Aircraft flap deployment system

Abstract

An aircraft flap deployment system has a track, a carriage supported by the track; an actuator operatively connected to the carriage for moving the carriage along the track between various carriage positions; a flap pivotally connected to the carriage and to a link such that each position of the carriage has a corresponding flap position; and a flap controller communicating with the actuator for controlling actuation of the actuator. In at least one carriage position, the flap is in an intermediate flap position at a negative flap angle and the actuator maintains the carriage and the flap in position. An aircraft wing assembly having the flap deployment system, an aircraft having the aircraft wing assembly, and a method for controlling a position of a flap of an aircraft are also disclosed.

Description

Technical field [0001] This technology generally relates to aircraft flap deployment systems. Background technique [0002] Most aircraft wings are provided with flaps attached to the rear of the wing body. A flap is a lift device that can be deployed to increase the lift and drag of the wing. The increased lift is useful during takeoff in order to achieve the amount of lift necessary for the aircraft to take off at a lower speed, which is lower than necessary in other situations. The increased drag is useful during landing because it slows the aircraft when it approaches the runway. However, this increased drag is not required during flight. Therefore, the flaps retract during the flight. [0003] During takeoff and landing, the flap pivots downward to have a negative camber formed by the lower surface of the wing and an increased positive camber formed by the upper surface of the wing. [0004] It has been found that under certain operating conditions, such as during cruise, i...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, most existing systems that allow such camber changes are very complex and therefore expensive

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