A flexible and deformable trailing edge variable camber rib

Abstract

The present application provides a trailing edge variable-camber wing rib that can be flexibly deformed, belonging to the technical field of variant aircraft structure design, wherein the wing rib includes a plurality of rib sections and connecting plates, and adjacent rib sections are connected front and back through connecting plates to form the airfoil shape of the wing rib, wherein each rib section has a flexible connection structure for flexibly connecting with adjacent rib sections, and the flexible connection structure can produce flexible telescopic deformation when subjected to load, so that relative rotation occurs between two adjacent rib sections, thereby realizing the change in the curvature of the trailing edge wing rib. The trailing edge variable-camber wing rib that can be flexibly deformed provided by the present application is constructed as an integral wing rib through a plurality of rib sections, and the rib sections are flexibly connected, which can significantly improve the flexible deformation of the rib edge strip, and obtain a larger curvature change and load-bearing capacity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of variant aircraft structure design, and in particular relates to a flexibly deformable trailing edge variable-camber wing rib. Background Art

[0002] A morphing aircraft is a new type of aircraft that can change its shape in real time as needed during flight to maintain optimal aerodynamic performance throughout the entire flight. The change in the camber of the wing trailing edge affects the lift-to-drag ratio of the morphing aircraft, and the load in the wing trailing edge area is relatively small, so the structural implementation is relatively easy.

[0003] In the wing ribs of the existing structure, when a mechanical structure is adopted, a large weight cost is paid, while when the structure or deformation capacity of the elastic material itself is used, the load-bearing (rigidity) is insufficient.

[0004] Therefore, a wing rib structure is needed to solve the contradiction between the large in-plane deformation of the flexible skin and the out-of-plane stiffness, the contradiction between the large deformation of the skeleton and the bearing capacity, and the problems of distributed drive and shape perception and control. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a flexibly deformable trailing edge variable camber rib to solve or alleviate the problem in the prior art that the trailing edge rib of the wing cannot meet the load-bearing requirements when obtaining a large camber change, or meets the load-bearing requirements but cannot achieve a large camber change.

[0006] The technical solution of the present application is: a flexibly deformable trailing edge variable-curvature wing rib, the wing rib comprising a plurality of rib sections and connecting plates, adjacent rib sections being connected front and back together via the connecting plates to form the airfoil shape of the wing rib, wherein each rib section has a flexible connection structure for flexibly connecting with adjacent rib sections, the flexible connection structure being able to produce flexible telescopic deformation when subjected to load, so that relative rotation occurs between two adjacent rib sections, thereby realizing a change in the curvature of the trailing edge wing rib.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present application, the connecting plate is connected to the chord plane of the middle rib of the rib segment.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present application, the flexible connection structure includes an outward toothed structure and an inward toothed structure provided on the rib edge strip, and the outward toothed structure and the inward toothed structure between two adjacent ribs are engaged with each other.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present application, it is characterized in that the number of teeth in the outward toothed structure and / or the inward toothed structure is not less than 10.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present application, it is characterized in that the thickness of the tooth piece is less than 1 / 6 of the thickness of the edge strip.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present application, it is characterized in that it also includes a telescopic driving device, which is arranged between two adjacent rib sections and controls the deflection angle of the rib section through coordinated control.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present application, the telescopic drive device includes a hydraulic actuator and a linear reciprocating motor.

[0013] The flexibly deformable trailing edge variable-camber wing rib provided in the present application constructs an integral wing rib through multiple rib sections and adopts flexible connections between the rib sections, which can significantly improve the flexible deformation of the rib edge strip and obtain a larger camber change and load-bearing capacity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution provided by the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application.

[0015] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a typical aircraft wing structure.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the variable camber trailing edge rib of the present application.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between adjacent rib nodes in this application.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a single rib section of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the implementation of this application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be described in more detail below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application.

[0020] like Figure 1 The figure shows a typical aircraft wing structure schematic diagram, where the main beam, front wall 1 and rear wall 2 constitute the main bearing structure of the wing, the trailing edge rib 3 is installed at the rear end of the rear wall 2 along the airflow direction, and the skin 4 is laid on the bearing structure to form an aerodynamic surface. The rib 3 located in the control surface area 5 needs to provide a larger deformation and bear a larger aerodynamic force.

[0021] To this end, the present application provides a trailing edge variable curvature wing rib that can be flexibly deformed. The trailing edge variable curvature wing rib is mainly composed of multiple sections of rib segments 31 connected front and back through a connecting plate 32 to form a rib structure that constitutes the rib shape. The first section of the rib segment 31 is fixedly connected to the rear wall 2 of the wing, and the rear section of the rib segment 31 is connected to the front section of the rib segment 31. The connection point is set at the chord plane position of the middle rib of each section of the rib segment 31, so that the rear section of the rib segment 31 can rotate relative to the front section of the rib segment 31 while basically keeping the rib shape surface from fluctuating greatly. A flexible connection structure is set on the front and rear edge strips of each rib segment 31. The rear section of the rib segment 31 and the front section of the rib segment 31 are flexibly connected through the flexible structure. When subjected to load, flexible telescopic deformation occurs, and adjacent rib segments produce relative deflection. According to the required curvature change of the trailing edge rib, the relative deflection of each adjacent rib segment is adjusted to achieve a large deformation of the rib.

[0022] like Figure 2 The figure shows a trailing edge variable curvature rib with 12 rib segments 31 according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the solid line portion is the rib shape in the normal state formed by the rib segments in the initial state, and the dotted line portion is the deformed rib shape formed by the relative rotation of multiple rib segments after being subjected to force.

[0023] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the last four rib sections can be regarded as one section due to their smaller overall structure. During the bending deformation, the rib sections in the last four sections do not rotate relative to each other, and the bending remains unchanged.

