Aircraft control surface deployment system

An aircraft structure in a form of at least part of an aircraft wing, wherein the wing comprises:

• multiple control surface devices arranged along an edge of the wing, being a leading edge or a trailing edge;
• an elongate cam body arranged along a cam axis, which when moved along the cam axis in one direction causes the control surface devices to move to a fully deployed position, and when moved along the cam axis in an opposite direction causes the control surface devices to move away from the deployed position, and
• a linear actuator including an actuator body and an actuator rod which is configured to drive the cam body, the rod moving along an actuation axis, by extending from or retracting into the actuator body, so as to move the cam body in a direction along the cam axis, and wherein:
• the actuator and cam body both extend in a direction along the edge and are arranged side by side with respect to each other;
• the cam axis is in a same direction as the actuation axis, but cannot be guaranteed in use to be always perfectly parallel;
• movement of the cam body by the actuator is via a coupling which comprises a first pair of surfaces which:
• transmit forces necessary for the rod to drive the cam body in one direction along the cam axis as a result of one surface of the pair pushing against the other surface of the pair in a direction that is (i) substantially perpendicular to at least one of the two surfaces at a point of contact therebetween and also (ii) substantially parallel to the actuation axis;
• and
• simultaneously allow sliding motion between the surfaces to alleviate any loads resulting from misalignment of the cam axis and the actuation axis;
• the coupling further comprising a second pair of surfaces which:
• transmit the forces necessary for the rod to drive the cam body in the opposite direction along the cam axis as a result of one surface of the pair pushing against the other surface of the pair in a direction that is (i) substantially perpendicular to at least one of the two surfaces at a point of contact therebetween and also (ii) substantially parallel to the actuation axis;
• and
• simultaneously allow sliding motion between the surfaces to alleviate any loads resulting from misalignment of the cam axis and the actuation axis.