also varies .
• In modern aircraft usually have a gear that is
power operated
• The retraction is normally hydraulic or electric
power
• Emergency system are used when the main
system fails
Landing gear component
• Landing gear assemblies are made of various
components.
Components of retractable landing gear are
• Pivot Trunnion.
• Trunnion beams.
• Brace .
• Torque links and brace
• struts
• Drag brace.
• Positioner
• Axle
• Equalizer
• Lower inner cylinder
• Upper outer cylinder