Wing tip device
AssigneeAirbus UK Limited
InventorsJan Irving, Robert Davies
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An aircraft comprises a wing tip device, for example a winglet, a raked-tip device, a wing tip fence or a planar wing extension, mounted in the region of the tip of a wing on the aircraft. The wing tip device is rotatably moveable between a first position and a second position, in which the upward lift produced by the wing or the wing tip device is reduced. During flight, the bending moment at the root of the aircraft wing therefore changes in dependence on the position of the wing tip device. The maximum bending moment in the aircraft wing sustained during high-load conditions is thereby reduced, allowing the structural mass of the aircraft to be reduced.
Claims10
An aircraft comprising a wing, the wing comprising a root, a tip, and a wingtip device mounted in the region of the tip, there being a first plane with which the wing is generally aligned, and a second plane which is vertical and includes the longitudinal axis of the aircraft,
- the wingtip device being rotatably moveable between a first position and a second position, and being so arranged that, during flight of the aircraft, the bending moment at the root changes in dependence on the position of the wingtip device so that the maximum bending moment at the root of the wing sustained during high-load flight conditions may be reduced, wherein
- the axis of rotation of the wingtip device is so positioned that:
- (a) the acute angle between the axis of rotation and the first plane is less than 45 degrees, and
- (b) the acute angle between the axis of rotation and the second plane is between 5 and 30 degrees, and
- wherein the axis of rotation of the wingtip device is so positioned and the wing and wingtip device are so arranged that:
- (c) the mean incidence of the wingtip device, when the wingtip device is in the second position, is less than the mean incidence of the wingtip device were the wingtip device in the first position.
A wing for an aircraft, the wing including a root, a tip, and a wingtip device mounted in the region of the tip, there being a first plane with which the wing is generally aligned, and a second plane which is vertical and includes the longitudinal axis of the aircraft,
- the wingtip device being rotatably moveable between a first position and a second position, and being so arranged that, during flight of an aircraft to which the wing is attached, the bending moment at the root changes in dependence on the position of the wingtip device so that the maximum bending moment at the root of the wing sustained during high-load flight conditions may be reduced, wherein
- (a) the axis of rotation of the wingtip device is so positioned that the acute angle between the axis of rotation and the first plane is less than 45 degrees,
- (b) the axis of rotation of the wingtip device is so positioned that, when the wing is attached to an aircraft, the acute angle between the axis of rotation and the second plane is between 5 and 30 degrees, and
- (c) the axis of rotation of the wingtip device is so positioned and the wing and wingtip device are so arranged that the mean incidence of the wingtip device, when the wingtip device is in the second position, is less than the mean incidence of the wingtip device were the wingtip device in the first position.
A wingtip device for a wing on an aircraft, there being a first plane with which the wins is generally aligned, and a second plane which is vertical and includes the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, the wingtip device including a mounting portion for facilitating attachment of the wingtip device to the wing in the region of the wingtip,
- the wingtip device being rotatably moveable relative to the mounting portion between a first position and a second position, and being so arranged that, during flight of an aircraft to which the wingtip device is attached, the bending moment at the root changes in dependence on the position of the wingtip device so that the maximum bending moment sustained during high-load flight conditions at the root of the wing, to which the wingtip device is attached, may be reduced, wherein
- (a) the axis of rotation of the wingtip device is so positioned that, when the wingtip is attached to an aircraft wing, the acute angle between the axis of rotation and the first plane is less than 45 degrees,
- (b) the axis of rotation of the wingtip device is so positioned that, when the wingtip is attached to an aircraft, the acute angle between the axis of rotation and the second plane is between 5 and 30 degrees, and
- (c) the wingtip device is so arranged and configured that, when attached to a wing by means of the mounting portion, the mean incidence of the wingtip device, when the wingtip device is in the second position, is less than the mean incidence of the wingtip device were the wingtip device in the first position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.