The E-Hawk airframe employs a conventional landing gear configuration (tailwheel-type) which consists of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel to support the tail. In this edition of the blog the E-Hawk team fabricates the main gear structure and suspension struts. We also install the wheels, rotors, and brake calipers. The tail wheel assembly will be fabricated and installed at a later date as will the brake lever and hydraulic lines.
The 4130 tubing for the gear leg is cut, coped, and placed into the welding jig.
The gear leg spreader is tack welded into place.
Both left and right gear legs partially welded.
Tabs that provide structural integrity to the landing leg attach point are tack welded into place. We will then heat the tab via oxy-acetylene torch and wrap it around the axle and finish welding the seams shut.
The wheel axle tube is temporarily slid into place to check the fit.
Aft gear attach tabs have been cut on the water jet are fit checked prior to welding.
Forward gear tabs will require some grinding to close the gap prior to welding.
The gear leg bottom mount will be the attach point for the strut. It's cut from 1/4" 4130 steel. It's clamped into place to ensure alignment with the upper gear strut mount.
Here is the upper gear strut mount clamped for alignment.
The strut mounts are now in position and will be permanently welded into place. Note the wheel axle runs all the way from the left leg to the right to ensure that the wheels will run parallel.
Right angle grinder is used to cut the wheel axle tube to the correct length.
Time to start working on the struts. These are spring holders.
Using the mill to cut slots into the strut spring tube.
One side is almost done. The tube will be flipped and a matching slot will be milled on the opposite side.
Checking to make sure that the slots were milled correctly and that the plunger slides freely.
We start to install the landing gear sub-assemblies onto the fuselage frame. The gear legs go on first.
The struts are temporarily compressed using clamps which makes it possible to attach both the top and bottom bolts through the strut mounts.
Left side gear is complete.
Front view of gear. Right side strut is up next.
Both sides are on with the gear supporting the fuselage frame for the first time.
Union break.
