Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analysis of Bifurcation Loci Characterizing Nonlinear Landing-Gear Dynamics

A methodology is developed to efficiently, yet accurately, determine the uncertainty bounds of the bifurcation loci of nonlinear dynamic systems subjected to parametric variations. The chosen approach makes use of numerical continuation, higher-order singular-value decomposition, and surrogate modeling. The technique is demonstrated on a representative model of an aircraft undercarriage, where the effect of uncertainty in the structural parameters is propagated onto the prediction of the conditions for the onset of shimmy. Comparison with numerical integration results demonstrates the accuracy of the methodology.