High-Lift Device Segmentation for Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-lift devices for aircraft wings are typically heavy due to the need to meet stringent requirements for bird strike, de-icing, and mechanical strength, which complicates their integration and reduces payload capacity.
Innovation Solution
A high-lift device design featuring an airfoil-shaped body with a longitudinally extending opening to house a profile structure that provides mechanical strength and stiffness, allowing the airfoil body to focus on aerodynamics while the profile structure handles mechanical loads, enabling a separation of aerodynamic and structural functions and potentially allowing for partial failure within defined limits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a high-lift device is designed with sufficient mechanical strength and stiffness to meet bird strike, de-icing, and lighting strike requirements, then the structural reliability is improved, but the device weight increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The high-lift device is divided into two distinct functional components: an airfoil-shaped body responsible for aerodynamic functions and a profile structure responsible for mechanical strength and stiffness. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the profile structure providing necessary structural reliability while the airfoil body maintains aerodynamic performance without excessive weight
Solution Approach 2:
The profile structure is extracted as a separate component from the traditional monolithic high-lift device design. This extracted profile structure can be optimally designed for mechanical strength requirements (bird strike, de-icing, lighting strike resistance) without being constrained by aerodynamic shape requirements, thereby achieving the necessary structural reliability with minimized weight
2Reliability
If the airfoil shaped body is designed to provide both aerodynamic function and mechanical strength, then the structural reliability is improved, but the aerodynamic efficiency deteriorates due to increased weight
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into an airfoil-shaped body for aerodynamic functions and a profile structure for mechanical strength. This allows the airfoil body to be designed purely for aerodynamic efficiency without being burdened by excessive structural weight, while the profile structure independently provides the necessary reliability
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the device have specialized local qualities: the airfoil-shaped body has optimized aerodynamic surface properties while the profile structure has optimized mechanical strength properties. This local specialization allows each component to excel at its primary function without compromise
3Ease of manufacture
If a traditional monolithic structure is used for the high-lift device, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the device weight increases and payload capacity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The high-lift device is segmented into an airfoil-shaped body and a profile structure that can be manufactured separately using optimized processes for each component type, then assembled together. This segmentation enables weight optimization without significantly complicating the overall manufacturing process
Solution Approach 2:
The airfoil-shaped body and profile structure are merged into a integrated assembly where the profile structure is positioned within the airfoil body. This merging combines the advantages of both components into a unified structure that achieves weight reduction while maintaining manufacturing feasibility
Data Source
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AI summary
A high-lift device (1) comprising an airfoil shaped body (2) having a leading edge and a trailing edge and extending in a spanwise direction configured mainly to generate aerodynamic force; a profile structure (9) arranged to be mounted inside of the airfoil shaped body and extending in spanwise direction of the airfoil shaped body that is configured to provide most of the mechanical strength and stiffness; wherein the airfoil shaped body (2) is provided with an opening (7) extending in spanwise direction at one side through which the profile structure (9) can be fastened and remains accessible inside of the airfoil shaped body.