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View Full Version : Pre-Spun-Up Wheels for landing ?


phiggsbroadband
6th Feb 2014, 16:43
With all the smoke and rubber which gets deposited at the touch-down points, I wonder if any aircraft have Pre-Spun-Up Wheels.
If the aircraft lands at say 120Kts, then a wheel which is already doing 110Kts would not wear out as much.
I realise that it would require additional wheel motors, but they need not be too large as they only need to slowly bring the speed up.

MarkerInbound
6th Feb 2014, 18:58
Been looked in to many times. Motors = weight + maintenance = cost. Molded fins on the side wall have been tried too. Turns out there's more wear on the tire from taxiing than landing. Plus issues of out of round tires spinning for minutes on approach. And many large planes "tap" the brakes as part of the retraction cycle. so then you have the tire fighting the brakes during retraction. Overall just not worth doing.

glendalegoon
6th Feb 2014, 19:07
it was tried on B17s during WW2. It wasn't worth the effort.a

you are trying to reinvent the wheel. Good Luck

westhawk
8th Feb 2014, 18:09
Besides, as softly as all us PPRuNe pilots touch down, how would we know we'd arrived if tires didn't bark a little?

ShyTorque
8th Feb 2014, 18:55
If you spin the wheels up in the air you are adding energy. That extra energy will have to be dispersed by braking after landing.