Reducing temperature, drag load and wear during aircraft tyre spin-up

Abstract

Purpose Due to the static condition of the wheels at touchdown, they skid on the runway, which may cause the tyres to burn and wear. This phenomenon occurs in a fraction of a second, known as the spin-up period. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new strategy to reduce the horizontal force, tyre temperature and wear during the spin-up period. Design/methodology/approach First, the dynamics of two different phases of landing, namely, spin-up and breaking phases, are reviewed. Second, a strategy to prevent excessive temperature and wear of the tyre is presented. Findings It is found that using a lubricant and coolant, such as water, at the spin-up stretch of the runway is a simple and practical solution to prevent excessive temperature and wear of the tyre. It is revealed that, despite increasing the spin-up period, the rise of the tyre temperature is eliminated and the material properties are preserved for effective braking. A rough quantitative analysis demonstrates that the wetting of tyres in the spin-up phase decreases the loads and tyre wear effectively. Practical implications Wetting the touchdown region of the runway without significant areas of standing water is the most practical strategy with the technology available today. Originality/value A new strategy is presented for landing with reduced tyre wear. It is the hope that this paper can inspire continuous efforts to realize the implementation of the strategy.