US1523675A - Folding landing gear - Google Patents

Description

E. H. TOWLE FOLDING LANDING GEAR Filed Sept. 24, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 1925- 11,523,675

E. H. TOWLE FOLDING LANDING GEAR Filed Sept. 24 1919 2 Shoots-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 20, 1925.

PATENT- OFFICE.

ELLINGWOOD H. TOWLE, 0F LARGHMONT, NEW YORK.

FOLDING LANDING GEAR.

Application filed September 24, 1919. Serial No. 326,003.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELLINGWOOD TOWLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Larchmont, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Landing Gears, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a folding landing gear for airplanes.

The primary purpose of a folding landing gear is, of course, to decrease the head resistance of 'the airplane. To this end 1t 15 an object of my invention to design a land ing gear which folds .up along axes substantially parallel to the longltudlnal axis of the fuselage, and in which the wheels, when folded, lie substantially horizontall along the bottom of the fuselage.

. In landing gear folding on a transversely extending axis, the shock of landing tends to fold up the gear. In a landing gear pivoted on a longitudinally extending axis, however, the shock of landing is transmitted directly to the axis and when the wheels are unfolded has practically no tendency tofold up the landing gear.

It is a further object of my invention to design a landing gear in which the pair of arms that function to raise and lower one landing gear frame are enclosed between or straddled by the pair of arms that operate the other landing gear frame. Such a construction permits the folding of the gear. The folding, however, of the two wheels is intended to be successive rather than simultaneous.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a. cover to cover up the landing gear when in its folded position sothat the fuselage presents a smooth exterior to minimize air resistance.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description proceeds.

In the drawings illustrating several embodiments of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a side View, partly in section, of an airplane fuselage showing certain parts of my landing gear.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2'2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view of the landing gear frame.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of a modification.

Figs. 6. 7 and 8 are a, front View, side view, and sectional plan respectively of one landing wheel and associated parts, in which the landing gear is made out of piping. Fig. 8 is taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of another modification.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of certain parts shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a view of a joint used in the modification shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

Referring now to the drawings, the airplane fuselage, indicated at 1, carries a pair of longitudinally extending beams 2 and 3, to which beams are attached the bearing plates 4. The landing gear frame comprises standards 5 connected by the horizontally extending portion 6 and braced by the diagonal braces 7. One of these frames is pivoted to each of the beams 2 and 3 on pivots 8 carried by the bearing plates 4. It will be apparent that the' frame may be folded up along a longitudinal axis. The bottom of the fuselage is suitably cut out, as indicated at 9, to allow the frame to fold upwardly into the same.

Each frame has mounted therein a landing wheel 10.

Rotatably mounted in suitable supports 11 is a threaded shaft 12 provided with a gear 13 meshing with a worm 14 carried by a shaft 15 pivoted in bearings 16, which shaft is manually rotatable by means of sprocket wheels 17 and 18 and chain 19.

Two of these threaded shafts are provided for each of the landing gear frames. Engaging with each of the shafts 12 by means of a threaded collar 20 is the operating arm 21, which is pivoted to the folding frame at the point 22. i

It will be apparent that rotation of the shaft 12 will lift the collars 20 and pair of arms 21 and draw up the landing gear frame.

The pair of arms 21, which are attached to collars 20 at their upper ends and to the other landing gear frame at their lower ends, are arranged outside of the arms 21 to straddle the same, as shown in Fig. 4. This feature is important, and permits the sucshown in dotted lines.

lowering arms, serve to brace the wheels fuselage is indicated at 1. against the shock of landing. It should lng frames 50 and 51 are pivoted at 52 and .also be noted that even if the wheels are 53 to suitable struts 54 and 55, positioned cessive foldin'g up of the two frames without Similar operating means are provided for interference.

arms 21 is, of course. folded up first. arms for that wheel on the other side, corre- The other landing gear is drawn up by sponding to 39 and 42, are on the outside means similar to the means just described, or straddle the arms 39 and 42. It should the shaft 15 and manually operating means also be understood that arms 39,42, 45, etc.,

. simply being duplicated on the other side of are duplicated at the front and rear of the landing gear 31, and similarly the come the fuselage.

spending parts attached to the frame 32.

