I love vintage aircraft and as part of that passion I like to look at vintage prints for these aircraft.
A drawing that caught my attention was for a "Main Landing Gear Trunnion Nut" for a P-51 Mustang.
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| A P-51 Mustang at Chino Airport in Southern Californai |
In short, it's a big socket that tightens a big nut that holds the landing gear on the airplaane But what I found most interesting was how it was made.
The socket was made in two halves and welded together. The side intended to accept the ratchet is one piece, and the side intended to drive the nut is another piece.
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| An image of the two separate socket halves |
The square drive and 12-point drive geometry are made by broaching. And by making each half separately, it allows the tool clearance to create the geometry. (Not familiar with broaching? Here's a video that shows an example!)
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| The Welded Socket |
Given what I know of 1940s manufacturing, it was a clever way to tackle the problem and design for manufacturing.
Today, the part could be made by using EDM (Electro Discharge Machining), but I can see how the same process could be used to make the part.
