Full Scale Fatigue Test of New Undercarriage for Commuter Aircraft

Fatigue testing of the new main landing gear for the PZL M28 aircraft was conducted in Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze Sp. z o.o. in Mielec using MTS Aero 90-LT system. The test was conducted in a flight-by-flight manner with loads resulting from landing, taxiing, maneuvering and braking. The undercarriage structure is made of high tensile strength low alloy steel. FEM analyses were performed before the tests in order to find critical points and to obtain information about loads which may be neglected. During the test fatigue damage was observed, which led to splitting the test into two separate tests performed in independent rigs: the test of the undercarriage leg and the test of the shock absorber.