Yaw and pitch control of air vehicles at high angles of attack
AssigneeVigyan Research Associates, Inc.
InventorsDhanvada M. Rao, Daniel G. Murri
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Method and apparatus for controlling the yaw and pitch of air vehicles at high angles of attack by controlling the vortex pattern around the forebodies of the air vehicles by means of deflecting strakes 11 and 16.
Claims8
A method for controlling the yaw of an air vehicle, including a forebody which is the extended nose portion of the fuselage forward of the forward-most lifting surface of the air vehicle, at high angles of attack when the rudder of the air vehicle becomes ineffective comprising the steps of:
- providing two symmetrically hinged conformal strakes on either side of the forebody of the air vehicle and with each hinged near the outer surface of the forebody at equal and opposite strake location angles for altering the flow separations and resulting vortex patterns around the forebody;
- and
- anti-symmetrically controlling the deflections of the two strakes to produce asymmetric vortex patterns around the forebody thereby producing yaw side forces on the forebody which provide yawing moments that are used as a yaw control for said air vehicle.
Apparatus for controlling the yaw of an air vehicle at high angles of attack when the rudder becomes ineffective comprising:
- a forebody, included with said air vehicle, being the extended nose portion of the fuselage forward of the forward-most lifting surface of the air vehicle;
- a first strake means mounted at a selected strake location angle on one side of the forebody of said air vehicle by means of a first hinge such that the hinge line of the first hinge is near the surface of said forebody for altering the vortex pattern around said forebody;
- a second symmetrical strake means symmetrically mounted at said selected strake location angle on the opposite side of said forebody by means of a second hinge such that the hinge line of said second hinge is near the surface of said forebody for altering the vortex pattern around said forebody;
- and
- means for anti-symmetrically controlling the deflections of said first and second strake means to provide a yaw control of said air vehicle at high angles of attack.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.