Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 2 hrs ago
Laser process aims to repair and strengthen aircraft landing gear
Researchers in Germany developed a laser-based method to repair and strengthen aircraft landing gear.
Landing gear parts face heavy forces, friction, weather and chemicals, which can wear down or corrode their surfaces.
When damage goes beyond what routine maintenance can remove, replacing a part can be costly and keep an aircraft out of service.
The process deposits metal and smooths it in one step, using a hard roller on the fresh, still-warm coating instead of a separate finishing operation.
It is designed to use less heat than conventional methods, which could help protect the properties and shape of high-strength aircraft parts.
Researchers are testing whether the repairs can withstand realistic loads, using actual landing gear geometries.
They are also developing a laser-based check of coating quality, but the method still needs further work before it can meet aerospace standards.
Researchers at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT have developed a laser-based process to repair and strengthen aircraft landing gear.
The process combines high-speed laser metal deposition with roller burnishing in a step called Simultaneous Coating and Roller Burnishing.
Using a hard roller on the still-warm deposited metal can smooth and strengthen it without a separate finishing operation.
Researchers are testing the method on real landing gear geometries under representative loads, and it still needs further development to meet aerospace standards.
- Who
- Researchers at Fraunhofer ILT developed the process, with input from Liebherr-Aerospace.
- What
- A laser-based method combines metal deposition and roller burnishing to repair and strengthen landing gear.
- When
- The article was published on November 13, 2026. Testing is ongoing.
- Where
- At Fraunhofer ILT in Germany, with testing on real landing gear geometries.
- Why
- Landing gear components face heavy forces, friction, wear and corrosion. Repairing them could avoid costly replacement and keep aircraft out of service for less time.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Fraunhofer ILT researchers devised a high-speed variant of laser metal deposition for aircraft landing gear.
The team combined laser deposition with roller burnishing in the SCaRB process.
Researchers are testing durability on real landing gear geometries under representative loads.
- Institution
- Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT
- Country
- Germany
- Process
- Simultaneous Coating and Roller Burnishing (SCaRB)
- Laser method
- Extreme High-Speed Laser Material Deposition (EHLA)
- Inspection method
- LAwave, laser-induced surface acoustic wave spectroscopy
- Article publication
- November 13, 2026
What people are saying
What matters is whether the process is suitable for real landing gear components under load, including their materials, damage patterns and repair limits,
The key for us is to use the layer while it is still warm, rather than finishing the EHLA coating in a separate operation afterward,