Folding Wing Tip Hinged Panel Clash Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing folding wing tip devices for large passenger aircraft face challenges in avoiding structural clashes during rotation between flight and ground configurations, while maintaining aerodynamic efficiency and accommodating actuation mechanisms within the wing geometry.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a hinged panel that moves from a closed position flush with the wing surface in flight configuration to an open position outside the path of the moveable element in ground configuration, allowing for the reduction of wing span and preventing clashes, with the panel being actuated by a rotary drive mechanism and biased for effective sealing and positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a hinged panel is incorporated into the stationary structure at the wing tip, then it may avoid clashes with the moveable element during rotation, but it increases the complexity of the wing structure and may interfere with the folding mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The stationary structure at the wing tip is segmented into a fixed portion and a movable panel portion. The panel can be independently actuated to move between closed and open positions, allowing it to clear the moveable element's path during folding while remaining attached to the fixed wing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically change position between closed (during flight) and open (during folding) states. This dynamic capability enables the panel to accommodate the moveable element's rotation path without permanent structural interference.
2Length of moving object
If the wing tip device is rotated about a hinge to reduce span for ground operations, then airport clearance limits are satisfied, but structural clashes may occur between the wing tip device and fixed wing structures
Solution Approach 1:
The wing tip structure is divided into the fixed wing portion and the movable wing tip device. Additionally, the stationary structure includes a separable panel that can move independently. This segmentation allows each component to move or adjust independently to avoid clashes during the folding rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable panel acts as an intermediary element between the fixed wing structure and the rotating wing tip device. By moving the panel out of the rotation path, it mediates the potential clash between these two structures, enabling safe folding operation.
3Loss of energy
If the hinged panel is kept closed during flight configuration, then aerodynamic efficiency is maintained, but the panel may clash with the moveable element during rotation to ground configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The panel transitions from a static closed position during flight to an open position during folding operations. This dynamic repositioning allows the panel to maintain aerodynamic efficiency when needed while clearing the rotation path during folding, eliminating the need to choose between these conflicting requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel undergoes periodic position changes: closed during flight phases for aerodynamic efficiency, and open during folding phases to avoid clashes. This periodic action between two states allows the system to satisfy both aerodynamic and structural requirements at different times in the operational cycle.
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft wing including a fixed wing and a wing tip device rotatable about a hinge at the tip of the fixed wing is disclosed. The wing further includes a hinged panel at the boundary between the wing tip device and the fixed wing. In the flight configuration the panel is closed such that the panel is substantially flush with the upper surface of the wing, and the hinged panel is located in the path of a moveable element (for example part of an actuation mechanism, such as a curved rack). In the ground configuration the panel is hinged open to a position outside the path of the moveable element such that clashing of the moveable element with the stationary structure at the tip of the fixed wing is avoided.