TOUGH AS HERCULES

TOUGH AS HERCULES

Landing gears to an aircraft are what claws are to an eagle. They are the only parts that support the entire aircraft when it takes off or lands.

起落架——撑起机身的大力士

人们常常羡慕雄鹰翱翔长空的洒脱，却忽略了它们行走在陆地上的姿态。若拿振翅高飞的雄鹰比喻飞机，那么起落架便是那刚健有力的双足。它是唯一一种支撑整架飞机的部件，因此是飞机不可或缺的一部份；没有它，飞机便不能在地面移动。

Text and translation by Jean Lin Photos by Zeng Jian

Why do planes have feet?

1. To assist an aircraft in standing and parking, 2. To make an aircraft taxi when it takes off or lands 3. To withstand the gravitational forces when an aircraft lands and to shorten the stopping distance by the way of brake pads. Take the A380 or B747 for example, the four main landing gears need to bear the weight of 560 tons when the aircraft is still parked. The weight will sharply increase to 1000 tons when the plane taxis or accelerates forcefully.

飞机为什么要长脚？

1.支撑停放状态的飞机；

2.起飞时的滑行；

3.着陆时承担重力加速度，同时利用轮轴里的刹车片缩短滑跑距离。以380或者747为例，飞机静止时，机身上的四个主起落架需要承受560顿的重量，而飞机加速滑行时，承受的重力则增至1000吨。

How Tough are They?

Take the A380 as an example, the mirror surface of the shock absorber is sprayed with liquid material under a temperature of about two thousand degrees, which greatly improves the hardness of the shock absorber. Meanwhile, the tyres are very special because they can endure temperatures below -40 degrees Celsius or above 71 degrees Celsius.

起落架的材质有多牛？

南航目前最大的客机A380的实用轮胎的载荷达了到每个能承受七万磅之重的强度。这种轮胎的材质极为特殊，能够承受-40℃以下和71℃以上的苛刻条件，其爆破压力高于额定内压4倍以上。

Two-axle, Four-wheel Main Gear of Boeing 787 Aircraft

波音787双轴四轮主起落架

Landing gears help allocate average weight to each wheel. This greatly disperses the impact force generated by the contact between the wheels and the runway when the aircraft takes off and lands.

日趋完美的起落架结构及分布形态，不仅可将结构重量平均分配到每个轮子上，还可以分散飞机起飞降落时轮子与地面接触时造成的冲击力，同时也降低了对跑道的要求。

Most advanced aircraft nowadays adopt a “fly-by-wire system” and “avionics integrated system” to operate landing gears. These systems are more accurate and more efflcient.

目前起落架控制系统方面已经采用了电传操纵技术和起落架电子综合控制技术，通过计算机控制整个起落架的收放，从控制的角度而言，它更精确，效率更高，故障率更低，位置也更准确。

Wheel机轮

The airplane is equipped with wheels for taxiing on the runway. All wheels are installed with tubeless tyres, with good toughness and high durability. They help to absorb heat from impact or friction. Each wheel will bear up to 70,000 tons of load when the aircraft lands. They will also produce the necessary braking force to effectively stop the aircraft.