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US 4,479,620 AGranted
Wing load alleviation system using tabbed allerons
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsJohn T. Rogers, Kenneth J. R. Manning
Life of this patent
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AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsJohn T. Rogers, Kenneth J. R. Manning
Estimating the term…
A wing load alleviation system for redistributing aircraft loads encountered during flight by symmetrically deflecting the outboard ailerons of the aircraft includes a trailing edge tab pivotally supported on each outboard aileron. As each outboard aileron is deflected by the wing load alleviation system to reduce wing bending moments, the corresponding tab is deflected in aerodynamic opposition thereto so as to reduce wing torsional loads caused by the deflection of its associated outboard aileron. The span of each tab is equal to or less than that of its associated outboard aileron, and the chord of each tab is a predetermined fraction of that of its associated outboard aileron. Each tab may be mechanically linked to its associated outboard aileron so that deflection of the outboard aileron causes a proportional but opposite deflection of the tab.
In an aircraft having a hydraulically actuated wing load alleviation system wherein the outboard ailerons on each of the wings are symmetrically deflected to reduce increased aircraft wing loads caused by gusts and pilot-induced maneuvers occurring during flight, an improvement in the method of wing load alleviation comprising the additional step of deflecting a trailing edge tab pivotally supported on each said outboard aileron in aerodynamic opposition to the deflection of its associated outboard aileron so as to reduce wing torsional loads.
In an aircraft having first and second opposing wings and first and second outboard ailerons, respectively, associated with said first and second wings and including a wing load alleviation system responsive to aircraft loads encountered during flight to rotate said first and second outboard ailerons in the same direction about the respective aileron pivot axes and including a tab and tab drive means associated with each of said first and second outboard ailerons, said tab being pivotally supported form its associated outboard aileron adjacent the trailing edge thereof for rotation about a spanwise extending tab pivot axis, an improvement in the method of wing load alleviation comprising the steps of rotating each of said tabs about its tab pivot axis as its associated outboard aileron is rotated about its aileron pivot axis, the direction of rotation of said tab being opposite to that of said associated outboard aileron.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.