Flexible Tip Spoiler Gap Control via Rub Block
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft spoilers require complex and costly linkage to control movement and prevent contact loads with flaps, leading to increased weight, maintenance costs, and aerodynamic penalties, especially in drooping configurations where smooth airflow is crucial.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a flexible tip spoiler with a rub block that maintains a controlled gap between the spoiler and flap, using a rub block positioned on the spoiler's surface to engage the flap, allowing for variable camber operation and reducing contact loads through precise positioning and deformation, thereby enhancing aerodynamic performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complex linkage is used to control spoiler movement and prevent contact loads, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the gap control function from the complex linkage system and implements it through a simple rub block structure. The rub block is a minimal component that directly maintains the gap between spoiler and flap without requiring complex mechanical linkages, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining reliability in contact load control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a flexible tip as an intermediary element between the rigid spoiler panel and the flap. This flexible tip absorbs variations in gap distance through elastic deformation, mediating the interaction between spoiler and flap to prevent excessive contact loads without requiring complex linkage mechanisms.
2Reliability
If complex linkage is used to control spoiler movement, then contact load control is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the heavy linkage components from the spoiler system and replaces them with a lightweight rub block. This extraction of the gap control function to a simple, light component significantly reduces the weight of the moving spoiler assembly while maintaining effective contact load control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of the spoiler tip from rigid to flexible, allowing it to deform elastically. This parameter change enables the spoiler to accommodate gap variations through material deformation rather than mechanical linkage, reducing weight while maintaining reliable contact load control.
3Strength
If rigid spoiler structure is used, then structural strength is improved, but aerodynamic performance deteriorates due to gap variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making only the tip portion of the spoiler flexible while keeping the main spoiler structure rigid. This localized flexibility at the tip allows aerodynamic smoothing by accommodating gap variations, while the rigid main structure maintains overall structural strength and spoiler functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a flexible tip structure that acts as a compliant element between the rigid spoiler and the flap. This flexible component deforms to maintain smooth airflow in the gap region, eliminating aerodynamic penalties associated with rigid spoiler structures while preserving the overall structural integrity of the spoiler assembly.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If drooping spoiler configuration is used for smooth airflow, then aerodynamic performance is improved, but contact loads between spoiler and flap increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the mechanical property of the spoiler tip from rigid to flexible, allowing it to deform elastically under contact loads. This parameter change enables the drooping spoiler configuration to maintain smooth airflow while the flexible tip absorbs contact forces, preventing excessive loads on the flap and spoiler linkage.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible tip acts as a pre-designed cushioning element that absorbs contact loads between the spoiler and flap. By incorporating this compliant element in advance, the system prevents excessive contact forces while maintaining the drooping configuration needed for smooth airflow, eliminating the need for additional shock-absorbing mechanisms.
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
This solution reduces contact loads and maintains a low-force seal between the spoiler and flap, improving aerodynamic performance, reducing weight and maintenance costs, and enabling trailing edge variable camber operation without the need for additional sensors or heavy linkage.
Implementation Method 1
the flexible tip deforms to change aerodynamic properties of the spoiler
Implementation Method 2
the rub block positioned to engage a flap to maintain a distance between the spoiler and the flap
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus to control a gap between movable aircraft wing components are disclosed. An example apparatus includes spoiler including a first panel and a second panel, a flexible tip extending from an intersection of the first and second panels; and a rub block coupled to a surface of the second panel, the rub block positioned to engage a flap to maintain a distance between the spoiler and the flap and to enable the flexible tip to perform deform to change aerodynamic properties of the spoiler.