Aeronautics and astronautics – Aircraft sustentation – Sustaining airfoils
Patent
1997-12-02
2000-01-18
Eldred, J. Woodrow
Aeronautics and astronautics
Aircraft sustentation
Sustaining airfoils
244219, B64C 350
Patent
active
06015117&
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a variable camber wing mechanism and in particular, although not exclusively, to a mechanical system for deploying leading edge lift enhancing surfaces for aircraft or marine craft wings.
Aerodynamics is but one discipline in the field of fluid dynamics and all technology for aerodynamic devices can be easily adapted to hydrodynamic use. In the following description wherever applicable, reference to an aircraft wing is intended to include reference to a marine craft wing.
The main constraints in aircraft design and in particular to the design of aircraft wings are the aerodynamic drag, space and mass (weight) parameters. Wing leading edge design is further constrained by the problems of ice build up, which can in extreme conditions cause the jamming of mechanisms and the failure of components.
A change of wing shape, varying the camber, permits the optimisation, in regard to aerodynamic lift and drag, of a wing section For different flight conditions, in particular, cruise, takeoff and landing.
One form of variable camber device is known as the Variable Camber Kreuger flap system. The aerodynamic surface deploys and unfolds from a position under and behind the D-nose of the wing to a position in front of and below the wing. Various improvements on the Kreuger system have been proposed but these generally require the use of multiple linkages. One such improvement is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,252 assigned to The Boeing Company and which discloses a variable camber system having a rotatable drive arm which operates a first and second linkage subassembly.
Another form of variable camber device is known as a slat system. A slat system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,402 assigned to The Boeing Company and uses a pair of curved tracks to translate and rotate the slat from a retracted position where it rests directly in front of the main wing to a forward and downwardly extended deployed position.
Such known slat and Krueger flap systems have a disadvantage in that their size restricts their usage to certain wing types. For example, supersonic aircraft have thin wings which will not accommodate either slat or Kreuger flap mechanisms. Further, both prior known slat and Kreuger flap mechanisms exhibit inefficient load bearing properties because of their thin vertical cross-sections, while both the Kreuger flap system and traditional slat techniques suffer from high mass and cost.
A disadvantage of the tracked variety of leading edge system is that the track pairs used to move the slats must be interconnected to give redundancy to actuators and to ensure balanced deployment. Considerable care must be exercised in the design of such systems to avoid asymmetric deployment which can cause locking of the mechanism.
Such known slat and Kreuger Flap systems suffer from ice ingress as they are not fully sealed against the weather.
It is therefore apparent that a need exists for a compact and simple wing variable camber mechanism that does not increase the profile of the wing during cruise flight and can function whilst one actuator is not working without the need for an interconnecting torque shaft. Such a system must also be structurally efficient so it can bear the aerodynamic loads with minimum mass, and achieve the preferred extension and rotation of the aerodynamic surfaces. Further it must be well sealed from ice ingress and it must achieve the function at low total cost.
It is an object of this invention to provide a variable camber device for aircraft and marine craft wings that mitigates at least some of the disadvantages of the known systems.
According to the present invention there is provided a variable camber wing mechanism comprising a main wing section having a leading edge, a slat member connected by at least two swing arm members to the main wing section, each swing arm member being pivotally connected to the main wing section at a first end thereof and connected to the slat member at a second end thereof and arranged to pass through an opening in the wing leading
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patent: 4880189 (1989-11-01), Day
patent: 5044580 (1991-09-01), Williams
Eldred J. Woodrow
Schindler Edwin D.
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