Project reference number: IST-FP6-2002-Aero-1-502793-STREP Adaptive Landing Gears for Improved Impact Absorption ADLAND

Date of preparation: 20 March 2003 Type of instrument: Specific Targeted Research Project Thematic Priority: 4. Aeronautics and Space Priority Call identifier: FP6-2002-Aero-1,

List of Participants:   Abbreviated name Full name Status in the project Country 1 IFTR Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Warsaw Research institute Co-ordinator Poland 2 EADS EADS Deutschland GmbH, Military Aircraft, Munich Industrial end-user Germany 3 PZL Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze, Mielec Industrial end-user Poland 4 IA Institute of Aviation, Warsaw Research institute Poland 5 FhG-ISC Fraunhoffer Institute, Wuerzburg Research institute Germany 6 CEDRAT CEDRAT Technologies, Grenoble SME company France 7 USFD University of Sheffield, Scheffield University U.K. 8 MD Messier-Dowty Industrial end-user France

Co-ordinator Name: Jan Holnicki-Szulc Co-ordinator organisation: Institute of Fundamental Technological Research Co-ordinator e-mail holnicki@ippt.pan.pl Co-ordinator tel/fax +48 22 828 7493

The ADLAND project deals with evaluating the options for adaptive shock absorbers to be applied in aircraft landing gears. Based on analytical design procedures to be developed different potential design options will be simulated. From a best practice solution determined, the different hardware components regarding adaptive shock absorbers will then be developed and will then be tested with regard to an adaptive landing gear model. The objectives of the project are: to develop a concept of adaptive shock-absorbers to develop new numerical tools for design of adaptive vehicles and for imulation of the adaptive structural response to impact scenario to develop technology for actively controlled shock-absorbers applicable in landing gears (two options: MR fluid-based and piezo-valve-based will be considered) to design, produce and perform repetitive impact tests of the adaptive landing gear model with high impact energy dissipation effect. to design, produce and test in flying the chosen full-scale model of adaptive landing gear. Typically, shock absorbers are designed as passive devices with characteristics adjusted to the most frequently expected impact loadings. However, in many cases the variation of real working conditions is so high, that the optimally designed passive shock absorber does not perform well enough. Variation of impact conditions affecting landing gears in various landing conditions is a good example of such a situation. Actively controlled characteristics of shock absorbers seams to be the desired solution in this case. In contrast to the passive systems the proposed research focuses on active adaptation of energy absorbing structural elements where the system of sensors recognises type of impact loading and activates energy absorbing components in the scenario that guarantees optimal dissipation of impact energy. The term "active adaptation to impact" refers to the methodology used to formulate laws that determine the required signal produced in response to the measured output of the sensors (e.g. radar or accelerometers). This control signal is sent to the actuators (e.g. tuning characteristics of Magneto Rheological Fluid or driving piezo-valves), thereby applying corrections of mechanical properties of structural members.