Aircraft Slat Movement System Using Four-Bar Linkage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional slat movement systems for aircraft wings require long tracks that penetrate the wing front spar, leading to increased cost, weight, and maintenance time due to the need for fuel tank sealing cans and additional structural reinforcements.
Innovation Solution
A slat movement system utilizing a four bar linkage and a track with a slot that terminates prior to the wing front spar, allowing the slat arm to move along a track with complex curvature, eliminating the need for penetrations and using a roller within the slot to adjust the slat position for optimal aerodynamic performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a long track is used to move the slat through a large trajectory, then aerodynamic performance is improved, but the track penetrates the wing front spar requiring additional structural reinforcements and fuel tank sealing cans, increasing weight, cost, and assembly time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the track termination point from the wing front spar area, configuring the track to end before reaching the spar. This eliminates the need for track cans and structural penetrations in the front spar, reducing weight and complexity while preserving the slat's aerodynamic trajectory through the four-bar linkage mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a four-bar linkage mechanism as an intermediary between the slat and the track system. This linkage translates the motion from the shortened track into the required slat trajectory, allowing the track to terminate before the front spar while still achieving the desired slat movement path for optimal aerodynamic performance
2Ease of operation
If track penetrations are made in the wing front spar to accommodate the slat track, then slat movement is enabled, but structural integrity is compromised and additional reinforcements and sealing cans are required, increasing weight and manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the track penetration requirement from the wing front spar by terminating the track before it reaches the spar. This preserves the structural integrity of the front spar, eliminating the need for reinforcement ribs and sealing cans, while the four-bar linkage enables the necessary slat movement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the slat movement system into distinct functional components: a shortened track that terminates before the front spar, a four-bar linkage mechanism that provides the motion transformation, and a slat arm with roller that executes the slat movement. This segmentation allows the track to avoid penetrating the spar while still achieving the required slat trajectory
3Ease of manufacture
If additional structural reinforcements and fuel tank sealing cans are added to accommodate track penetrations, then track installation is enabled, but weight increases and assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the track from the wing front spar installation path, terminating it before the spar. This eliminates the need for heavy structural reinforcements and fuel tank sealing cans, reducing overall wing structure weight while maintaining track installation feasibility through the simplified configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the track function with the four-bar linkage mechanism, where the linkage provides both the motion control and the structural support that would otherwise require separate reinforcement elements. This integration eliminates redundant components, reducing weight and simplifying assembly
4Ease of manufacture
If additional structural reinforcements and fuel tank sealing cans are added to accommodate track penetrations, then track installation is enabled, but assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the track penetration requirement from the wing front spar, eliminating the need for time-consuming installation of reinforcement ribs and fuel tank sealing cans. This significantly reduces assembly time while maintaining track installation feasibility through the simplified non-penetrating configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent configures the track to terminate before the front spar in the design phase, preventing the need for complex penetration work during assembly. This preliminary design decision eliminates time-consuming fabrication and installation steps for reinforcements and sealing components
Data Source
AI summary
The illustrative examples provide a slat movement system for use in an aircraft. An aircraft comprises a wing having a fixed edge and a wing front spar, and a moveable slat connected to the wing by a four bar linkage and a slat arm, the slat arm movable along a track comprising a slot terminating prior to the wing front spar.