Flap arrangement for varying the aerodynamic lift generated by an aerodynamic element of an aircraft

In an aircraft having a fuselage and plural lift-generating aerodynamic elements selected from the group consisting of a wing, a wing flap, an aileron, a stabilizer, a rudder, and an elevator directly or indirectly connected to said fuselage, wherein a selected one of said aerodynamic elements has opposite first and second aerodynamic surfaces, a trailing edge therebetween, and a central chord line defined as intersecting said trailing edge and extending between said first and second aerodynamic surfaces,

• an improvement comprising an auxiliary flap arrangement for selectively increasing and/or decreasing, and leaving uninfluenced an aerodynamic lift generated by said selected aerodynamic element,
• said auxiliary flap arrangement comprising:
• a drum that extends parallel along said trailing edge in a span direction of said selected aerodynamic element, and that is rotatably supported relative to said trailing edge, and
• at least one auxiliary flap that has a longitudinally extending free edge and a longitudinally extending pivot edge opposite each other and parallel to said trailing edge, and that is connected along said pivot edge to said drum so as to rotatably connect said auxiliary flap to said trailing edge of said selected aerodynamic element so that said auxiliary flap is selectively movable to at least one of a first position in which said free edge of said auxiliary flap protrudes outwardly away from said central chord line beyond said first aerodynamic surface and a second position in which said free edge of said auxiliary flap protrudes outwardly away from said central chord line beyond said second aerodynamic surface, as well as a third position between said first and second positions in which said auxiliary flap does not protrude outwardly away from said central chord line beyond said first aerodynamic surface and does not protrude outwardly away from said central chord line beyond said second aerodynamic surface,
• wherein said drum has a cross-sectional diameter of at least three times a cross-sectional thickness of said auxiliary flap.

In an aircraft having a fuselage and plural lift-generating aerodynamic elements selected from the group consisting of a wing, a wing flap, an aileron, a stabilizer, a rudder, and an elevator directly or indirectly connected to said fuselage, wherein a selected one of said aerodynamic elements has opposite first and second aerodynamic surfaces, a trailing edge therebetween, and a central chord line defined as intersecting said trailing edge and extending between said first and second aerodynamic surfaces,

• an improvement comprising an auxiliary flap arrangement for selectively increasing and/or decreasing, and leaving uninfluenced an aerodynamic lift generated by said selected aerodynamic element,
• said auxiliary flap arrangement comprising at least one auxiliary flap that is movably mounted on said trailing edge of said selected aerodynamic element to be selectively movable to at least one of a first position in which said auxiliary flap protrudes outwardly away from said central chord line beyond said first aerodynamic surface and a second position in which said auxiliary flap protrudes outwardly away from said central chord line beyond said second aerodynamic surface, as well as a third position between said first and second positions in which said auxiliary flap does not protrude outwardly away from said central chord line beyond said first aerodynamic surface and does not protrude outwardly away from said central chord line beyond said second aerodynamic surface,
• wherein said auxiliary flap has a longitudinally extending free edge and a longitudinally extending pivot edge opposite each other and parallel to said trailing edge, wherein said auxiliary flap is rotatably connected along said pivot edge to said trailing edge of said selected aerodynamic element,
• wherein said free edge of said auxiliary flap protrudes beyond said first aerodynamic surface in said first position and protrudes beyond said second aerodynamic surface in said second position, and
• wherein said auxiliary flap is further slidably connected to said trailing edge, so that said auxiliary flap can selectively slide into said first position and said second position on a plane extending along said trailing edge between said first aerodynamic surface and said second aerodynamic surface.

In an aircraft having a fuselage and plural lift-generating aerodynamic elements selected from the group consisting of a wing, a wing flap, an aileron, a stabilizer, a rudder, and an elevator directly or indirectly connected to said fuselage, wherein a selected one of said aerodynamic elements has opposite first and second aerodynamic surfaces, a trailing edge therebetween, and a central chord line defined as intersecting said trailing edge and extending between said first and second aerodynamic surfaces,

• an improvement comprising an auxiliary flap arrangement for selectively increasing and/or decreasing, and leaving uninfluenced an aerodynamic lift generated by said selected aerodynamic element,
• said auxiliary flap arrangement comprising at least one auxiliary flap that has opposite longitudinally extending first and second free edges and opposite first and second side edges extending between said first and second free edges, and wherein said auxiliary flap is slidably mounted on and connected to said trailing edge of said selected aerodynamic element, so that said auxiliary flap is selectively slidable to at least one of a first position in which said first free edge of said auxiliary flap protrudes outwardly away from said central chord line beyond said first aerodynamic surface and a second position in which said second free edge of said auxiliary flap protrudes outwardly away from said central chord line beyond said second aerodynamic surface, as well as a third position between said first and second positions in which said first and said second free edges do not protrude beyond said first and second aerodynamic surfaces.