Slat support assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9296473-B2
Application number	US-201313907492-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2013
Priority date	May 31, 2012
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

A slat support assembly is disclosed. It comprises a slat support arm which is movable to deploy a slat from a leading edge of an aircraft wing about an axis of rotation of the arm and a slat mount on a slat which is coupled to one end of said slat support arm by a joint. The joint is configured to allow the slat mount to slide in a direction of the axis of rotation of the arm.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A slat support assembly comprising a slat support arm which is movable to deploy a slat from a leading edge of an aircraft wing about an axis of rotation of the arm and a slat mount on a slat which is coupled to one end of said slat support arm by a joint, the joint comprising a bearing element, wherein the bearing element comprises a shaft having a longitudinal axis parallel to said axis of rotation of the arm, and a bearing sleeve, the shaft being slidable in the bearing sleeve in a direction along said longitudinal axis of the shaft together with the slat mount, thereby allowing the slat mount to slide in a direction of the axis of rotation of the arm.

2. A slat support assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the bearing element being slidably received in a bearing sleeve on the slat support arm.

3. A slat support assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the bearing sleeve comprises opposing bushes on the slat support arm and ends of the shaft are slidably received in the bushes, and the shaft extends between the opposing bushes.

4. A slat support assembly according to claim 3 , further comprising a yoke formed at the one end of the slat support arm with two spaced yoke members, wherein the opposing bushes are formed in the yoke members.

5. A slat support assembly according to claim 4 , wherein the slat mount is disposed between the yoke members.

6. A slat support assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the slat mount is mountable to the shaft of the bearing element between the ends of the shaft.

7. A slat support assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the ends of the shaft form cylindrical bearing journal surfaces which mate with corresponding bearing seats of the bushes.

8. A slat support assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the longitudinal axis of the shaft extends parallel to the axis of rotation of the arm.

9. A slat support assembly according claim 3 , wherein each bush has an end stop at an end thereof, and the ends of the shaft are capable of abutting the end stops to restrict the range of motion of the shaft.

10. A slat support assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the length of the shaft is shorter than the distance between the end stops of the opposing bushes so that the shaft is slidable in the bushes between the two end stops.

11. A slat support assembly according to claim 9 , wherein an outlet is formed through each end stop.

12. A slat support assembly according to claim 6 , wherein the slat mount is pivotally mounted to the shaft.

13. A slat support assembly according to claim 12 , further comprising a collar on the slat mounting slat mount which locates around and mates with the shaft.

14. A slat support assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the shaft further comprises a part-spherical section disposed between each end of the shaft and the collar locates around and mates with the part-spherical section of the shaft.

15. A slat support assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the range of motion of the shaft is configured to prevent the slat mount abutting the yoke members.

16. A slat support assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a link arm extending between the slat support arm and the slat to prevent rotation of the slat about the longitudinal axis of the shaft.

17. A slat support assembly according to claim 16 , wherein the link arm is pivotally mounted to the slat support arm and the slat by spherical bearings.

18. A slat support assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a pin extends through the shaft along the longitudinal axis of the shaft to strengthen the shaft.

19. A slat support assembly according to claim 18 , wherein the pin is fixedly mounted at each end to the bearing seat and the shaft is slidable along the pin.

20. A slat support assembly according to claim 19 , when dependent on claim 9 , wherein the pin is fixedly mounted to the end stops.

21. A slat support assembly according to claim 2 , further comprising a plurality of bearings mountable within a wing, each bearing being in rolling contact with an associated bearing surface on the slat support arm to support the slat support arm and guide it during deployment and retraction of the slat, wherein at least some of the bearing surfaces and associated bearings are configured so that each bearing counteracts load applied to the slat support arm in more than one direction.

22. A slat support assembly according to claim 21 , wherein the slat support arm has a pair of adjacent upper bearing surfaces, each upper bearing surface being arranged at an angle relative to its adjacent upper bearing surface such that a bearing associated with one upper bearing surface does not share a common axis with the bearing associated with the other upper bearing surface.

23. A slat support assembly according claim 1 , comprising a groove in the slat support arm and a slat rack mounted to the slat support arm in the groove for cooperation with a drive pinion configured to rotate the slat track about its axis for deployment and retraction of the slat.

24. A joint for coupling a slat to one end of a slat support arm which is movable to deploy said slat from a leading edge of an aircraft wing about an axis of rotation of said slat support arm, the joint comprising a bearing element mountable to a slat and a bearing element sleeve mountable to a slat support arm, wherein the bearing element comprises a shaft having a longitudinal axis parallel to said axis of rotation of the arm, and a bearing sleeve, the shaft being slidable in the bearing sleeve in a direction along said longitudinal axis of the shaft, thereby said slat is slidable relative to said slat support arm in the direction of the axis of rotation of the arm.

25. An aircraft wing having a slat and a slat support assembly according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Parker Simon John

Classifications

• B64C13/28 Primary

  mechanical · CPC title

• Y02T50/44

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B64C9/22 Primary

  at the front of the wing · CPC title

• B64C9/14 Primary

  forming slots · CPC title

• Y02T50/40

  Weight reduction · CPC title