Ground Stability For Commercial Aircraft Operations

The starting point of this project was the idea of applying the bifurcation and stability methods on the aircraft ground stability.

It is important to ensure the aircraft stability for various operations such as stability on landing gears, jacks and wind conditions for standing and taxiing aircraft.

Weight and centre of gravity limits should be computed in order to ensure the crew and passenger safety and prevent damages during the manufacture, test and airline operations. The aircraft on the ground may experience severe wind conditions which can cause injuries and damages. Therefore, stability of a standing aircraft is crucial during operations.

In this study, two mathematical models are developed which are the rigid landing gear and the flexible landing gear models designed to approach the real aircraft conditions. The aim is to reflect the full dynamics of a standing aircraft experiencing wind, and determine its stability using linear techniques.

For an envelope of wind and wind acting angle, the stability is calculated. The conditions which turn a stable aircraft into unstable have been investigated. In the rigid landing gear model there is no viscous damping and tyre flattening, unlike the flexible landing gear model.

The results have been presented using a three-dimensional graph plotted by using the eigenvalue, the wind speed and the wind acting angle. The flexible landing gear model is found to be more robust in terms of stability.

This study has been submitted as my MSc thesis to Imperial College London and has obtained a distinction. For more information and questions please feel free to contact.