Magnetic seals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10870480-B2
Application number	US-201815957100-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2018
Priority date	Apr 26, 2017
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

An aerodynamic structure for an aircraft including a first region having a first magnetic sealing surface, movably connected to a second region having a second magnetic sealing surface. The structure is moveable between a first configuration in which the first sealing surface contacts the second sealing surface such that the first region and the second region form a continuous aerodynamic surface, and a second configuration in which a gap exists between the first and second magnetic sealing surfaces and. The magnetic sealing surfaces are configured such that an attractive magnetic force exists between the magnetic sealing surfaces in the first configuration. The aerodynamic structure is configured such that during movement between the first and second configurations, relative movement of the first and second regions occurs along a direction at an angle in the range 1-90° to the normal of the first sealing surface and/or the second sealing surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aerodynamic wing structure comprising:
a first wing segment having a first side and a first slot in the first side;
a second wing segment having a second side and a second slot in the second side;
a first magnet slidably mounted in the first slot, wherein the first magnet is configured to slide in the first slot between an extended position in which a portion of the first magnet extends beyond the first side and a retracted position in which the first magnet is retracted within the first slot;
a second magnet slidably mounted in the second slot, wherein the second magnet is configured to slide in the second slot between an extended position in which a portion of the second magnet extends beyond the second side and a retracted position in which the first magnet is retracted within the second slot;
wherein the first and second magnets are aligned to magnetically attract and attach to each other to close a gap between the first side and the second side while at least one of the first wing segment and the second wing segment is in a first position, and
wherein the first magnet is retracted in the first slot and the second magnet is retracted in the second slot while at least one of the first and second wing segments is in a second position.

2. The aerodynamic wing structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a first flexible mount connected to the first slot and to the first magnet.

3. The aerodynamic wing structure according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one trap feature adjacent to a magnetic pole of the first magnet.

4. The aerodynamic wing structure according to claim 3 , wherein the first magnet includes opposing long sides, and wherein the at least one trap feature includes a trap adjacent each of the long sides.

5. The aerodynamic wing structure according to claim 1 , wherein the first slot includes a support formation configured to constrain the first magnet to movement along the first slot.

6. The aerodynamic wing structure according to claim 5 , wherein the support formation comprises a channel, and wherein the first magnetic is at least partially received within the channel.

7. The aerodynamic wing structure according to claim 1 , wherein the first magnet comprises a flexible strip magnet having a north pole at one long edge of the flexible strip magnet and a south pole at an opposing long edge of the flexible strip magnet.

8. The aerodynamic wing structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a first sealing surface connected to the first magnet and a second sealing surface connected to the second magnet.

9. The aerodynamic wing structure according to claim 8 , wherein at least one of the first and second magnetic sealing surfaces comprises an anti-friction material.

10. The aerodynamic wing structure according to claim 8 , wherein the first and second magnetic sealing surfaces are configured such that a negligible magnetic force exists between the first and second magnetic sealing surfaces when a distance between the first and second magnetic sealing surfaces is greater than a preselected value.

11. The aerodynamic wing structure according to claim 8 , wherein during movement between the first position and the second position, relative movement of the first and second magnets occurs along a direction which is at an angle in the range 1-60° to a normal of the first sealing surface and/or the normal of the second sealing surface.

12. The aerodynamic wing structure according to claim 1 , wherein the first wing segment comprises an aircraft wing and the second wing segment comprises one of: a slat; an aileron; a spoiler; and a flap.

13. The aerodynamic wing structure according to claim 12 , wherein during movement between the first position and the second position, relative movement of the first and second magnets occurs along a direction perpendicular to a normal of the first side and/or the normal of the second side.

14. The aerodynamic wing structure of claim 1 including:
a first strip including the first magnet and slidably mounted in the first slot, and
a second strip including the second magnet and slidably mounted in the second slot,
wherein the first and second strips abut to close the gap while the at least one of the first and second wing segments are in the first position.

15. The aerodynamic wing structure of claim 1 , wherein the first wing segment is a root section of a wing and the second wing segment is a wing tip section, wherein the first position is a deployed position and the second position is a folded position.

16. The aerodynamic wing structure of claim 1 , wherein the first wing segment is a first spoiler and the second wing segment is a second spoiler adjacent the first spoiler while mounted on a wing, wherein the first position is a retracted position and the second position is a deployed position.

17. The aerodynamic wing structure of claim 1 , wherein the first wing segment includes a first aerodynamic surface which is parallel to the first slot and the second wing segment includes a second aerodynamic surface which is parallel to the second slot, wherein the first and second aerodynamic surfaces are configured to be exposed to an airflow moving over the aerodynamic wing structure during flight of the aerodynamic surface.

18. The aerodynamic wing structure of claim 1 including:
a first flexible mount attaching the first magnet to the first side, wherein the first flexible mount biases the first magnet towards the second position, and
a second flexible mount attaching the second magnet to the second side, wherein the second flexible mount biases the second magnet towards the second position.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Brakes David

Classifications

• B64C1/30

  Parts of fuselage relatively movable to reduce overall dimensions of aircraft · CPC title

• B64C3/56 Primary

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

• Y02T50/10

  Drag reduction · CPC title

• B64C7/00 Primary

  Structures or fairings not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64C9/16

  at the rear of the wing · CPC title