Aircraft comprising a foldable aerodynamic structure and a method of manufacturing a foldable aerodynamic structure for an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10583909-B2
Application number	US-201515301881-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2015
Priority date	Apr 4, 2014
Publication date	Mar 10, 2020
Grant date	Mar 10, 2020

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a foldable aerodynamic structure, such as a wing, for an aircraft. The wing (1) including an inner region (1) and an outer region (3) rotatable relative to the inner region between a flight configuration and a ground configuration. The method includes designing the foldable aerodynamic structure by determining the location and orientation of an Euler axis of rotation (11) about which the outer region rotates to achieve the ground configuration and determining a cut plane (13), perpendicular to that Euler axis, separating the inner and outer regions; and iteratively repeating this process until a preferred cut plane (13) is obtained that satisfies at least one design criteria.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing an aircraft wing, the wing comprising a fixed wing and a wing tip device at the tip of the fixed wing, wherein the wing tip device is pivotable relative to the fixed wing between:
a flight configuration, for use during flight, in which a trailing edge of the wing tip device is aligned with the fixed wing to form a substantially continuous trailing edge along the wing tip device and the fixed wing, a leading edge of the wing tip device is aligned with a leading edge of the fixed wing to form a substantially continuous leading edge along the wing and wing tip device, an upper surface of the wing tip device is aligned with an upper surface of the fixed wing to form a substantially continuous upper surface of the wing and wing tip device, and a lower surface of the wing tip device is aligned with a lower surface of the fixed wing to form a substantially continuous lower surface of the fixed wing and wing tip device; and
a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations, in which ground configuration the wing tip device is rotated relative to the fixed wing such that the span of the wing is reduced,
the method comprising the steps of:
a) determining an orientation of an Euler axis of rotation for rotating the wing tip device from the flight configuration to the ground configuration and then determining a location of a cut plane separating the fixed wing and the wing tip device, the cut plane being orientated normal to the Euler axis, wherein an end of the fixed wing facing the cut plane includes ends of the leading and trailing edges and edges of the upper and lower surfaces of the fixed wing, and an end of the wing tip device facing the cut plane includes ends of the leading and trailing edges and edges of the upper and lower surfaces of the wing tip device and creating an overcut or an undercut by the wing tip device with respect to the fixed wing; or
b) determining a location and an orientation of the cut plane separating the fixed wing and the wing tip device and creating an overcut or an undercut with respect to the fixed wing, and then determining a location of the Euler axis of rotation for rotating the wing tip device from the flight configuration to the ground configuration, the Euler axis being orientated normal to the cut plane, and
iteratively repeating step (a) or step (b) until a preferred cut plane is obtained that achieves one or more design criteria; and
manufacturing a wing wherein the wing tip device and the fixed wing are separated along the preferred cut plane.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more design criteria comprises at least one of:
i. a selected position of the wing tip device in the ground configuration;
ii. a selected actuation load threshold for actuating the wing tip device between the flight and ground configurations;
iii. minimization of interference with internal systems housed within the wing;
iv. minimization of interference with internal structure within the wing;
v. a selection of the area of the interface, within the cut plane, between the fixed wing and the wing tip device; and/or
vi. a selection of the distance, along the cut plane, between the upper surface of the wing and the lower surface of the wing.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the wing tip device is rotatable relative to the fixed wing between the flight configuration and a flight control configuration for use during flight, wherein while in the flight control configuration the wing tip device is rotated a small proportion of the way towards or away from the ground configuration, such that while in the flight control configuration the loading on the wing is altered to control flight.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the wing tip device is rotatable to/from the flight control configuration about the Euler axis, and the one or more design criteria comprises a selected position of the wing tip device in the flight control configuration.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the aircraft comprises two wings, each wing extending from opposing sides of the aircraft fuselage, and wherein the method further comprises the steps of:
designing each of the wings by iteratively repeating step (a) or step (b),
wherein the wing tip devices of each wing being arranged to rotate in opposite directions such that the wing tip devices are asymmetrically rotated when in the ground configuration.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Euler axis forms an acute angle is in a range of 15 to 45 degrees with respect to a vertical direction.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cut plane is parallel to both the end of the fixed wing and the end of the wing tip device.

8. An aircraft comprising a wing, the wing comprising a fixed wing and a wing tip device at the tip of the fixed wing, the wing tip device being rotatable relative to the fixed wing between:
a flight configuration, for use during flight, in which a trailing edge of the wing tip device is aligned with the fixed wing to form a substantially continuous trailing edge along the wing tip device and the fixed wing, a leading edge of the wing tip device is aligned with a leading edge of the fixed wing to form a substantially continuous leading along the wing and wing tip device, an upper surface of the wing tip device is aligned with an upper surface of the fixed to form a substantially continuous upper surface of the wing and wing tip device, and a lower surface of the wing tip device is aligned with a lower surface of the fixed wing to form a substantially continuous lower surface of the fixed wing and wing tip device; and
a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations, in which ground configuration the wing tip device is rotated relative to the fixed wing such that the span of the wing is reduced,
wherein the wing tip device is rotatable between the flight and ground configurations, about an Euler axis of rotation angled with respect to all three of a longitudinal direction, a lateral direction and a vertical direction, wherein the longitudinal, lateral and vertical directions are mutually perpendicular to one another, and
wherein the wing tip device and the fixed wing are separated along a cut plane that forms an overcut or an undercut by the wing tip device with respect to the fixed wing, the cut plane being orientated normal to the Euler axis, such that the fixed wing and the wing tip device do not clash when rotating between the flight and ground configurations,
wherein an end of the fixed wing facing the cut plane includes ends of the leading and trailing edges, and edges of the lower and upper surfaces of the fixed wing, and
wherein an end of the wing tip device facing the cut plane includes ends of the leading and trailing edges, and edges of the upper and lower surfaces of the wing tip device.

9. The aircraft according to claim 8 , wherein the Euler axis is angled at an angle of 15 to 45 degrees from vertical.

10. The aircraft according to claim 8 , wherein the Euler axis is angled outboard such that the cut plane creates an overcut with respect to the fixed wing.

11. The aircraft according to claim 8 , wherein the Euler axis is angled inboard such that the cut plane creates the undercut of the wing tip device with respect to the fixed wing.

12. The aircraft according to claim 8 , wherein the aircraft comprises two of the wings defined by claim 8 , and each wing extends from opposing sides of a fuselage of the aircraft, and the wing tip devices of each wing being arranged to rotate in opposite directions such that the wing tip devices are asymmetrically rotated when in the ground configura

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Alexander Stuart
• Randall John

Classifications

• B64F5/10

  Manufacturing or assembling aircraft, e.g. jigs therefor · CPC title

• B64C3/40 Primary

  Varying angle of sweep · CPC title

• B64C3/546

  by foldable elements · CPC title

• B64F5/00

  Designing, manufacturing, assembling, cleaning, maintaining or repairing aircraft, not otherwise provided for; Handling, transporting, testing or inspecting aircraft components, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64C3/42

  Adjusting about chordwise axes · CPC title