A New Design Solution for Aircraft Wheels that Reduces Overpressure in the Tire while Retaining its Absorption Power and its Dimensions

Abstract

It is well-known that high working overpressure in a tire adversely affects its service life, while a lower overpressure requires larger tire dimensions and weight. The goal of this research is to find the way to decrease the overpressure in a standard tire in order to increase its durability, while preserving or increasing its load-capacity and retaining the same geometric characteristics. This paper presents a new construction solution that consists of a standard (outer) tire and a smaller (inner) tire inserted in the standard one. This set of tires creates a unique kinetic energy absorption system that occurs when the aircraft lands in direct contact with the runway. During the aircraft hard landing, a large deformation of the tire occurs, i.e., the tire surface is drawn inward both in the cross-section and in the longitudinal section. In this case, the whole weight of the airplane is directed on the tire-shoulder, meaning that the actual contact surface is small. In the new solution, the inner tire prevents the standard tire from drawing inward and keeps it in contact with the runway during tire deflection. A comparative analysis of the change in deflection, track width, and stress distribution of a standard tire and a set of tires in the new solution is performed. It was shown that the new construction solution increases the tire track width by about 8 % and, therefore, the greater contact area between the tires and the runway. In addition, tire stress is decreased by about 40 %; therefore, it has higher tire durability, as well as the ability to absorb more kinetic energy by 56 % compared to a standard tire.