[0024] In one embodiment of the present application, the shape of the rib section 31 is similar to the cross-sectional shape of an I-beam. Two adjacent rib sections 31 are connected by a connecting plate 32. The shape of the connecting plate 32 can be similar to a structure with a single ear at one end and double ears at the other end. The single ear end of the connecting plate 32 is fixedly connected (for example, by riveting, screwing or welding) at the connecting hole of the web of the rear rib section 31, and the double ear end of the connecting plate 32 is hinged to the single ear of the previous connecting plate 32 at the connecting hole of the web of the front rib section 31, such as Figure 3 Or both ends of the connecting plate 32 are double-ear structures, wherein the double-ear structure at the rear is larger and fixedly connected to the web of the rear rib section, and the double-ear structure at the front is smaller and the fork ear opening is larger, which can clamp the web of the front rib section and the double-ear at the rear.

[0025] It should be noted that, according to the aerodynamic load borne by the trailing edge of the wing, the thickness of the web of each rib segment 31 and the thickness of the connecting plate 32 can be adjusted to adapt to or meet the aerodynamic load borne.

[0026] In one embodiment of the present application, the flexible connection structure includes an outward toothed structure and an inward toothed structure provided on the rib edge strip, and the outward toothed structure and the inward toothed structure between two adjacent ribs are engaged with each other.

[0027] For example Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a single rib segment 31 of an embodiment is shown, wherein a group of outward toothed or sheet-like structures 311 are provided at the connection position of the front edge strip of the rib segment 31, and a group of inward toothed or sheet-like structures 312 are provided at the connection position of the rear edge strip of the rib segment 31, the outward toothed structures are staggeredly meshed with the inward toothed structures of the front rib segment 31, and the inward toothed structures are staggeredly meshed with the outward toothed structures of the rear rib segment 31.

[0028] When the rear rib section 31 rotates around the connection point of the front rib section 31, the edge strip of the front rib section 31 and the edge strip of the rear rib section 31 are relatively displaced, and the staggered meshing toothed structures are bent and deformed and squeezed against each other, causing friction between the teeth. This squeezing and friction enable the edge strip of the front rib section 31 and the edge strip of the rear rib section 31 to be flexibly connected. Through such a connection, the bending elastic deformation of the toothed structure material can be converted into the flexible telescopic deformation of the rib strip, and the deformation amount is greatly increased. The flexible deformation of multiple rib sections 31 is accumulated, causing a significant change in the curvature of the entire wing rib. The edge strip of the front rib section 31 and the edge strip of the rear rib section 31 overlap at the connection position, and teeth are set on the overlapping length. If the distance between the two rib sections is L and the overlapping length is L1, the length of the edge strip of the front rib section and the edge strip of the rear rib section are both (L+L1) / 2. At the same time, the number of teeth is more than 10. When there is no relative displacement between the front rib edge strip and the rear rib edge strip, a little force is applied to engage the two sets of teeth. At this time, the friction force is very small. As the relative displacement increases, the greater the displacement, the greater the friction force.

[0029] It should be noted that the distance between the teeth should be uniform and consistent, and the gap between the two groups of teeth should be as small as possible to increase friction; there can be relative sliding between the two groups of teeth to increase the flexible deformation and energy absorption effect, but the bending deformation of the teeth should be controlled and not excessive.

[0030] In the present application, the length of the tooth piece can be adjusted according to the required movement stroke, or the thickness and surface roughness of the tooth piece can be adjusted according to the working load and friction requirements at the meshing part, or both can be adjusted. In one embodiment of the present application, the thickness of the tooth piece is less than 1 / 6 of the thickness of the edge strip.

[0031] In the present application, the trailing edge variable-camber wing rib also includes a telescopic drive device disposed near the edge strip between every two rib sections 31 for assisting in bearing the load. The telescopic drive device can be used to achieve precise control of the curvature shape of the trailing edge.

[0032] In some embodiments of the present application, the telescopic driving device may be a product or device such as a hydraulic actuator or a linear motor.

[0033] The flexibly deformable trailing edge variable curvature wing rib provided in the present application constructs an integral wing rib through multiple rib sections and adopts flexible connections between the rib sections, which can significantly improve the flexible deformation of the wing rib edge strip and obtain a larger curvature change. The curvature change of the trailing edge of the wing rib is large, the deformation is smooth, and the structural weight is relatively light.

[0034] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A flexibly deformable trailing edge variable camber rib, characterized in that: The wing rib includes a plurality of rib sections, a connecting plate and a telescopic drive device, and adjacent rib sections are connected together front and back through the connecting plate to form the airfoil shape of the wing rib, wherein each rib section has a flexible connection structure for flexibly connecting with adjacent rib sections, and the flexible connection structure includes an outward tooth structure and an inward tooth structure arranged on the rib section edge strip, and the outward tooth structure and the inward tooth structure between two adjacent rib sections are engaged with each other, and the flexible connection structure can produce flexible telescopic deformation when subjected to load, so that relative rotation occurs between two adjacent rib sections, thereby realizing the curvature change of the trailing edge wing rib, and the connecting plate is connected to the chord plane of the wing rib in the middle of the rib section, and the telescopic drive device is arranged between two adjacent rib sections, and the deflection curvature control of the rib section is realized through coordinated control.

2. The flexibly deformable trailing edge variable camber rib according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the outward-facing toothed structure and / or the inward-facing toothed structure, the number of tooth plates is not less than 10.

3. The flexibly deformable trailing edge variable camber rib according to claim 2, characterized in that: The thickness of the tooth piece is less than 1 / 6 of the thickness of the edge strip.

4. The flexibly deformable trailing edge variable camber rib according to claim 1, characterized in that: The telescopic driving device comprises a hydraulic actuator and a linear reciprocating motor.

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