Aircraft Wing Box Adapter Section for Variable Dihedral
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fixed-wing aircraft designs face challenges in achieving optimal aerodynamic efficiency while balancing structural load and weight, particularly when retrofitting or varying aircraft configurations, as they are often optimized for specific wing tip devices with limited adaptability and increased structural load.
Innovation Solution
A fixed wing with a wing box adapter section that allows for the attachment of various wing tip devices with a dihedral angle increase of 20-45 degrees, enabling the integration of wing tip devices that optimize aerodynamic performance across different aircraft variants and configurations, reducing structural load and allowing for minimal modifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the fixed wing is optimized for a specific wing tip device, then aerodynamic efficiency is improved, but adaptability to different aircraft configurations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter section is designed with a universal interface that can accommodate multiple types of wing tip devices (winglets, wing tip fences, etc.) on a single fixed wing structure. The adapter portion includes mounting features and structural configurations that allow different wing tip devices to be attached, enabling the same fixed wing to be optimized for different aircraft variants (cargo, passenger, etc.) without redesigning the entire wing.
2Loss of energy
If wing tip devices are added to improve aerodynamic performance, then aerodynamic efficiency is improved, but structural load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wing tip device system is divided into separate modular components: the adapter section (attached to the fixed wing) and the wing tip device (attached to the adapter). This segmentation allows the aerodynamic optimization functions to be separated from the primary wing structure, enabling the wing tip devices to be attached or removed based on operational requirements without permanently modifying or overloading the main wing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The adapter section serves as an intermediary component between the fixed wing and the wing tip device. It absorbs and distributes the structural loads generated by the wing tip device, preventing these loads from being directly transmitted to the main wing structure. The adapter includes reinforcement features and load-path optimization that reduce the impact on the overall wing strength while maintaining aerodynamic efficiency.
3Loss of energy
If the fixed wing structure is modified to accommodate wing tip devices, then aerodynamic performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter section is pre-integrated into the fixed wing design during the initial manufacturing phase, incorporating all necessary mounting features, reinforcement structures, and interface elements. This preliminary action ensures that when wing tip devices need to be installed later (for retrofitting or configuration changes), the structural modifications are already in place, eliminating the need for complex field modifications and reducing overall device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A fixed wing of an aircraft, having a main wing extending over a half-span with a wing box including spars extending along the spanwise direction of the main wing, ribs arranged one in back of the other viewed in the spanwise direction, and an outer skin. The wing box includes a wing box base section (K10) and a wing box adapter section, that forms the outer end area of the wing box, as viewed from the wing root, and is designed to secure a wing tip device. In its nominal state of construction, the dihedral angle of the wing box adapter section referring to the respective local spanwise direction continuously increases by at most 60 degrees from the outer rib of the wing box base section (K10) up to the outermost rib of the wing box adapter section.