Arrangement of ribs at an interface between an outer end of a wing and a moveable wing tip device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10676173-B2
Application number	US-201715618360-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2017
Priority date	Jun 9, 2016
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

An aircraft (102) having a wing assembly (101) including a fixed wing (105) with a wing tip device (103). The wing tip device (103) is moveable between: a flight configuration; and a ground configuration. The outer end of the fixed wing (105) terminates at an outer rib (115), and the inner end of the wing tip device (103) terminates at an inner rib (117). The outer and inner ribs (115, 117) are located on opposing sides of an interface between the fixed wing (105) and the wing tip device (103). The fixed wing-skin (119) terminates inwardly of the interface, but the outer rib (115) has a surface-forming portion (127) forming an extension of the fixed wing-skin towards the interface. The wing tip device-skin (121) terminates outwardly of the interface, but the inner rib has a surface-forming portion (129) forming an extension of the wing tip device-skin towards the interface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft comprising a wing, the wing having a fixed wing with a wing tip device moveably mounted at the outer end of the fixed wing, the wing tip device is moveable 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 the outer end of the fixed wing terminates at an outer rib, and the inner end of the wing tip device terminates at an inner rib, such that when the wing tip device is in the flight configuration, the outer and inner ribs are located on opposing sides of an interface between the fixed wing and the wing tip device,
wherein the fixed wing comprises a fixed wing-skin forming the outer surface of the fixed wing, and the wing tip device comprises a wing tip device-skin forming the outer surface of the wing tip device,
wherein the fixed wing-skin terminates inwardly of the interface, and the outer rib comprises a surface-forming portion, the surface-forming portion forming an extension of the fixed wing-skin towards the interface and
wherein the wing tip device-skin terminates outwardly of the interface, and the inner rib comprises a surface-forming portion, the surface-forming portion forming an extension of the wing tip device-skin towards the interface,
such that when the wing tip device is in the flight configuration the surface-forming portion of the inner rib is adjacent and aligned with the surface-forming portion of the outer rib at the interface.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the outer rib comprises rib feet to which the fixed wing-skin in attached, and the inner rib comprises rib feet to which the wing tip device-skin is attached.

3. The aircraft according to claim 2 , wherein the surface-forming portion and rib feet of the outer rib are integral with one another, and the surface-forming portion and rib feet of the inner rib are integral with one another.

4. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the outer rib is a monolithic structure and the inner rib is a monolithic structure.

5. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein inner and outer ribs are metallic.

6. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein fixed wing-skin and the wing tip-device skin are made from composite.

7. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the fixed wing-skin and the wing tip device-skin each have a thickness, and wherein in the region of the interface, at least part the surface-forming portions of each respective outer and inner rib comprise a thinned region having a thickness that is less than the thickness of the respective skin.

8. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the wing comprises a seal assembly associated with the outer and inner ribs, the seal assembly being arranged such that when the wing tip device is in the flight configuration, a seal is formed between the outer and inner ribs.

9. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the wing tip device and the fixed wing are separated along a primary cut plane, the primary cut plane being obliquely orientated, and the wing tip device being rotatable between the flight and ground configurations, about an axis of rotation orientated normal to the primary cut plane, and wherein when the wing tip device is in the flight configuration, the outer end of the fixed wing and the inner end of the wing tip device meet along an interfacing cut line that separates the outer surfaces of the fixed wing and the wing tip device, the interfacing cut line comprising:
(i) a first length, formed by a cut through the outer surface in a first plane that is offset from the primary cut plane in a first direction;
(ii) a second length, formed by a cut through the outer surface in a second plane that is offset from the primary cut plane in a second direction, opposite to the first direction; and
(iii) a transition section over which the interfacing cut line transitions from the first length to the second length.

10. The aircraft according to claim 9 , wherein the interfacing cut line is arranged such that when the wing tip device rotates from the flight configuration to the ground configuration, the wing tip device contacts the fixed wing at a sliding contact along the transition section, but the wing tip device separates away from the fixed wing along the first length and second length.

11. An aircraft wing for use as the wing of claim 1 .

12. A rib for forming the outer or inner rib of claim 1 , wherein the rib comprises:
rib feet for attaching to a skin; and
a surface-forming portion extending beyond the rib feet by the thickness of the skin, such that when the skin is attached to the rib feet, the surface forming portion forms an extension of the skin.

13. A wing tip device comprising an inner rib, the wing tip device being for use as the wing tip device in claim 1 .

14. An aircraft comprising a wing, the wing having a fixed wing with a wing tip device moveably mounted at the outer end thereof, the wing tip device being moveable 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 the outer end of the fixed wing comprises an outer rib, and the inner end of the wing tip device comprises an inner rib, such that when the wing tip device is in the flight configuration, the outer and inner ribs are located on opposing sides of an interface,
the skin of the fixed wing terminates inwardly of the interface, but the outer rib comprises a surface-forming portion, the surface-forming portion forming an extension of the skin towards the interface and
the skin of the wing tip device terminates outwardly of the interface, but the inner rib comprises a surface-forming portion, the surface-forming portion forming an extension of the skin towards the interface,
such that when the wing tip device is in the flight configuration the surface-forming portion of the inner rib is aligned with the surface forming portion of the outer rib at the interface.

15. An aircraft wing having fixed wing and a wing tip device attached to the fixed wing, wherein the wing tip device moves between a flight configuration and a ground configuration such that moving the wing tip device from the flight configuration to the ground configuration shortens the span of the aircraft wing, the aircraft wing comprises:
an outer rib adjacent an outer end of the fixed wing;
an inner rib adjacent an inner end of the wing tip device, wherein the outer and inner ribs face each other across an interface between the fixed wing and the wing tip device while the wing tip device is in the flight configuration;
a fixed wing-skin terminating inwardly in a spanwise direction of the interface;
a wing tip device-skin terminating outwardly in the spanwise direction of the interface;
an outer rib surface-forming portion of the outer rib extending from the fixed wing-skin towards the interface, and
an inner rib surface-forming portion of the inner rib extending from the wing tip device-skin towards the interface,
wherein, while the wing tip device is in the flight configuration, the outer rib surface-forming portion meets and is aligned with the inner rib surface-forming portion at the interface.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Thompson Robert Ian
• Boye Sylvain
• Bishop Benjamin

Classifications

• Y02T50/14

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B64C3/26

  Construction, shape, or attachment of separate skins, e.g. panels · CPC title

• B64C3/56 Primary

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

• B64C3/187

  Ribs · CPC title

• Y02T50/10

  Drag reduction · CPC title