Realistic Evaluation of Landing Gear Shimmy Stabilization by Test and Analysis

An experimental and analytical program for prediction of airplane landing gear shimmy stability is outlined. The method makes use of laboratory shimmy tests on a flywheel which simulates the runway and a landing gear mounting structure which simulates the fuselage. Differences between the laboratory tests and airplane tests are detailed. Because of the latter differences, the prediction of airplane results is carried out by an experimentally verified analysis rather than a direct application of the laboratory test results. The analytical model is outlined including the tire mechanics. Samples of correlation between analytical results and experimental results ( laboratory and airplane ) are given.