Polymer specified for landing gear hubcaps on Boeing 777 aircraft
Canadian Plastics
Of all the pieces of equipment involved in all the modes of transportation, very few are subjected to the extreme stresses regularly placed on aircraft landing gear.
Of all the pieces of equipment involved in all the modes of transportation, very few are subjected to the extreme stresses regularly placed on aircraft landing gear.
So when aerospace systems supplier Crane Aerospace & Electronics developed a new tire pressure monitoring system for the landing gear of Boeing 777 aircraft, they selected Victrex PEEK polymer for the hubcaps containing the system because of the material’s high temperature resistance, chemical resistance and mechanical strength.
“This unique combination of properties has allowed Victrex PEEK polymer to successfully displace metals, traditional composites and other plastics in a growing number of aerospace applications,” said John Walling, regional business manager for Victrex.
Weight also played a major factor in the selection of the PEEK material, according to Jeff Tonn, a design engineer at Lynnwood, Wash.-based Crane. “By specifying PEEK polymer, each hubcap now weighs less than 1.5 lbs. (7 kg),” he said. “With 14 wheels per plane, the weight reduction is considerable.”
A final advantage of the PEEK material, according to Walling, is that it can be easily fabricated into tight tolerance parts. “The hubcaps are injection molded, and a nominal wall thickness of 3.75 mm is thick enough to protect the hubcap from high impact events,” he said.
Victrex USA Inc. (West Conshohocken, Pa.); www.victrex.com; 484-342-6001
