Aircraft seal assembly
AssigneeAirbus Operations GmbH
InventorsPhilip Jaggard, Alan Haddrell, James Buckingham
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An aircraft assembly may have a drag-inducing discontinuity 112. A seal assembly 101 includes a seal body 110 arranged to fair and/or seal the discontinuity 112; and a sealed chamber 114, wherein the sealed chamber 114 being pressurised such that in response to changes in the ambient pressure relative to the internal pressure of the chamber 114 the sealed chamber 114 alters the behaviour of the seal body 110.
Claims22
An aircraft airfoil assembly having a drag-inducing discontinuity, and a seal assembly attached to an airfoil structure adjacent the discontinuity and the seal assembly comprising a seal body arranged to fair and/or seal the discontinuity, the seal assembly further comprising an air-tight sealed chamber, the air-tight sealed chamber being pressurized such that, in response to changes in ambient pressure as the aircraft assembly changes altitude, a difference in the ambient pressure and an internal pressure in the air-tight sealed chamber alters a behavior of the seal body.
A method of altering the behavior of a seal arranged to seal or fair a drag-inducing discontinuity on an aircraft airfoil assembly, said seal comprising a seal body and an air-tight sealed chamber, wherein the seal body is attached to a structure of the airfoil assembly adjacent the discontinuity, the method comprising the steps of:
- pressurizing the air-tight sealed chamber with air at atmospheric pressure while the aircraft is at ground level, and
- then reducing ambient pressure surrounding the air-tight sealed chamber by moving the aircraft from the ground level to a flight cruising altitude, wherein a response of the air-tight sealed chamber to the reduction in the ambient pressure relative to an internal pressure of the air-tight sealed chamber alters the behavior of the seal body.
A seal for use with an aerodynamic gap or step in a surface of an aircraft airfoil, the seal comprising:
- a bulb fixed to a structure of the aircraft airfoil and spanning the gap or step, wherein the bulb contains an air-tight sealed chamber defined by one or more flexible walls such that, in use, as ambient pressure reduces relative to an internal pressure of the air-tight sealed chamber, the air-tight sealed chamber provides increased resistance to deformation of the bulb.
A seal for use with an aerodynamic gap or step in a surface of an aircraft, the seal comprising a bulb containing an air-tight chamber defined by one or more flexible walls such that, in use, as ambient pressure reduces relative to an internal pressure of the air-tight chamber, the air-tight chamber provides increased resistance to deformation of the bulb, wherein the air-tight chamber comprises a bladder contained within a void in the bulb.
A seal assembly for use with an aerodynamic gap or step in the surface of an aircraft comprising:
- a seal including a bulb containing an air-tight chamber defined by one or more flexible walls such that, in use, as ambient pressure reduces relative to an internal pressure of the air-tight chamber, the air-tight chamber provides increased resistance to deformation of the bulb, and
- an actuator arranged to move the seal from a first position to a second position by contacting the bulb.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.