Aircraft Wing Profiled Fairing Actuation Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft wing high lift devices, such as slats and droops, create gaps or alter wing profiles in ways that limit their effectiveness in managing stall characteristics and operational speeds, particularly in creating efficient high-angle-of-attack conditions for takeoff and landing.
Innovation Solution
An aircraft wing system featuring a profiled fairing with a coupling mechanism that moves relative to the wing between retracted, dropped, and extended positions, utilizing a drive shaft, crank arms, and strain wave gear devices to convert circular motion into reciprocating motion, allowing for controlled gap creation and closure between the fairing and the wing, enhancing lift and reducing stall speeds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If slats are deployed to create a gap between the slat and the wing under slat surface, then the aircraft can fly at slower speeds or take off and land in shorter distances, but the gap creation limits effectiveness in managing stall characteristics and operational speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The leading edge device is designed with multiple deployable positions (retracted, first deployed, second deployed) that allow dynamic adjustment of the gap between the device and wing. This dynamic positioning enables the system to optimize performance across different flight conditions, achieving both improved takeoff/landing characteristics and controlled stall behavior by selecting appropriate deployment positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the geometric parameters of the leading edge by deploying the device to different positions, thereby altering the gap size, camber, and overall airfoil shape. These parameter changes allow the wing to operate efficiently at both low speeds (with gap deployed) and high angles of attack (with controlled gap closure), resolving the contradiction between takeoff performance and stall management.
2Force
If droops are deployed as leading edge sections that rotate downwards, then the leading edge is altered to increase lift, but no gap is created between the droop and the wing under flap surface
Solution Approach 1:
The leading edge device is segmented into multiple independent sections that can be deployed to different positions. This segmentation allows different portions of the leading edge to create different gap sizes, enabling the system to generate lift like a droop while simultaneously creating adaptive gaps for varied operational speeds, thus resolving the contradiction between lift generation and speed adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The leading edge device is designed to perform multiple functions: it can operate in a retracted position for high-speed flight, deploy to a first position for takeoff/landing with gap creation, and extend to a second position for enhanced lift with controlled gap closure. This multi-functionality allows a single device to replace both droop and slat functionalities, achieving versatility across the operational speed range.
3Ease of operation
If the crank arm length is varied along the span of the wing, then the reciprocating motion of the edge device is optimized for different spanwise positions, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The crank arm length is varied locally along the span of the wing, with shorter crank arms near the wing root and longer crank arms toward the wing tip (or vice versa depending on specific performance requirements). This local variation optimizes the reciprocating motion characteristics for different spanwise positions without requiring complete redesign of the entire actuation system, thus achieving improved operation with moderate complexity increase.
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
The system increases lift, extends the wing's suction surface, maintains airflow attachment, reduces stall speeds, and allows for efficient operation at higher angles of attack, enabling shorter takeoff and landing distances while minimizing drag at higher speeds.
Implementation Method 1
The gear device may be a strain wave gear device, for example, a Harmonic Drive gear device
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft wing system and method comprising: an aircraft wing; an edge device coupled to a leading edge or trailing edge of the aircraft wing; a drive shaft rotatable about its axis; a crank arm, a first end of the crank arm being coupled to the drive shaft, and a second end of the crank arm opposite to the first end being coupled to the edge device; and a gear system (e.g. a strain wave gear system) coupled between the drive shaft and the first end of the crank arm.