A wing structure and an aircraft comprising the wing structure

Abstract

This invention relates to a wing structure including a movable leading-edge slat and a winglet. The leading-edge slat has a slat tip, and the winglet has a winglet tip adjacent to the slat tip. The wing structure includes a deformable portion connecting the slat tip and the winglet tip, and is configured to deform when the slat is open to form a continuous, smooth transition between the slat tip and the winglet tip. This invention also relates to an aircraft including the above-described wing structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of aerodynamic lift enhancement devices for aircraft, and more specifically to a wing structure and an aircraft including the wing structure. Background Technology

[0002] Civil aircraft wings typically consist of leading-edge slats and winglets. Leading-edge slats are movable or fixed devices mounted on the leading edge of the wing, usually located in front of the main wing's leading edge. When deployed, they form a gap between the slats and the main wing, allowing airflow to pass through. Winglets are vertical or cantilevered surfaces mounted on the wingtips.

[0003] During takeoff and landing, the leading-edge slats of civil aircraft are deployed to delay stall and improve low-speed performance. Winglets effectively reduce the intensity of wingtip vortices, lower induced drag, and increase lift. However, after the slats are deployed and deflected downwards, the outer end face of the slat becomes discontinuous with the end face of the winglet, causing vortices to be dragged out from the outer end face. This affects the flow conditions on the winglet surface, leading to reduced winglet performance or even malfunction.

[0004] To avoid or reduce this situation, the main approach is to adjust and increase the winglet camber. Currently developing new technologies for winglets or other winglet shape changes primarily include shape memory alloy-driven winglet deformation and piezoelectric material-driven winglet deformation. This technology controls the aircraft's stall speed by controlling the camber configuration of the shape memory alloy. Other designs focus on adding specific components to change the winglet's cantilever angle. However, these solutions either use new materials or increase the complexity of the winglet structure.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention is expected to improve existing wing structures to improve the spanwise circulation distribution of the wing structure and thus reduce winglet separation. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the issue of flow disruption on the winglet surface when the leading-edge slats are open, this invention provides a wing structure that allows the leading edge of the winglet to deform with slat deflection while maintaining slat open, significantly reducing flow separation in the winglet.

[0007] Specifically, the wing structure includes a movable leading-edge slat and a winglet. The leading-edge slat has a slat tip, and the winglet has a winglet tip adjacent to the slat tip. The wing structure includes a deformable portion that connects the slat tip and the winglet tip and is configured to deform when the slat is open to form a continuous and smooth transition between the slat tip and the winglet tip.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the deformable portion includes a skin made of an elastic composite material, which is attached to the slats and winglets to form a continuous, smooth transition.

[0009] Advantageously, the deformable part includes a motion mechanism mounted inside the deformable part and configured to control the movement of the deformable part.

[0010] Optionally, the motion mechanism includes a telescopic universal joint mounted between the slat end and the winglet end to adjust the shape of the skin.

[0011] In an alternative embodiment, the deformable portion includes a nested motion mechanism comprising a plurality of nested sections having curved surfaces configured to form multiple segments of a continuous, smooth transition portion when the slats are opened.

[0012] The present invention also relates to an aircraft comprising the wing structure described above.

[0013] Additional features and advantages of the described wing structure will be set forth in the detailed description below, and will be recognized by those skilled in the art from the following description or from practice of the embodiments described herein, including the detailed description below and the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0014] With reference to the above objectives, the technical features of the present invention are clearly described in the following claims, and its advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention by way of example, without limiting the scope of the inventive concept.

[0015] Figure 1 A partial schematic diagram of a wing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0016] Figure 2 Partial schematic diagrams of a wing structure under different states according to an embodiment of the present invention are shown.

[0017] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the circulation distribution of a wing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0018] Figure 4 and Figure 5 The diagrams show a comparison of the flow distribution in winglet regions with different shapes at an angle of attack of 12°.

