1. Optimization of a Nose Landing Gear Link
Oumaima kabbach
École Nationale d’Aérotechnique

2. Optimization of a Nose Landing Gear Link
The idea of this mechanical component derives from the quality inspection course that I had last year.
In one of our classes, the goal was to inspect a nose landing gear Link which had a heavy structure, and therefore is not very efficient in the aeronautical industry.
As a result, I have decided to base my project on the development of a lighter and stiffer structure, by suggesting an optimal geometry for this link.

3. Once I had most of the dimensions needed I started my 3d model using CATIA V5 Part design Workbench.

4. While making the 3D model, I found out that the link should be simplified before its optimization. I used part design for the final design, and the following figure gives a glimpse of what it looks like:

5. While remaining in the virtual, I used Solid Thinking Inspire which is a software that allows me to investigate structurally efficient concept quickly and easily. I took the result , opened it in Catia and redesigned the final version of the link using Imagine and shape which is a great tool dedicated to the creation of shapes in a very fast and easy way.
Solid thinking inspire result
Imagine and shape result

6. As we can see, there is a significant difference mass wise; the mass of the link has decreased by more than half the initial one.

7. The final step is to make some mechanical tests to compare the results between the first and the final link. That was possible by the help of generative and structural analysis which allows to perform first order mechanical analysis for 3D systems rapidly. vs
131004,977 psi

8. And as known, Aluminium Alloy T3 ’s yield is σy= psi, as we can see, the stress applied on the initial link is higher than the final one: we have a comparison of ,977 psi versus 32371,512 psi based on Von Mises Yield Criterion, which proves that the final link has a stiffer structure.
131004,977psi

9. Conclusion
CATIA V5 has helped me during the entire process of the project to make the optimization possible. It has started with a simple link to end up with a completely different one.
Based on the stress tests, it can be proved that the final link has a lighter and stiffer structure, which was the main goal of this project.