Airflow interrupting devices
AssigneeTamarack Aerospace Group, Inc.
InventorNicholas R. Guida
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flow interrupting device may cause a flow to separate from a wingtip device at a desired angle of attack. The flow interrupting device may be coupled to a leading edge of a wingtip device where a flow disruptor may be configured to alleviate a load on the wingtip device. The flow disrupter may comprise an edge that extends into a boundary layer at a threshold angle of attack that may disrupt the boundary layer and cause a flow to separate from the wingtip device. This separated flow may reduce stresses experienced by the wingtip device and wing during various flight conditions where a transverse flow is encountered.
Claims21
(canceled)
A boundary layer interrupting device comprising:
- a body coupleable to a leading edge of a wingtip device;
- and
- a disrupting edge on the body, the disrupting edge being asymmetrically disposed with respect to a chord plane of the wingtip device such that the disrupting edge protrudes (i) from a stagnation region of the wingtip device at a first threshold angle of attack when flow approaches the wingtip device from a first side, and (ii) from the stagnation region at a second threshold angle of attack when flow approaches the wingtip device from a second side opposite the first side, the first threshold angle of attack being different from the second threshold angle of attack.
A boundary layer interrupting device for a wingtip device, the boundary layer interrupting device comprising:
- a body coupleable to a leading edge of the wingtip device;
- and
- a first disrupting edge and a second disrupting edge on the body, wherein the first disrupting edge and the second disrupting edge are configured to protrude from a stagnation region of the wingtip device at a respective threshold angle of attack to cause flow separation from the wingtip device.
A wingtip device comprising:
- a substantially vertical portion comprising a leading edge;
- and
- a boundary layer interrupting device coupled to at least a portion of the leading edge, the boundary layer interrupting device including a disrupting edge configured to cause flow separation from the wingtip device at a first threshold angle of attack when flow approaches the wingtip device from a first side and at a second threshold angle of attack when flow approaches the wingtip device from a second side opposite the first side, the first threshold angle of attack being different from the second threshold angle of attack.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.