As shown in Fig. 2, theleft-hand wheel and frame, which are drawn up by the arms 21 that are positioned on the inside, are shows the mo'dlficat on of Fig. 5 constructed drawn up first. After the wheel is in th'e out of tubing, and corresponding referencedotted position shown in Fig.2, then the characters indicate corresponding parts. wheel on the other side is drawn up to its The landing wheel 10 is. supported in a position so that the two are superposed. fork 47. i

It should be noted that the operating arms The modlficati-on shown in Figs. 9 and 10 21 in addition tofunctioning as raising and will now be described. In these figures the The wheel carrynot extended to their extreme position, by laterally of the fuselage, sothatthe pivot virtue of the rigid connection that would points are farther apart than shown in the be afforded by the arms '21 and threaded other modifications. The operating mechashafts 12, the shock of-landing will be fairly nism of these figures is precisely similar to well taken up in spite of this. that shown in Fig. 5and need not be repeated A door 23 sliding on guides 24 and ophere, the corresponding parts in the two figerated by a pair of cables 25 attached'at ures being indicated by corresponding ref- 26 and 27 slides back and forth to cover erence characters. The increased spacing the landing gear frames when folded up, between the pivot points 52 and 53 permits as shown in the dotted position in Fig. 2. the wheels 10 to assume the dotted position The cables 25 may be operated by a manually shown in Fig. 9, where they lie against the operated drum 28. 1 bottom of the fuselage without overlapping. Referring to Fig. 4, it will be noted that Sliding doors similar to the door 23, the inner pair. of arms 21 are offset, as indishown in Fig. 1, may be used with any of the cated at 21. This is topermit proper enmodifications shown. gagement of these arms with the appropriate In case the joint 41, Fig. 9, is made. out of pair of shafts,12, which must be positioned piping, the joint shown in Fig. 11 may be as shown to avoid interference with the leftused. Arm 42 may be provided with a hand frame 5 of Fig. 4. flattened portion 42 and arm 39 with a slot Referring now to the modification shown 39 to permit the arm 39 to assume the in Fig. 5, the wheels 10 are carried by frames dotted position shown in Fig. 11. 31 and 32 pivoted at 33 and 34 on axes ex- While I have shown a separate manual tending longitudinally of the fuselage, as in means for drawing up each landing wheel Fig. 1. The means for drawing up these frame, it should be understood that a single frames, however, is some-what different. In manual means could readily be provided to order to draw up the left-hand frame 31, two perform this function, it being so designed threaded shafts 35, only one of which is that it would draw up the two landing wheel shown in Fig. 5, are provided, positioned on frames successively, the frame to which is the same side of the fuselage as the frame 31. attached the inner pair of operating arms These threaded shafts are journaled in suitbeing the one to be drawn 'up first. able bearings and are rotated from the han- While I have illustrated certain embodidle 36 by means for the chain 37 and gears 38. ments of my invention, it should be under The frame operated by the the wheel on the other side; the operating 7 The construction shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 I An arm 39, pivoted at 40 to the frame 31, stood that it may be carried out in other I is pivoted at 41 to another arm 42 pivoted ways, and that accordingly the disclosure he at 43 to the bracket 44 carried by a beam 3 considered in an illustrative sense only.

of the fuselage. An operating arm 45 is I claim as my invention:

pivoted at the already described point 41 p 1. In a folding landing gear, a pair of to arms 39 and 42. At its upper end this frames pivoted to the fuselage, a wheel cararm 45 is forked and engages with the ried by each frame, a pair of operating arms threaded collar 46 that is mounted on the connected to each of said frames, so that threaded shaft 35. It will be apparent that one pair of said operating arms is posiwhen the shaft 35 is rotated, the left-hand tioned between the other-pair, and means to wheel 10 will be drawn up to the position actuate the operating arms.

