FEA Cyclic Symmetric Fatigue Analysis of Aircraft Wheels

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.