Adjustable Wing Coupling for Load Dropping and Landing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current connection arrangements in transport aircraft, such as the Airbus A400M, rely on rail systems and parachutes to drop loads, which are inefficient and require complex mechanisms, and struggle to achieve a stable three-point landing.
Innovation Solution
A connection arrangement featuring longitudinally adjustable Z-coupling elements that adjust the angle of attack of the wing portion, allowing loads to slide out automatically and enabling a three-point landing without a parachute, with redundant actuating drives and coupling elements for reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a rail system and parachute are used to drop loads, then loads can be dropped from the aircraft, but the mechanism becomes complex and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the parachute from the load dropping system. By adjusting the angle of attack of the wing portion, loads are caused to slide out automatically under gravitational force, removing the need for the parachute extraction mechanism and its associated complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The load dropping process becomes self-service through automatic sliding. By changing the wing's angle of attack, the fuselage is oriented obliquely, allowing loads to slide out automatically under gravity without requiring active parachute deployment mechanisms.
2Reliability
If the angle of attack is adjusted to enable three-point landing, then stable landing is achieved, but the connection arrangement becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The connection arrangement incorporates dynamically adjustable Z-coupling elements that can change the angle of attack of the wing portion. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the fuselage to be oriented horizontally during landing for stable three-point landing, while the adjustability is achieved through controlled mechanical means rather than complex structural modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameter of the wing's angle of attack through adjustable Z-coupling elements. By modifying this parameter, the fuselage orientation can be optimized for three-point landing, achieving stable landing without requiring complex structural changes to the connection arrangement.
3Reliability
If redundant actuating drives are provided for adjusting the angle of attack, then reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements beforehand cushioning by providing redundant actuating drives for the Z-coupling elements. This redundancy acts as a protective measure against potential failures, ensuring that if one actuating drive fails, the other can still adjust the angle of attack to maintain safe operation and enable load dropping or landing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient load dropping and stable landing by adjusting the wing's angle of attack, eliminating the need for parachutes and ensuring safe operation through redundancy in the actuating drives and coupling elements.
Implementation Method 1
This adjustment of the angle of attack can then generally be used to change the lift of the wing portion
Implementation Method 2
Gravitational force then causes loads arranged in the fuselage portion to automatically slide out of the hold through an opening in the fuselage of the aircraft
Data Source
AI summary
A connection arrangement having: a fuselage portion; a wing portion which is mounted on the fuselage portion in an upper region thereof; a first Z-coupling element which couples the wing portion to the fuselage portion in the vertical direction thereof; and two XZ-coupling elements which couple the wing portion to the fuselage portion in the vertical direction and longitudinal direction thereof; the first Z-coupling element being longitudinally adjustable in the vertical direction in order to thus adjust an angle of attack of the wing portion.