Telescopic Adaptive Wing for Aircraft Drag Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft wings are typically fixed in configuration, which limits their performance across different flight conditions, leading to increased drag, decreased lift, higher fuel consumption, reduced payloads and flight ranges, increased noise, and emissions, and design constraints due to airport space limitations.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive wing system comprising a first and second wing portion that can be telescopically adjusted and winglets that can be rotated, allowing for real-time changes in wing length and configuration based on flight conditions and space constraints, controlled by a processor and sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the wing configuration is fixed, then the structural simplicity and manufacturing ease are maintained, but the aerodynamic performance deteriorates across different flight conditions leading to increased drag and decreased lift
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a telescopic wing structure where the second wing portion can move relative to the first wing portion along the spanwise direction. This dynamic configuration allows the wing to adjust its overall length and shape according to different flight conditions, thereby improving aerodynamic performance without compromising structural feasibility through controlled movement mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The wing is divided into multiple segments including a first wing portion and a second wing portion that can move independently. This segmentation enables the wing to be reconfigured into different shapes (such as Gull-wing, Swept-wing, or Arrow-wing configurations) by adjusting the relative positions of the segments, thus achieving adaptability while maintaining manageable structural complexity
2Productivity
If the wing length is increased to improve aerodynamic performance, then lift increases and drag decreases, but the airport terminal space requirements and ground clearance constraints worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic wing structure allows the wing to dynamically adjust its length between a retracted configuration for airport operations and an extended configuration for flight. This dynamic length adjustment enables the aircraft to meet ground clearance and terminal space requirements while maintaining optimal wing length for aerodynamic performance during flight
Solution Approach 2:
The second wing portion can be nested within or alongside the first wing portion when retracted, allowing the wing to occupy minimal space during ground operations. During flight, the nested structure can be extended to achieve the required wing length for optimal aerodynamic performance, thus resolving the contradiction between space constraints and performance requirements
3Use of energy by moving object
If the wing configuration is optimized for specific flight conditions, then fuel consumption decreases and flight range increases, but the device complexity increases due to additional adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic telescopic wing structure enables optimization of aerodynamic efficiency for different flight conditions (takeoff, cruise, landing) by adjusting wing length and shape. This leads to reduced drag, improved lift-to-drag ratio, and consequently lower fuel consumption and increased flight range, justifying the added complexity through significant performance gains
Solution Approach 2:
The wing adjustment mechanism serves multiple functions: it optimizes aerodynamic performance across various flight conditions, enables adaptation to different airport space constraints, and provides configuration flexibility for different mission profiles. This multi-functionality justifies the device complexity by delivering comprehensive performance improvements in multiple areas
Data Source
AI summary
An adaptive wing for an aircraft includes a first wing portion, a second wing portion, and a third wing portion. The second wing portion is telescopically attached to the first wing portion to selectively change an overall length of the wing based on real-time flight conditions or airport space constraints. The third wing portion is rotate-ably attached to one end of the second wing portion, and a dihedral angle between the second wing portion and the third wing portion is changeable based on real-time flight conditions or airport space constraints.