Movable Slat Wing Layout for Lift-Drag Balance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft with fixed slats experience high air resistance, limiting cruising speed, while movable slats increase complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
A wing arrangement with a slat extending at least 20% of the total length beyond the main wing, allowing for a thinner main wing profile and adjustable airflow dynamics without excessive resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a fixed slat is used to accelerate airflow and increase lift at low speeds, then lift is improved, but air resistance increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The slat is made movable relative to the main wing, allowing it to be positioned in different configurations. During take-off and landing, the slat extends forward to accelerate airflow and increase lift. During cruising flight, the slat is retracted to reduce air resistance. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between needing high lift at low speeds and low air resistance at high speeds.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If movable slats are used to reduce air resistance at cruising speed, then device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wing is divided into two functional parts: a fixed main wing and a movable slat. The slat can be independently positioned relative to the main wing, allowing it to be extended forward during take-off/landing and retracted during cruising. This segmentation enables the slat to perform its airflow acceleration function only when needed, without requiring the entire wing structure to be complex and movable.
3Force
If the slat extends far beyond the main wing to accelerate airflow, then lift at low speeds is improved, but the main wing profile must be thinner increasing manufacturing difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The slat is positioned forward of the main wing before the aircraft takes off. In this preliminary position, the slat accelerates the airflow over the main wing, creating a low-pressure region that generates additional lift. This preliminary positioning of the slat allows the main wing to maintain a thicker, more manufacturable profile while still achieving the desired lift enhancement through the pre-positioned slat's airflow acceleration effect.
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
Achieves high lift at low speeds for take-off and landing with reduced air resistance, enabling higher cruising speeds and improved control, especially with a movable nose mechanism and optional airflow amplification.
Implementation Method 1
Wings with a fixed slat achieve a higher acceleration of an air stream flowing in the direction of flow on the upper side of the main wing
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a wing arrangement (10) comprising a main wing (12) and a slat (14) attached thereto opposite a flow direction (22) in front of the main wing (12). A gap (16) with a flow inlet (18) and a defined flow outlet (20) is formed between the slat (14) and the main wing (12). It is suggested that, in a vertical cross-section viewed along the flow direction (22), a length (D) of a section (32) of the slat (14) extending forwards beyond a length (A) of the main wing (12) opposite the flow direction (22) is at least 20% of a total length (C) of the wing arrangement (10) in the flow direction (22).