Actuation assembly with a track and follower for use in moving a wing tip device on an aircraft wing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10464658-B2
Application number	US-201615350228-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2016
Priority date	Nov 18, 2015
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

An aircraft wing having a wing tip device at the tip thereof is disclosed. The wing tip device is configurable between: a flight configuration for use during flight and a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations to reduce span. In the flight configuration, flight loads may be transferred via a load transfer arrangement from the wing tip device into the fixed wing, but during movement of the wing tip device towards the ground configuration, the load transfer arrangement is disengaged. The wing includes an actuation assembly having a sliding chassis coupled to the wing tip device, via a track and follower arrangement. The track includes a wide portion and a narrow portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft wing comprising a fixed wing and a wing tip device at the tip thereof, wherein the wing tip device is configurable between:
(i) a flight configuration for use during flight and
(ii) a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations, in which ground configuration the wing tip device is moved away from the flight configuration such that the span of the aircraft wing is reduced,
wherein in the flight configuration, the wing tip device and the fixed wing engage via a load transfer arrangement, such that flight loads may be transferred from the wing tip device into the fixed wing, but during movement of the wing tip device away from the flight configuration and towards the ground configuration, the load transfer arrangement between the wing and wing tip device is disengaged,
wherein the wing comprises an actuation assembly for moving the wing tip device between the flight and the ground configuration, the actuation assembly comprising a sliding chassis coupled to the wing tip device, the sliding chassis being slideably moveable relative to the fixed wing via a track and follower arrangement,
wherein the track comprises a first portion of a first width and a second portion of a second width, narrower than the first width, arranged such that when the load transfer arrangement between the wing and wing tip device is disengaged, the follower is located in the second portion of the track in a tight fit, such that the follower is unable to move within the width of that second portion,
but when the wing tip device is in the flight configuration and the load transfer arrangement is engaged, the follower is located in the first portion of the track and is able to move within the width of that first portion, thereby substantially isolating the sliding chassis from flight loads.

2. The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the load transfer arrangement comprises a plurality of spigots on the fixed wing, and a plurality of corresponding female members on the wing tip device, the female members being arranged to receive the spigots when the wing tip device is in the flight configuration.

3. The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the follower is associated with the sliding chassis, and the sliding chassis is slideably moveable, on the follower, along the track.

4. The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the follower is a bogie moveable along the track.

5. The aircraft wing according to claim 4 , wherein the bogie is biased into an expanded orientation such that the bogie touches both sides of the track.

6. The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the actuation assembly is arranged to move the wing tip device from the flight configuration to the ground configuration in a two-stage movement, the two-stage movement comprising a first stage in which the wing tip device is translated away from the flight configuration in a linear movement only, and a second, subsequent stage, in which the wing tip device is rotated to the ground configuration.

7. The aircraft wing according to claim 6 , wherein the wing is arranged such that the load transfer arrangement between the fixed wing and wing tip device is disengaged at the end of the first stage of movement.

8. The aircraft wing according to claim 6 , wherein the actuation assembly comprises a hinge about which the wing tip device is rotatable during the second stage of movement.

9. An actuation assembly comprising a sliding chassis, and a track and follower arrangement, the track comprising a first portion of a first width and a second portion of a second width, narrower than the first width, such that when a load transfer arrangement between a fixed wing of an aircraft wing and a wing tip device at a tip of the aircraft wing is disengaged, the follower is located in the second portion of the track in a tight fit, such that the follower is unable to move within the width of that second portion,
but when the wing tip device is in the flight configuration and the load transfer arrangement is engaged, the follower is located in the first portion of the track and is able to move within the width of that first portion.

10. The actuation assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the actuation assembly comprises a fixed chassis for installation into the fixed wing and the sliding chassis is slideably mounted in the fixed chassis.

11. The actuation assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the track is located on the fixed chassis and the follower is associated with the sliding chassis.

12. A wing tip device coupled to the actuation assembly according to claim 9 .

13. An aircraft comprising the aircraft wing according to claim 1 .

14. A method of isolating an actuation assembly from flight loads in an aircraft wing comprising a fixed wing and a wing tip device at the tip thereof, wherein the wing tip device is configurable between:
(i) a flight configuration for use during flight and
(ii) a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations, in which ground configuration the wing tip device is moved away from the flight configuration such that the span of the aircraft wing is reduced,
the method comprising the step of:
mounting a sliding chassis in the actuation assembly on a track and follower arrangement, the track comprising a first portion of a first width and a second portion of a second width, narrower than the first width,
and arranging the actuation assembly such that when a load transfer arrangement between the wing and wing tip device is disengaged, the follower is located in the second portion of the track in a tight fit, such that the follower is unable to move within the width of that second portion,
but when the wing tip device is in the flight configuration and the load transfer arrangement is engaged, the follower is located in the first portion of the track and is able to move within the width of that first portion, thereby substantially isolating the actuation assembly from flight loads.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Harding Matthew
• Napier Stefan
• Marongiu Nicola

Classifications

• Y02T50/14

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B64C3/56 Primary

  Folding or collapsing to reduce overall dimensions of aircraft · CPC title

• Y02T50/10

  Drag reduction · CPC title