Custom Landing Gear Suggestions
Hello all,
I am part of a 6-student team from Louisiana State University that is competing in the 2018 SAE Aero West competition in April. We are designing a ~35-lb. RC aircraft capable of carrying about 18 lbs. of total payload, and dropping 4 payloads (2 lbs. ea., 8 lbs. total) onto a designated target. The gross aircraft weight will be roughly 17 lbs. with no payloads in them.
The aircraft contains a plywood/balsa fuselage, a foam core wing design with a carbon fiber spar, a carbon fiber spine, and a foam core tail. The wingspan is 11 ft. 5 inches long and the longitudinal depth is roughly 6 ft.
We are currently running into problems with landing gear. It is going to have to be custom made because we have been unable to find a main landing gear (specifically a carbon fiber one) that meets the dimensions we have come up with based on the Airplane Design, Part II book by Roskam.
We have been looking into aluminum as the material choice, but are concerned with aluminum's tendency to fracture under bending stress. We are looking for any and all advice concerning custom made main landing gear. As of now, we're thinking aluminum, cutting it into three parts, and welding it at the bends. This seems impractical, but may be our only option. Feedback greatly appreciated!