Problem

The suspension for the landing gear of an aircraft is shown. The wheel is attached to bar...

The suspension for the landing gear of an aircraft is shown. The wheel is attached to bar BC, which slides vertically without friction in housing A, which is fixed to the frame of the aircraft. The spring is precompressed so that it does not undergo additional deflection until the force supported by the landing gear is sufficiently large. Further, if the force supported by the landing gear exceeds a limit, the suspension "bottoms out" and deflects no more. Specify the spring stiffness and initial length if h = 18 in. for F ≤ 500 lb and h = 12 in. for F ≥ 1500 lb.