Advances on Main Materials and Forming Processes of Aircraft Landing Gear

As the primary load-bearing structure in the ground operations, landing gear is critical to flight safety and reliability. In this paper, the recent advances in the landing gear materials and manufacturing processes are reviewed. From the perspective of material, the optimization of strength, toughness, and corrosion resistance of the ultra-high-strength steel are summarized, the applications of the titanium alloy with high specific strength and excellent corrosion resistance in the lightweight design of the landing gear and the challenges are analyzed, and the application and technical bottleneck of composite materials as potential lightweight materials are discussed. In the perspective of the manufacturing process, The technical characteristics, advantages and limitations of the conventional forging technology are dissected, the potential of additive manufacturing, especially the wire-arc and laser-based techniques, in the integration of complex structures is discussed, and the additive manufacturing as a viable strategy to balance the performance and production efficiency is prospected. Finally, the major challenges and future trends of landing gear materials and manufacturing processes for high performance, reduced weight, improved cost-effectiveness, and enhanced reliability of landing gear are outlined.