Probable Causes Analysis of Aircraft Landing Gear Wheel Bearing Failure
Introduction
Aircraft landing gear is used to absorb the impact of the aircraft landing and take-off, reducing the acceleration impact on the aircraft’s fuselage, engine and other components, thus ensuring the safety of flight operation. One of the important components of landing gear is the wheel bearing, which is responsible for the rotation of the wheel. If the wheel bearing fails, the aircrafts landing gear may not work properly, which may cause serious flight accidents. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the cause of the wheel bearing failure and take measures to avoid the recurrence of similar accidents.
About the Case
Recently, a TN-1000 aircraft encountered problems during take-off. It was reported that the aircraft’s landing gear wheel bearing failed, which caused the aircraft to exit the runway. After landing the aircraft, the aircraft maintenance team found that the wheel bearing had cracked and burned. Therefore, a detailed investigation and analysis of the cause of this failure are necessary.
Potential Causes
1. Extreme temperature
In general, the operating temperature of wheel bearing is between -55 °C and 120 °C. If higher temperature occurs, the bearing may suffer thermal damage. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate whether there is a high temperature environment in the wheel bearing during the take-off of the aircraft.
2. Overload
The wheel bearing can withstand a certain amount of dynamic load and static load. If it exceeds the bearings load capacity, the bearing will be overloaded, which will cause the bearing to wear out quickly or even break due to bearing fatigue. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the bearing load at the time of the aircrafts take-off.
3. Structural design fault
There are higher requirements for wheel bearings in terms of size, load-bearing capacity and dynamic balance. If the wheel bearing is not designed according to the requirements, it is easy to cause its premature wear and damage during use. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the wheel bearing structure design and its load-bearing capacity to meet the requirements of the aircraft.
4. Poor lubrication or lubrication failure
With the development of aviation technology, wheel bearings require more and more precise lubrication and maintenance. Poor lubrication or lubrication failure will cause the wheel bearing to wear prematurely and break under excessive loads. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze and determine whether the aircraft wheel bearing meets the lubrication requirements, and whether the lubrication is sufficient before the aircraft takes off.
5. Debris invasion
The wheel bearing is a precision component and its surface is smooth, so it is more sensitive to debris invasion. If the bearing is invaded by debris, the bearing may be blocked, causing the bearing to overheat and damage. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze whether the wheel bearing of the aircraft is invaded by debris.
Conclusion
The wheel bearing defect incident of the TN-1000 aircraft is a typical flight safety incident. In order to ensure flight safety and prevent similar incidents from happening again in the future, it is necessary to analyze the possible causes of the wheel bearing failure incident, including high temperature environment, overload, structural design fault, insufficient lubrication or lubrication failure, and debris invasion. After analysis and comparison, the most reasonable fault can be found and the problem can be solved.