[0019] Figure Labels

[0020] 1, 1' Leading Edge Slat

[0021] 2 winglets

[0022] 3, 3' slat end

[0023] 4 small wing tips

[0024] 5 Deformable parts

[0025] 6' Skin

[0026] 7 sports organizations Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, but this should not be construed as limiting the present invention in any way.

[0028] In this article, the term "leading edge" refers to the edge of the wing that first comes into contact with the incoming airflow, while the term "trailing edge" refers to the edge of the wing that last comes into contact with the airflow.

[0029] The term "chord" as used in this article refers to the direction along the straight line (chord) connecting the leading edge (the foremost point) and the trailing edge (the furthest point) of the wing. "Chord" refers to the unfolding direction of the aircraft wing, which is perpendicular to the spanwise direction.

[0030] As used in this article, the term "outer" refers to the direction toward the wingtip, and "slat end" refers to the outer end of the slat, that is, the end toward the wingtip.

[0031] The term "continuous and smooth transition" as used in this paper refers to a transition section in which the boundaries at the junction of any two parts coincide without any abrupt change in geometric position.

[0032] This invention relates to a wing structure that improves the transition between the leading-edge slats and the winglets, reducing flow separation in the winglet section. For takeoff configurations of civil aircraft, reduced winglet separation shifts the load outward, improving the spanwise circulation distribution of the wing and thus improving the lift-to-drag ratio and climb gradient at the same lift. For landing configurations, it can also increase the lift coefficient at the same angle of attack.

[0033] Those skilled in the art will understand that the wing structure described in this invention is not limited to improvements on leading-edge slats and winglets, and that the wing structure described in this invention can be applied to the transition section between any two adjacent wings, if required.

[0034] Figure 1 A partial schematic diagram of a wing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The wing structure includes a movable leading-edge slat 1 and a winglet 2. The leading-edge slat 1 has a slat end 3, and the winglet 2 has a winglet end 4 adjacent to the slat end 3 at the leading edge.

[0035] In the prior art, when the leading edge slat 1 opens and deflects downward, the slat end 3 of the leading edge slat 1 protrudes from the winglet end 4, forming a discontinuous part. At this time, the circulation distribution of the wing along the spanwise position undergoes a large abrupt change at this discontinuous part, which leads to the premature separation of the flow at the winglet and thus poses risks such as stall.

[0036] To address the aforementioned problems as much as possible, in this invention, the wing structure includes a deformable portion 5 that connects the slat end 3 and the winglet end 4, and is configured to deform when the leading edge slat 1 is opened, so as to form a continuous and smooth transition portion between the slat end and the winglet end.

[0037] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, the deformable portion 5 includes a skin 6 made of an elastic composite material. The skin 6 is connected to a portion of the leading edge slat 1 and the winglet 2, and covers at least a portion of the slat end 3 and the winglet end 4 to form a continuous and smooth transition portion. In this embodiment, the skin 6 covers the area at the slat end 3 of the leading edge slat 1 and the area at the winglet end 4 of the winglet 2, but does not completely cover the leading edge of the leading edge slat 1 or the winglet 2, nor does it completely cover the seam between the slat end 3 and the winglet end 6, to avoid the skin 6 excessively affecting the opening of the leading edge slat 1. Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that this is only a preferred embodiment, and in other embodiments, the skin 6 can be constructed into other shapes according to actual needs, such as completely covering the seam between the slat end 3 and the winglet end 6, completely covering the leading edge of the leading edge slat 1, or completely covering the leading edge of the winglet 2, as long as the skin 6 is connected to a portion of the slat end 3 and the winglet end 4.

[0038] To create a smoother transition when the skin 6 opens the leading edge slat 1, the deformable portion 5 may further include a motion mechanism 7. The motion mechanism 7 is mounted inside the deformable portion 5 and configured to control the movement of the deformable portion 5. The motion mechanism 7 may include, for example, a telescopic universal joint, but may also be other deformable motion mechanisms mounted between the slat end 3 and the winglet end 4 to adjust the shape of the skin 6. Figure 2 As shown, during cruise, the leading edge slat 1 is not open, the winglet is in normal condition, and the skin 6 keeps the wing clean and fully sealed, which does not affect the high-speed cruise performance. When the aircraft is taking off, climbing, or landing, the leading edge slat 1' opens. At this time, the skin 6' connecting the slat end 3' and the winglet end 4 unfolds with the downward deflection of the leading edge slat 1' under the movement of the internal motion mechanism, thus forming a continuous and smooth transition section between the slat end 3' and the winglet end 4.

