Aircraft control surface having variable height corrugated core

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12043385-B2
Application number	US-202117473878-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2021
Priority date	Sep 13, 2021
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

A control surface for an aircraft may comprise an outer skin and a core coupled to the outer skin. The core may include a plurality of corrugations. A height of the core may decrease in a direction extending from a leading edge of the control surface to a trailing edge of the control surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control surface for an aircraft, comprising:
an outer skin; and
a core coupled to the outer skin, the core including a plurality of folded corrugations, wherein a height of the core decreases in a direction extending from a leading edge of the control surface to a trailing edge of the control surface, wherein the plurality of folded corrugations extend from an interior wall immediately adjacent the leading edge to a point where the outer skin and an inner skin comes into contact at the trailing edge, wherein the plurality of folded corrugations comprise a plurality of ridges and a plurality of grooves, the plurality of ridges being located at the outer skin and the plurality of grooves being located at the inner skin, and wherein a pitch of the ridges proximate the trailing edge is less than a pitch of the ridges proximate the leading edge, the pitch of the ridges being the distance between adjacent ridges.

2. The control surface of claim 1 , wherein the core further includes a core mounting flange at the leading edge of the control surface.

3. The control surface of claim 2 , wherein the outer skin comprises an outer skin mounting flange, and wherein the outer skin mounting flange is coupled to the core mounting flange.

4. The control surface of claim 1 , wherein the inner skin is coupled to the plurality of grooves.

5. The control surface of claim 4 , wherein the core includes a plurality of closeout flanges located at an inboard end and an outboard end of the core extending between the plurality of ridges and the plurality of grooves and between the inner skin and the outer skin.

6. The control surface of claim 1 , wherein the outer skin and the core each comprises a fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite material.

7. A method of forming a control surface, comprising:
forming an outer skin;
forming a thermoplastic panel into a corrugated core having a plurality of ridges and a plurality of grooves, wherein the corrugated core extends from an interior wall immediately adjacent a leading edge of the control surface to a point where the outer skin and an inner skin comes into contact at a trailing edge of the control surface, wherein the plurality of ridges decreases in height between a leading edge ridge of the plurality of ridges and a trailing edge ridge of the plurality of ridges, wherein the plurality of ridges are located at the outer skin and the plurality of grooves are located at the inner skin, and wherein a pitch of the ridges proximate the trailing edge is less than a pitch of the ridges proximate the leading edge, the pitch of the ridges being the distance between adjacent ridges; and
coupling the corrugated core to the outer skin.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the thermoplastic panel and the outer skin each comprises a fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite material.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein coupling the corrugated core to the outer skin comprises heating at least one of the outer skin or the corrugated core such that a matrix material of the fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite material of the corrugated core crosslinks with a matrix material of the fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite material of the outer skin.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
forming the inner skin comprising the fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite material;
locating the corrugated core between the inner skin and the outer skin; and
coupling the corrugated core to the inner skin by heating at least one of the inner skin or the corrugated core such that the matrix material of the fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite material of the corrugated core crosslinks with a matrix material of the fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite material of the inner skin.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein forming the thermoplastic panel into the corrugated core comprises forming a mounting flange at a leading edge of the corrugated core.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein forming the thermoplastic panel into the corrugated core comprises:
forming a plurality of first closeout flanges over an outboard end of the control surface; and
forming a plurality of second closeout flanges over an inboard end of the control surface.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising coupling the outer skin and the corrugated core to an aerostructure, wherein the corrugated core is adjacent to the aerostructure.

14. The method of claim 7 , wherein forming the thermoplastic panel into the corrugated core comprises forming the plurality of ridges having a decreased pitch proximate a trailing edge of the corrugated core.

15. An aerostructure, comprising:
an aerostructure surface; and
a control surface mounted to the aerostructure surface, the control surface including:
an outer skin; and
a core coupled to the outer skin, the core being located between the aerostructure surface and the outer skin, wherein the core includes a plurality of folded corrugations, wherein a height of the core decreases in a direction extending from a leading edge of the control surface to a trailing edge of the control surface, wherein the plurality of folded corrugations extend from an interior wall immediately adjacent the leading edge to a point where the outer skin and an inner skin comes into contact at the trailing edge, wherein the plurality of folded corrugations comprise a plurality of ridges and a plurality of grooves, the plurality of ridges being located at the outer skin and the plurality of grooves being located at the inner skin and wherein a pitch of the ridges proximate the trailing edge is less than a pitch of the ridges proximate the leading edge, the pitch of the ridges being the distance between adjacent ridges.

16. The aerostructure of claim 15 , wherein the outer skin terminates at a leading edge ridge of the plurality of ridges.

17. The aerostructure of claim 15 , wherein the core includes a core mounting flange and the outer skin includes an outer skin mounting flange, the outer skin mounting flange being coupled to the core mounting flange, and wherein the aerostructure further comprises a mount coupled to the outer skin mounting flange and the core mounting flange.

18. The aerostructure of claim 15 , wherein the core is adjacent to the aerostructure surface.

Assignees

• Rohr Inc

Inventors

• Davis Jennifer

Classifications

• B29L2031/3076

  Aircrafts (blades, propellers B29L2031/08) · CPC title

• B29K2701/12

  Thermoplastic materials · CPC title

• B29C70/42

  for producing articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles · CPC title

• B29C53/24

  of plates or sheets · CPC title

• B64C1/08

  Geodetic or other open-frame structures · CPC title