Leading-edge arrangement for an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11866170-B2
Application number	US-202017615068-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2020
Priority date	Jul 9, 2019
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

A movable flow body device for an aircraft including an elongated flow body having a main extension axis, a first mechanical interface in a first position along the main extension axis, a second mechanical interface in a second position and a third mechanical interface in a third position. The first mechanical interface may be a master interface arranged in a central region, while the second and third mechanical interfaces are slave interfaces. Preferably, in the outboard position, a link plate between a support lever and a support rib of the flow body is inverted compared to the further inboard mechanical interface, which allows for supporting slimmer and longer flow bodies in the outboard region and providing a rigging hinge line through the whole flow body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A movable flow body device for an aircraft, comprising:
an elongated flow body having a main extension axis,
a first mechanical interface coupled with the flow body in a first position along the main extension axis, having a first support component,
a second mechanical interface coupled with the flow body in a second position along the main extension axis, having a second support component, and
a third mechanical interface coupled with the flow body in a third position along the main extension axis, having a third support component,
wherein the first support component, the second support component and the third support component are rigidly attached to the flow body,
wherein the first mechanical interface comprises a first swiveling device that is configured to swivably couple a first support lever with the first support component of the first mechanical interface to form a first hinge point on the first support component,
wherein the second mechanical interface comprises a second swiveling device that is configured to swivably couple a second support lever with the second support component of the second mechanical interface to form a second hinge point,
wherein the third mechanical interface comprises a third swiveling device that is configured to swivably couple a third support lever with the third support component of the third mechanical interface to form a third hinge point,
wherein the second swiveling device and the third swiveling device are coupled with the second support lever and third support lever, respectively, through a respective link plate,
wherein the link plates coupled with the second support lever and third support lever comprise orientations relative to the respective support components or the respective support levers that are inverted relative to each other to shift one of the second hinge point and the third hinge point transverse to the main extension axis relative to the respective support lever, and
wherein the first hinge point, the second hinge point and the third hinge point define a straight hinge line that extends along the first, second and third positions of the flow body.

2. The flow body device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the link plates comprises an attachment end and a support end,
wherein the attachment ends are attached to one of the respective support levers and the respective support component,
wherein the support ends are attached to the other one of the respective support lever and the respective support component,
wherein the attachment ends comprises at least two flexible attachment points for attaching the link plate to maintain a desired orientation, and
wherein the support ends comprise a single flexible attachment point for attaching the link plate to allow a swiveling motion.

3. The flow body device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the attachment end of one of the link plates is connected to the respective support lever, and
wherein the attachment end of the other one of the link plates is connected to the respective support component.

4. The flow body device according to claim 2 ,
wherein an arrangement of the second support lever and the second support component as well as of the third support lever and the third support component are inverted relative to each other in a direction transverse to the main extension axis.

5. The flow body device according to claim 2 , wherein the attachment points are configured to allow the respective support component and support lever to laterally shift relative to each other.

6. The flow body device according to claim 1 ,
further comprising a first link, a second link and a third link,
wherein each of the support levers is coupled with one end of one of the first, second and third links,
wherein the respective other ends of the links are coupled with the respective support component in a distance to the respective swiveling device.

7. The flow body device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first mechanical interface is a master interface, and
wherein the second and third mechanical interfaces are slave interfaces.

8. The flow body device according to claim 1 , wherein the support components are realized as support ribs attached to an interior skin of the flow body and comprising a lug or hole for coupling with the respective support lever.

9. The flow body device according to claim 1 , wherein the mechanical interfaces comprise knuckle joints with a radial adjustment.

10. The flow body device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a width of the flow body changes along the main extension direction, wherein one of the second and third attachment positions is in a region of the smallest width, and
wherein the first attachment position is arranged in a distance thereto along the main extension direction.

11. The flow body device according to claim 10 , wherein the first attachment position is a center position between the second attachment position and the third attachment position.

12. The flow body device according to claim 10 ,
wherein the main extension direction is a spanwise direction,
wherein the flow body tapers in an outboard direction, and
wherein the third mechanical interface is arranged in an outboard region.

13. A wing comprising
a fixed wing component,
at least one flow body device according to claim 1 , and
a drive mechanism having at least a first support lever, a second support lever and a third support lever,
wherein the at least one flow body device is coupled with the first support lever, the second support lever and the third support lever.

14. The wing according to claim 13 , wherein the flow body comprises at least one of a leading-edge high-lift device and a trailing-edge high-lift device.

15. An aircraft having two wings according to claim 13 .

16. An aircraft having at least one flow body device according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Bensmann Stefan
• Erban Marcus
• Fees Martin

Classifications

• B64C9/02 Primary

  Mounting or supporting thereof · CPC title

• B64C9/04

  with compound dependent movements · CPC title

• B64C13/28

  mechanical · CPC title

• B64C9/16

  at the rear of the wing · CPC title

• B64C9/22

  at the front of the wing · CPC title