Foldable Wing Tip Pivot for Airport Compatibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft designs face challenges in increasing wingspan to enhance efficiency without requiring infrastructure adaptations or incurring higher airport fees, as elongating wings necessitates adjustments to aircraft-specific infrastructure and increases fees.
Innovation Solution
A foldable wing arrangement with a base section and a tip section, where the tip section is pivotable about a pivot axis, allowing the wing to transition between deployed and stowed positions, utilizing a coupling arrangement with annular outer and inner parts and an actuator to minimize load paths and facilitate maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the wingspan is increased to enhance aircraft efficiency, then fuel consumption is reduced, but infrastructure adaptation requirements increase and airport fees increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wing is designed with a movable tip section that can pivot between a deployed position for flight and a stowed position for ground storage. This dynamic configuration allows the aircraft to achieve a large wingspan during flight for improved efficiency while having a compact wingspan on the ground to avoid infrastructure adaptation requirements and reduced airport fees.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the wingspan is increased for better flight efficiency, then aspect ratio improves, but the aircraft requires adaptation to existing infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The foldable wing tip section enables the aircraft to present a high aspect ratio during flight operations while maintaining infrastructure compatibility on the ground through a reduced wingspan configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The wing is divided into a base section and a movable tip section that can be independently positioned. This segmentation allows the aircraft to optimize its wingspan for different operational conditions - extended for flight efficiency and retracted for ground infrastructure compatibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a foldable wing construction is implemented to reduce wingspan on ground, then airport fees are reduced, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable tip section provides a simple dynamic mechanism for wingspan adjustment without requiring complex mechanical systems. The basic pivot joint allows smooth transition between deployed and stowed positions while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The tip section is designed to pivot and nest back toward the base section when in the stowed position, creating a compact configuration. This nesting approach minimizes the wingspan on the ground while maintaining a simple overall structure that does not require complex folding mechanisms.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the tip section is made pivotable for wingspan adjustment, then wingspan flexibility is achieved, but the coupling arrangement becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling arrangement incorporates a pivot joint that enables the tip section to rotate relative to the base section. This dynamic coupling mechanism is relatively simple in design, using standard pivot joint construction to achieve wingspan adjustment without introducing excessive complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A wing arrangement for an aircraft is described including a wing (5) having a base section (5) and a tip section (13), the base section (7) having a first end portion (9) and a second end portion (11), the tip section (13) having a third end portion (15) and a fourth end portion (17), wherein the second end portion (11) and the third end portion (15) are coupled with each other by a coupling arrangement so that the tip section (13) is pivotable with respect to the base section (7) about a pivot axis (19, 19′).