Tandem Flight Control Surface Actuation Reducing Weight and Drag

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Solution Overview

Problem

Aircraft flight control surfaces are heavy and their mechanisms increase overall drag, as each control surface requires its own mechanism and fairing, leading to inefficiencies in aerodynamic performance.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a dual actuation assembly that couples inboard and outboard flight control surfaces, allowing them to be actuated in tandem, reducing the number of mechanisms and fairings needed, thereby decreasing weight and drag.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If each flight control surface has its own actuation mechanism and fairing, then each control surface can be actuated independently, but the overall weight and drag of the aircraft increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveIndependent actuation capabilityVSAvoidTotal weight of actuation mechanisms

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple actuation mechanisms into a single shared actuation system that can control both the inboard and outboard flight control surfaces. This merging eliminates redundant components, reduces total weight, and decreases drag while maintaining the ability to actuate each surface independently when needed through a common actuator and linkage system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The shared actuation assembly is designed to perform multiple functions: it can actuate the inboard flight control surface, actuate the outboard flight control surface, or hold both in position simultaneously. This multi-functional design allows a single mechanism to replace what would traditionally require separate dedicated actuators for each control surface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If each flight control surface has its own actuation mechanism and fairing, then each control surface can be actuated independently, but the overall drag of the aircraft increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveIndependent actuation capabilityVSAvoidAerodynamic drag

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

By merging the actuation systems into a single shared assembly, the patent reduces the total number of fairings required. Fewer fairings mean less aerodynamic drag. The shared actuation assembly is positioned to minimize its exposure to airflow, and the reduced number of external fairing structures directly decreases the aircraft's overall drag.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and eliminates redundant fairing structures that would be required for separate actuation mechanisms. By removing the need for multiple individual fairings and replacing them with a single integrated actuation assembly, the design reduces aerodynamic drag while maintaining full actuation capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple actuation mechanisms are used for multiple flight control surfaces, then each surface can be controlled independently, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveIndependent control capabilityVSAvoidNumber of actuation assemblies

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple separate actuation assemblies into a single shared actuation system with common components including actuators, linkages, and mounting structures. This consolidation reduces device complexity by eliminating redundant parts while maintaining the capability to independently control each flight control surface through the shared mechanism's linkage system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Reliability

If separate actuation mechanisms are used for each flight control surface, then redundancy is provided, but the weight and number of components increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveActuation redundancyVSAvoidTotal weight of actuation systems

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The shared actuation assembly provides redundancy through its integrated design where a single actuator system can control multiple control surfaces. This merging approach maintains reliability by ensuring that actuation capability is preserved across all surfaces while avoiding the weight penalty of completely separate redundant systems for each surface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS11884394B2Wing assemblies with tandemly actuated flight control surfaces, aircraft, and related methods

Publication Date: 2024.01.30 THE BOEING CO

AI summary

Wing assemblies (100) comprise an inboard flight control surface (102), an outboard flight control surface (104) positioned directly adjacent to and outboard of the inboard flight control surface (102), and a dual actuation assembly (106) coupled directly to and forming a linkage between the inboard flight control surface (102) and the outboard flight control surface (104). The dual actuation assembly (106) is configured to selectively transition the inboard flight control surface (102) and the outboard flight control surface (104), in tandem, amongst a retracted configuration (108) and a range of extended configurations (110).