Aircraft having foldable wings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11518500-B2
Application number	US-201916680037-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2019
Priority date	May 3, 2019
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

Aircrafts having foldable wings are disclosed. An example aircraft includes a fixed wing portion, a foldable wing tip, and a hinge interface to pivotally couple the foldable wing tip and the fixed wing portion. The hinge interface has a first hinge defining a hinge axis that is substantially parallel to a fuselage centerline. The first hinge has a first dimension in a spanwise direction and a second dimension in a chordwise direction. The first dimension is greater than the second dimension.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aircraft, comprising:
a fixed wing portion;
a foldable wing tip defining a foldable wing tip chord length; and
a hinge interface to pivotally couple the foldable wing tip and the fixed wing portion, the hinge interface to transition between the foldable wing tip and the fixed wing portion, the hinge interface having a first hinge and a second hinge defining a hinge axis that is substantially parallel to a fuselage centerline, the hinge axis positioned closer to the foldable wing tip than the fixed wing portion, the hinge interface including a latch interface defining a latch axis adjacent the hinge axis and positioned between the hinge axis and the fixed wing portion, each of the first hinge and the second hinge having a first dimension in a spanwise direction and a second dimension in a chordwise direction, the first dimension being greater than the second dimension, the second hinge positioned adjacent a midpoint of the foldable wing tip chord length and the first hinge being positioned fore of the second hinge.

2. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first hinge defines a first torque box having a first wing rib and a second wing rib, the first wing rib being attached to a front spar of a fixed wing box of the fixed wing portion and a front spar of a foldable wing box of the foldable wing tip, the second wing rib being attached to a closeout rib of the fixed wing box of the fixed wing portion and a closeout rib of the foldable wing box of the foldable wing tip.

3. The aircraft of claim 2 , wherein the first hinge is non-parallel relative to the front spar of the fixed wing box.

4. The aircraft of claim 2 , wherein the second hinge defines a second torque box having a third wing rib and a fourth wing rib, the third wing rib being attached to a rear spar of the fixed wing box of the fixed wing portion and a rear spar of the foldable wing box of the foldable wing tip, the fourth wing rib being attached to a closeout rib of the fixed wing box of the fixed wing portion and a closeout rib of the foldable wing box of the foldable wing tip.

5. The aircraft of claim 4 , wherein the second hinge is non-parallel relative to the rear spar of the fixed wing box.

6. The aircraft of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the first hinge or the second hinge provides a primary load path between the foldable wing tip and the fixed wing portion.

7. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first hinge is spaced from the second hinge in a chordwise direction by a distance approximately between 0.8 meters (2.6 feet) and 1.0 meters (3.3 feet).

8. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the hinge interface is located outboard relative to an outermost leading edge slat and an outermost aileron of the fixed wing portion.

9. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the latch axis is substantially parallel relative to the hinge axis, the hinge axis being spaced from the latch axis by a distance of approximately between 0.25 meters (0.83 feet) and 0.40 meters (1.31 feet).

10. The aircraft of claim 9 , wherein the hinge axis is positioned between the foldable wing tip and the latch axis, and the latch axis is positioned between the hinge axis and the fuselage centerline.

11. The aircraft of claim 9 , wherein the hinge axis is positioned closer to at least one of a center of mass or a center of airloading of the foldable wing tip than the latch axis.

12. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the foldable wing tip has a semi-span length of approximately between 10 feet and 14 feet and a foldable wing tip chordwise length of approximately between 9 feet and 11 feet.

13. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the aircraft has a first wingspan when the foldable wing tip is in an extended position and a second wingspan when the foldable wing tip is in a folded position, the first wingspan being greater than 65 meters and the second wingspan being less than 65 meters.

14. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first dimension in a spanwise direction is approximately between 0.4 meters (1.3 feet) and 0.6 meters (2.0 feet) and the second dimension in the chordwise direction is approximately between 0.20 meters (0.67 feet) and 0.30 meters (1.00 feet).

15. An aircraft, comprising:
a wing having a fixed wing portion and a foldable wing tip; and
a hinge interface to pivotally couple the foldable wing portion to the fixed wing portion, the hinge interface to transition between the fixed wing portion and the foldable wing tip, the hinge interface including:
a first hinge and a second hinge defining a hinge axis substantially parallel to a fuselage centerline;
a first wing rib and a second wing rib spaced from the first wing rib to define the first hinge, the first wing rib and the second wing rib having a dimensional length, the hinge axis positioned between the foldable wing tip and a midpoint of the dimensional length, the first wing rib to support a first hinge pin and the second wing rib to support a second hinge pin, each of the first wing rib and the second wing rib having a longitudinal axis to extend between the foldable wing tip and the fixed wing portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the fuselage centerline of the aircraft; and
a latch interface defining a latch axis positioned between the hinge axis and the fixed wing portion.

16. The aircraft of claim 15 , further comprising a third wing rib and a fourth wing rib spaced from the third wing rib to define the second hinge, the third wing rib to support a third hinge pin and the fourth wing rib to support a fourth hinge pin, each of the third wing rib and the fourth wing rib having a longitudinal axis to extend between the foldable wing tip and the fixed wing portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the fuselage centerline of the aircraft.

17. The aircraft of claim 16 , wherein the hinge axis is spaced from a center of mass of the foldable wing tip a distance of approximately between 0.40 meters (1.31 feet) and 0.80 meters (2.62 feet).

18. The aircraft of claim 16 , wherein the second hinge is positioned at a midpoint of a foldable wing tip chord length and the first hinge is positioned a distance from the second hinge in a chordwise direction.

19. An aircraft comprising:
a first wing having a first fixed portion, a first hinge interface, and a first foldable portion; and
a second wing having a second fixed portion, a second hinge interface, and a second foldable portion, the first wing and the second wing to provide a first wingspan when the first foldable portion and the second foldable portion are in extended positions, the first wing and the second wing to provide a second wingspan when the first foldable portion and the second foldable portion are in folded positions, the first wingspan being greater than approximately 65 meters and the second wingspan being less than approximately 65 meters, the first foldable portion to rotate about a first hinge axis and the second foldable portion to rotate about a second hinge axis, the first and second hinge axes being substantially parallel to a fuselage centerline, the first foldable portion having a first latch axis adjacent the first hinge axis and the second foldable portion having a second latch axis adjacent the second hinge axis, the first and second latch axes being substantially parallel to the fuselage centerline, the first hinge axis positioned closer to the first foldable portion than the first latch axis, and the second hinge axis positioned closer to the second foldable portion than the second latch axis.

20. The aircraft

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Good Mark Steven
• Walker Steven Paul

Classifications

• B64C3/187

  Ribs · CPC title

• B64C3/546 Primary

  by foldable elements · CPC title

• B64C3/36

  Structures adapted to reduce effects of aerodynamic or other external heating · CPC title

• Y02T50/10

  Drag reduction · CPC title

• B64C5/08

  mounted on, or supported by, wings · CPC title