Aircraft Ground Attitude and Stabilization for Varied Loading Conditions

Abstract

It is important to be able to predict cargo aircraft ground attitude and stabilization during loading of cargo in order to prevent possible damage to the aircraft. In the present study, two simultaneous equations with two unknowns were formulated according to the equilibrium conditions of all forces and moments; a nonlinearity was introduced into the equations to account for the load‐deflection characteristics of landing gears. Newton‐Raphson's method, an iterative approach, was employed to solve these two nonlinear equations. The number of iterations was controlled by the mean‐square error. The predictions of the vertical displacements at the supports and the angular rotation of the cargo floor would provide the information for stabilization requirements. More than 100 loading conditions were tested; no solution was divergent. The analytical approach proves very successful and efficient for this particular problem. Furthermore, the approach is adaptable to all cargo aircraft.