PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Nosewheel braking trials?
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Old 22nd May 2010, 19:43
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Machdiamond
 
Join Date: May 2003
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The amount of weight transfer on the nose gear during braking is function of center of gravity height proportionally to the wheel base. On a motorbike it is certainly very high, not to mention that the center of gravity is not near the rear wheel to start with.

On a light prop aircraft with a relatively tall gear, nose gear weight fraction might go from 15% static to 30% at 0.3g deceleration (unless you pull on the stick to create more elevator drag and transfer weight back to the mains) but on a typical commercial aircraft, braking deceleration will shift weight on nose gear by only a few percent (8% static to 11% at 0.4g deceleration to give a number).

So the nose gear is 7-9 times less effective at braking than the main gear, and the nose wheel brake weight is better invested elsewhere.

I mean it is not a bad idea, it is looked at regularly but the math just does not work out except for a few particular situations.
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