Aerial refueling boom articulation

Details Aerial refueling boom articulation Aerial refueling boom articulation

1976-12-17

1978-02-07

Blix, Trygve M.

Aeronautics and astronautics

Aircraft structure

Fuel supply

141387, B64D 3900

Patent

active

040722830

ABSTRACT:
A flying refueling boom for an aerial tanker airplane, with a mechanism for moving the boom about different axes. The boom having a pair of aerodynamic surfaces formed into a Vee and known as ruddevators, for moving the boom about the following axes: a tiltable vertical axis for boom movement in a sideways direction or in azimuth; a lateral axis for boom movement in an up-and-down direction or in elevation; and a longitudinal axis for movement of the boom about a roll axis. The ruddevator control system includes a pantographing cable system for automatically changing the angle-of-attack of the aerodynamic surfaces and for alleviating air loads imposed by the receiver airplane, when it is imparting the movement of the boom during refueling engagement. The boom support system includes an articulation mechanism for combining a certain amount of boom roll motion as a function of azimuth movement of the boom; and a device for varying the ratio between the degree of roll motion change vs. the degree of azimuth change. The boom articulation mechanism accomplishes this without revising the existing pantographing system in the KC-135 tanker airplane, or its structure and functions to optimize the existing configuration to obtain the desired operating refueling envelope. Further embodiments depict boom articulation mechanisms for combining a predetermined amount of boom roll motion with sideward movement of the boom, while the tanker airplane is airborne, and thereby adapt the boom operating envelope to the different flight conditions of various types of receiver airplanes.

REFERENCES:
patent: 2386915 (1945-10-01), Spittler
patent: 2670913 (1954-03-01), Castor et al.
patent: 2859002 (1958-11-01), Leisy
patent: 2960295 (1960-11-01), Schulze

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