Airfoil with a main wing and a high-lift body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10919614-B2
Application number	US-201816043934-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2018
Priority date	Sep 6, 2017
Publication date	Feb 16, 2021
Grant date	Feb 16, 2021

Abstract

An airfoil comprising a main wing and a high-lift body. The high-lift body defines a concave recess. The airfoil further comprises a sealing device having two sealing elements arranged in the concave recess. The sealing elements are plate-shaped and abut sectionally on the high-lift body and have side faces extending perpendicularly to the common rotational axis. When the high-lift body is moved between a retracted position and a deployed position, the sealing elements rotate relative to the main wing and relative to each other, such that an overlap between the sealing elements is smaller when the high-lift body is in the deployed position than when the high-lift body is in the retracted position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An airfoil for an aircraft, the airfoil comprising:
a main wing having a leading edge,
a high-lift body having a leading edge and a concavo-convex cross-section transverse to its leading edge such that a concave recess is defined by the high-lift body, which concave recess extends parallel to the leading edge of the high-lift body,
wherein the high-lift body is coupled to the main wing at a recessed portion provided in the leading edge of the main wing such that the concave recess faces the main wing, and
wherein the high-lift body is selectively movable between a retracted position and a deployed position, wherein in the retracted position the leading edge of the main wing and the leading edge of the high-lift body form a continuous common leading edge, and
a sealing device having a first sealing element arranged in the concave recess defined by the high-lift body,
wherein the first sealing element is plate-shaped, is rotatable about a common rotational axis relative to the main wing, abuts sectionally on the high-lift body and has a side face extending perpendicular to the common rotational axis,
wherein the sealing device is coupled to the high-lift body such that when the high-lift body is moved between the retraced position and the deployed position, the first element rotates relative to the main wing, and
wherein in the deployed position of the high-lift body at least part of a gap formed between the main wing and the high-lift body in a plane extending perpendicular to the common rotational axis is covered by the sealing device
wherein the sealing device comprises a second sealing element arranged in the concave recess defined by the high-lift body,
wherein the second sealing element is plate-shaped, is rotatable about the common rotational axis relative to the main wing and has a side face extending perpendicular to the common rotational axis,
wherein the first and the second sealing elements are rotatable about a common rotational axis relative to each other and wherein the side faces of the sealing elements extend parallel to each other, and
wherein when the high-lift body is moved between the retraced position and the deployed position, the second sealing element rotates relative to the main wing and the first and the second sealing elements rotate relative to each other, while constantly maintaining their side faces parallel to each other, such that when the first and the second sealing elements are projected on a plane extending perpendicular to the common rotational axis, an overlap between the first and the second sealing elements is smaller when the high-lift body is in the deployed position than when the high-lift body is in the retracted position.

2. The airfoil according to claim 1 , wherein the airfoil further comprises a guiding means mechanically coupling the high-lift body to the main wing, wherein the first sealing element is mechanically coupled to the guiding means.

3. The airfoil according to claim 2 , wherein the guiding means is rotatably coupled to the main wing, wherein the guiding means is adapted to rotate relative to the main wing about the common rotational axis.

4. The airfoil according to claim 2 , wherein a connecting element connects the first sealing element to the guiding means for driving the first sealing element,
wherein the connecting element projects from the first sealing element in a direction extending parallel to the common rotational axis.

5. The airfoil according to claim 1 , wherein a first seal is arranged on the first sealing element, wherein the first seal is in contact with the high-lift body.

6. The airfoil according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second sealing elements are connected via a first guide rail and a first connector guided in the first guide rail.

7. The airfoil according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first guide rail comprises an upper and a lower end stop for engagement with a corresponding first end stop bolt limiting a motion of the first and the second sealing elements with respect to one another, and
wherein the second sealing element is preferably driven via the first end stop bolt when the first end stop bolt engages with either of the upper or the lower end stop of the first guide rail.

8. The airfoil according to claim 1 , wherein a second seal is arranged on the second sealing element, wherein the second seal is in contact with the high-lift body.

9. The airfoil according to claim 1 , wherein the second sealing element is connected via a second guide rail and a second connector guided in the second guide rail to the main wing,
wherein the second guide rail comprises an upper and a lower end stop for engagement with a corresponding second end stop bolt limiting a motion of the second sealing element relative to the main wing.

10. The airfoil according to claim 9 ,
wherein the main wing comprises a support face extending perpendicular to the common rotational axis and parallel to the second sealing element,
wherein the second sealing element is connected via the second guide rail and the second connector guided in the second guide rail to the support face,
wherein when the second sealing element and the support face are projected on a plane extending perpendicular to the common rotational axis, an overlap between the second sealing element and the support face is smaller when the high-lift body is in the deployed position than when the high-lift body is in the retracted position, and
wherein in the deployed position and in the retracted position of the high-lift body, the high-lift body is preferably in contact with the support face of the main wing, wherein the contact is preferably provided by a third seal.

11. The airfoil according to claim 1 , further comprising a guiding mechanism for controlling a relative motion of the first sealing element and the second sealing element, the guiding mechanism comprising a guiding lever with two pivot points spaced apart from each other and spaced apart from a mounting point where the guiding lever is mounted rotatably to the main wing, wherein a first guiding rod mechanically connects a first of the two pivot points to the first sealing element and wherein a second guiding rod mechanically connects a second of the two pivot points to the second sealing element.

12. The airfoil according to claim 11 , wherein the guiding lever is mounted rotatably on the supporting face.

13. The airfoil according to claim 1 , wherein the high-lift body is a droop nose.

14. An aircraft comprising an airfoil according to claim 1 , wherein the high-lift body is arranged between a fuselage of the aircraft and an engine supported by the airfoil.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Erban Marcus
• Fees Martin

Classifications

• B64C9/24

  by single flap · CPC title

• Y02T50/30

  Wing lift efficiency · CPC title

• Y02T50/10

  Drag reduction · CPC title

• B64C5/08

  mounted on, or supported by, wings · CPC title

• B64C3/50 Primary

  by leading or trailing edge flaps · CPC title