FEA Cyclic Symmetric Fatigue Analysis of Aircraft Wheels 2002-01-3001
The objective of this paper is to describe an approach that uses Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for performing efficient fatigue analysis of aircraft wheels.
In general, a FEA of an aircraft wheel requires a complete three dimensional, 360° finite element model. Rather than analyzing a rotating wheel, a stationary wheel model is used to describe the rotating wheel's stress history. The stress history is developed by applying a load at successive, angular positions around the wheel. While simpler than analyzing a rotating wheel, this method still requires a large number of FE solutions.
This study looks at an alternative approach that takes advantage of the cyclic symmetry that is common in most aircraft wheels. Cyclic symmetry allows a wheel to be described as a repeating section and it can minimize the number of FE solutions required to develop a wheel's stress history. This paper addresses the nature of cyclic symmetry and the extent to which it may be utilized.