[0039] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the circulation distribution of a wing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 4 and Figure 5The diagrams show a comparison of the flow distribution in the winglet region of a prior art wing structure and the winglet region of a wing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention at an angle of attack of 12°. Figure 3 It can be seen that the circulation distribution area of ​​the wing structure in one embodiment of the present invention is uniform (where the horizontal axis is the spanwise position and the vertical axis is the maximum lift coefficient). From Figure 4 and Figure 5 It can be seen that the flow distribution in the winglet region of the wing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is more uniform at an angle of attack of 12° compared with that in the prior art, thus the flow separation phenomenon is significantly improved.

[0040] This invention proposes a continuously deformable winglet with a leading edge, where the leading edge of the winglet includes a deformable portion, and a movable mechanism is used internally within the skin to achieve continuous deformation. During cruise, the winglet is in its normal state, maintaining a clean and fully sealed wing without affecting high-speed cruise performance. When the aircraft is taking off, climbing, or landing, the lift enhancement device opens to improve low-speed performance. At this time, the connection area between the outer end face of the slat and the end face of the winglet opens downwards with the movement of the internal mechanism, resulting in a smooth transition from slat to winglet. This reduces the generation of vortices on the original slat end face, and the downward deflection of the winglet's leading edge increases the camber of the winglet's leading edge, reducing winglet separation.

[0041] In another alternative embodiment, one wing structure includes a movable leading-edge slat and a winglet. The leading-edge slat has a slat tip, and the winglet has a winglet tip adjacent to the slat tip at its leading edge. The wing structure includes a deformable portion connecting the slat tip and the winglet tip, configured to deform when the leading-edge slat is open to form a continuous, smooth transition between the slat tip and the winglet tip. In this embodiment, the deformable portion includes a nested motion mechanism comprising multiple nested sections with curved surfaces configured to unfold when the slat is open to form a continuous, smooth transition with multiple segments. During cruise, the nested sections do not unfold to maintain a good aerodynamic shape of the wing; when the aircraft is taking off, climbing, or landing, the leading-edge slat opens, and the nested sections unfold as the leading-edge slat deflects downward, thereby forming a continuous, smooth transition between the slat tip and the winglet tip.

[0042] While the structure of the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should recognize that the above examples are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the invention. Therefore, modifications and variations can be made to the present invention, all of which will fall within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wing structure comprising a movable leading-edge slat and a winglet, the leading-edge slat having a slat tip, and the winglet having a winglet tip adjacent to the slat tip. in, The wing structure includes a deformable portion connecting the slat end and the winglet end, and is configured to deform when the leading-edge slat is open to form a continuous, smooth transition between the slat end and the winglet end. The deformable portion includes a skin made of an elastic composite material, which is connected to the slat end of the leading edge slat and the winglet end of the winglet to form the continuous and smooth transition portion.

2. The wing structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The deformable portion includes a motion mechanism installed inside the deformable portion and configured to control the movement of the deformable portion.

3. The wing structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The motion mechanism includes a telescopic universal joint.

4. A wing structure comprising a movable leading-edge slat and a winglet, the leading-edge slat having a slat tip, and the winglet having a winglet tip adjacent to the slat tip. in, The wing structure includes a deformable portion connecting the slat end and the winglet end, and is configured to deform when the leading-edge slat is open to form a continuous, smooth transition between the slat end and the winglet end. The deformable portion includes a nested motion mechanism, which comprises multiple nested parts. Each nested part has a curved surface configured to form multiple segments of the continuous, smooth transition portion when the slats are opened.

5. An aircraft comprising a wing structure as claimed in any one of claims 1-4.

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