Aircraft Wing Trailing Edge Damping for Flutter-Tolerant Lift
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wing components with trailing edge high lift assemblies face challenges in achieving a space-efficient, failure-tolerant, and effective damping system to prevent uncontrolled flutter, especially when the actuator unit fails.
Innovation Solution
The wing component incorporates a trailing edge high lift assembly with a damper device that includes separately formed first and second part portions of the trailing edge, each pivotable about a common or different pivot axis. This design employs a damping element coupled between the part portions to damp asynchronous movement, ensuring failure tolerance and efficient use of space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional damping system is integrated into the actuator unit, then damping function is provided, but device complexity increases and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The trailing edge part is divided into first and second part portions that can pivot independently about common or different pivot axes. The damping element is separately coupled between these part portions, creating a modular damping system that operates independently from the actuator unit. This segmentation allows the damping function to be provided without increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping element is extracted from the actuator unit and positioned as a separate component coupled between the first and second part portions of the trailing edge. This extraction eliminates the need for the damping system to be integrated into the actuator, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining failure tolerance.
2Reliability
If a traditional damping system is integrated into the actuator unit, then damping function is provided, but available space is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the trailing edge into independently pivotable part portions and positioning the damping element between them, the damping system utilizes existing structural space rather than requiring additional dedicated space. This segmentation approach makes efficient use of the available volume in the wing component.
Solution Approach 2:
The first and second part portions of the trailing edge serve multiple functions: they form the aerodynamic surface and simultaneously act as mounting points for the damping element. The pivot axes serve both the control function and the damping function, eliminating the need for separate dedicated damping structures and improving space efficiency.
3Device complexity
If the trailing edge part is designed as a single piece, then structure is simple, but uncontrolled flutter cannot be effectively prevented upon actuator failure
Solution Approach 1:
The trailing edge part is segmented into first and second part portions that can pivot independently about common or different pivot axes. The damping element couples these part portions together, providing controlled damping of uncontrolled movement. This segmentation enables effective flutter prevention while maintaining relatively simple structural implementation.
4Reliability
If the damping element is coupled between separately formed part portions, then failure tolerance and space efficiency are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The damping element is integrated into the existing trailing edge structure by coupling it between the first and second part portions that are already formed as separate components. This merging approach allows the damping function to be added without creating entirely new complex structures, as the damping element utilizes the existing modular architecture of the trailing edge parts.
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 proposed solution provides a more efficient, failure-tolerant, and space-efficient damping system that effectively prevents uncontrolled flutter, even in the event of actuator unit failure, while allowing for controlled movement of the wing and aircraft.
Implementation Method 1
a damper device configured for damping uncontrolled movement between the leading edge part and the trailing edge part
Implementation Method 2
The trailing edge high lift assembly comprises a flap and a connection assembly for movably mounting the flap to the main wing... a damping element coupled between the first part portion and the second part portion to damp relative movement
Data Source
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AI summary
Described is a wing component (3) for an aircraft (1), comprising a leading edge part (23) and a trailing edge part (27) mounted to the leading edge part (23) in a manner pivotable about a pivot axis (31), an actuator unit (37) configured for moving the trailing edge part (27) relative to the leading edge part (23), and a damper device (39) configured for damping uncontrolled movement between the leading edge part (23) and the trailing edge part (27). The object to provide a wing component comprising a trailing edge high lift assembly having a more efficient, failure-tolerant and space-efficient damper device, is achieved in that the trailing edge part (27) comprises a first part portion (41) and a second part portion (43) arranged next to each other in a span direction (33) and configured to pivot about the pivot axis (31) individually, the damper device (39) comprises a damping element (49) coupled between the first part portion (41) and the second part portion (43) to damp relative movement of the first part portion (41) and the second part portion (43).