Lifting surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11052996-B2
Application number	US-201815872460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2018
Priority date	Jan 17, 2017
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

A lifting device including: a movable discontinuity ( 1 ) located in a surface of the lifting device, the movable discontinuity ( 1 ) being movable between: an active position in which the movable discontinuity ( 1 ) acts as vortex generator, and a passive position in which the movable discontinuity ( 1 ) is integrated into the surface of the lifting surface, a conduit ( 2 ) located in the spanwise direction of the lifting surface and in communication with the movable discontinuity ( 1 ), the lifting surface including openings ( 3 ) in its surface spanwise distant from each other in communication with the conduit ( 2 ), the movable discontinuity ( 1 ) and the conduit ( 2 ) being configured such that when an airflow goes through the conduit ( 2 ), this airflow activates the movable discontinuity ( 1 ) to act as a vortex generator of the lifting surface.

First claim

The invention is:

1. An aerodynamic lifting device comprising:
a movable discontinuity located in a surface of the lifting device, the movable discontinuity being movable between:
an active position in which the movable discontinuity is a vortex generator, and
a passive position in which the movable discontinuity is aligned with the surface such that a profile of the surface is not interrupted by the movable discontinuity in the passive position,
a conduit located in the lifting device and oriented along a spanwise direction of the lifting device, wherein the conduit is in fluid communication with the movable discontinuity,
the lifting device further comprising openings in the surface, wherein the openings are spanwise distant from each other and each are in fluid communication with the conduit, and the openings are arranged such that while the openings are open an airflow enters through one of the openings, flows through the conduit and exits from the other opening,
wherein the movable discontinuity and the conduit are configured such that the airflow flowing through the conduit moves the movable discontinuity to the active position.

2. The lifting device, according to claim 1 wherein the movable discontinuity is located at a region of the lifting device near a trailing edge of the lifting device.

3. The lifting device according to claim 1 wherein the openings are configured to be closed or opened in response to a command from the aircraft.

4. The lifting surface, according to claim 1 wherein the openings are located in a portion of the surface configured to be exposed to a negative pressure gradient during flight.

5. The lifting device according to claim 1 wherein the movable discontinuity comprises a first part movable between the active position in which discontinuity is deployed from the surface of the surface and a passive position in which the discontinuity is located in a recess of the surface.

6. The lifting device, according to claim 5 wherein the movable discontinuity comprises a hinge line configured to move the first part between the active and passive positions.

7. The lifting device, according to claim 5 wherein the movable discontinuity further comprises a second part rigidly connected to the first part and movable between the active position in which the discontinuity is located in a recess of the surface covering said recess and the passive position in which the discontinuity is located in the conduit.

8. The lifting device according to claim 1 wherein the discontinuity comprises a part of a flexible skin of the surface, the flexible skin being movable between the passive position in which the flexible skin is located following an aerodynamic profile of the lifting surface and the active position in which the flexible skin departs from the aerodynamic surface be the vortex generator.

9. The lifting surface according to claim 8 wherein the flexible skin is sucked into a recess in the surface.

10. The lifting device according to claim 9 wherein the recess is located between consecutive ribs within the lifting device.

11. An aircraft, comprising a lifting surface according to claim 1 .

12. A wing of an aircraft comprising:
a leading edge;
an trailing edge;
an upper skin surface extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge;
a movable discontinuity located on the upper skin surface, wherein the movable discontinuity is located at a region of the wing closer to the trailing edge than to the leading edge of the wing, and the movable discontinuity is configured to move between:
an active position in which the movable discontinuity is a vortex generator, and
a passive position in which the movable discontinuity is aligned with the upper skin surface such that a profile of the upper skin surface is not interrupted by the movable discontinuity in the passive position,

a conduit in the wing and oriented along a spanwise direction of the wing, wherein the conduit is aligned with the movable discontinuity, and wherein air pressure in the conduit is a motive force which moves the moveable discontinuity between the active position and the passive positions.

13. The wing of claim 12 further comprising first and second openings in the surface on opposite sides of the movable discontinuity along the spanwise direction, wherein the first and second openings are in fluid communication with the conduit, the first and second openings are arranged such that air flowing over the surface of the wing enters the first opening and exits the second opening, and the pressure in the conduit is determined by the air flow through the first and second openings.

14. The wing of claim 12 wherein the openings are configured to be closed or opened in response to a command from the aircraft.

15. The wing of claim 12 wherein the movable discontinuity comprises a vane, a hinge and a cover perpendicular to the vane, wherein the vane and cover are fixed to the hinge and the hinge is mounted to the surface and oriented in a chordwise direction,
wherein the vane extends outward from the surface and the cover is seated in an opening of the surface while the movable discontinuity is in the active position,
wherein the vane is seated in the opening and the cover extends inward into the conduit while the movable discontinuity is in the passive position, and
wherein the movable discontinuity pivots about the hinge between the active and passive positions.

16. The wing of claim 12 , wherein the discontinuity includes a flexible skin of the surface and the flexible skin is over the conduit, wherein the flexible skin deflects into the conduit while pressure in the conduit is low and is aligned with a profile of the surface while the pressure in the conduit is high.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sl

Inventors

• García Nieto Carlos
• Vélez De Mendizábal Alonso Iker
• Crespo Peña Soledad
• Guinaldo Fernández Enrique
• Vázquez Castro Jesús Javier
• Torres Salas Álvaro

Classifications

• Y02T50/10

  Drag reduction · CPC title

• B64C23/06 Primary

  by generating vortices · CPC title

• B64C2230/08

  by influencing fluid flow by means of surface cavities, i.e. net fluid flow is null · CPC title

• B64C23/065 Primary

  at the wing tips · CPC title

• B64C21/10

  using other surface properties, e.g. roughness · CPC title