Hybrid HVAF Landing Gear OEM Fatigue Bar Coating

Fatigue testing is essential for landing gear components to guarantee their safety, reliability, compliance with regulations, and optimal design. It plays a critical role in the overall safety and performance of the aircraft, making it a fundamental aspect of the aerospace industry.

Standard landing gear OEM fatigue bars have a diameter of 3/8” (9.5mm).  The small diameter coated fatigues go through multiple high and low strain fatigue testing to ensure the viability and endurance of the applied coating.  It’s important to note that there is no universal standard for the size of fatigue bars.  The majority of landing gear OEMs choose to use a 3/8” (9.5mm) diameter fatigue bar, which is representative of their smallest diameter components.

As seen in the video our AH-06 torch can effectively spray Fatigue bars at a spray rate up to 62lbs/hr (28kgs).  Considering the high spray rate of our Hybrid HVAF torch, fatigue testing must be performed on multiple spray rates of 11, 22, 33, 44, 55 & 62lbs/hr. (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 & 28kg/hr.).

Fatigue testing is crucial for landing gear components for several reasons:

• Safety: Landing gear components are subjected to repetitive loading and unloading cycles during every flight. The stresses and strains imposed on these components can lead to the development of cracks over time. Fatigue testing helps ensure that these components can withstand the stresses they will encounter throughout their operational life without failing, which is critical for the safety of aircraft and passengers.
• Reliability: Landing gear components must operate reliably under various conditions, including different aircraft weights, landing speeds, and runway conditions. Fatigue testing helps identify potential weaknesses in the design or materials used in these components, ensuring that they meet the reliability requirements necessary for commercial aviation.
• Compliance with regulations: Aviation authorities such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have strict regulations and certification requirements for aircraft and their components. Fatigue testing is often a mandatory part of the certification process to demonstrate that landing gear components meet these regulatory standards.
• Predicting service life: By subjecting landing gear components to fatigue testing, engineers can estimate the expected service life of these components more accurately. This information is valuable for airlines and maintenance crews to plan maintenance schedules and replacement intervals, minimizing the risk of unexpected failures.
• Design optimization: Fatigue testing provides valuable data on how landing gear components behave under repeated stress cycles. Engineers can use this data to refine the design of these components, optimizing their shape, materials, and manufacturing processes to enhance their fatigue resistance and overall performance.
• Cost savings: Identifying and addressing fatigue-related issues during the design and testing phase is generally more cost-effective than dealing with failures and maintenance problems once an aircraft is in service. Fatigue testing helps identify potential problems early, reducing the risk of costly downtime and repairs.
• Performance under extreme conditions: Landing gear components must perform reliably not only under typical operating conditions but also under extreme conditions, such as emergency landings or hard landings. Fatigue testing helps assess how landing gear components behave under these adverse scenarios, ensuring their robustness and safety.

In summary, fatigue testing is essential for landing gear components to guarantee their safety, reliability, compliance with regulations, and optimal design. It plays a critical role in the overall safety and performance of aircraft, making it a fundamental aspect of the aerospace industry.