2. In a folding landing gear, a pair of frames, each pivoted on an axis extending longitudinally of the fuselage, operating arms connected to each 'of said frames to draw them up, threaded shafts, means operatively connecting said operating arms to said threaded shafts, and means to rotate said threaded shafts.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in combination with means to cover the landing gear when folded.

4- In a folding landing gear, a pair of frames, each pivoted on an axis extending longitudinally of the fuselage, operating arms connected to each of said frames to draw them up, threaded shafts, means operatively connecting said operated arms to said threaded shafts, and means to rotate the said threaded shafts in combination with means to cover the landing gear when folded.

5. A retractible landing gear comprising a retracting worm, a threaded sleeve upon the worm, a substantially rigid member carrying at its lower end a landing wheel, connection between said member and the sleeve, and means for rotating the worm;

6. In a folding landing gear for aircraft, a pair of frames, each pivoted on an axis extending longitudinally of the fuselage of said aircraft, operating arms connected to each of said frames to draw them up or to extend them, threaded shafts, means operatively connecting said operating arms to said threaded shaft, means to rotate said threaded shafts, said operating arms and said frames being adapted to take all of. the shock of the landing of the aircraft when the landing gear is in an extended position.

7. In a folding landing gear for aircraft, a pair of frames, each pivoted on an axis extending longitudinally of the fuselage of said aircraft, operating arms connected to each of said frames to draw them up or to extend them, threaded shafts, means operatively connecting said operating arms to said threaded shaft, means to rotate said threaded shafts, said landing gear being so devised that none of the shock of landing of the aircraft is transmitted to the threaded shaft or to the connecting means when said landing gear is in extended position.

8. A retractible landing gear comprising a retracting worm, a threaded sleeve upon said worm, a substantially rigid member carrying at its lower end a landing wheel, an operating arm adapted to extend or retract said landing wheel, a connection between said operating arm and said sleeve, and means'for rotating said worm, said operating arm and said rigid member being adapted to receive the entire shock incident to the landing of the aircraft.

9.,A retractible landing gear comprising a retracting worm, a threaded sleeve upon said worm, a substantially rigid member carrying at its lower end a landing wheel, an operating arm adapted to extend or retract said landing wheel, a connection between said operating arm and said sleeve, and means for.rotating said worm, said operating arm and said rigid member being so designed that none of the-shock of the landing of the aircraft is transmitted to said connecting means or said retracting worm.

10. In combination, in a retractible landing gear for aircraft, a retracting worm, a threaded sleeve upon said worm, a substantially rigid member carrying at its lower end a landing wheel, operating means con nected to and adapted to retract or extend 11 said rigid carrying member, connecting means operatively connecting said threaded sleeve and said operating means for the purpose described, said rigid member and said operating means being adapted to receive all of the shock incident to landing of said aircraft.

11. In combination, in a retractible landing gear for aircraft, a retracting worm, a

threaded sleeve upon said worm, a substantially rigid member carrying at its lower end a landing wheel, operating means con nected to and adapted to retract or extend said rigid carrying member, connecting means operatively connecting said threaded sleeve and said operating means for the purpose described, said rigid member and said operating means being adapted to take all of the shock incident to the landing of said aircraft, none of said shock being transmitted to the connecting means or to said sleeve.

12. In combination, in a retractible landing gear for aircraft, a retracting worm, a threaded sleeve upon said worm, a substan tially rigid member carrying at its lower end a landing wheel, a hinged shaft connected to and adapted to retract or extend said rigid carrying member, a connecting shaft operatively connecting said threaded sleeve and said hinged shaft at its hinged portion to form a toggle joint, the two portions of said hinged shaft being adapted to form a straight line when the landing gear is in extended position, said hinged shaft and said rigid member being adapted to re ceive all of the shock incident to the landing of the aircraft.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ELLINGWOOD H; TOWLE.

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