EP0802389B1 - Missile with deployable wing - Google Patents

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to a flying object such that a missile equipped with a deployable wing authorizing its storage and transport under an aircraft, when the wing occupies a folded or retracted state.

State of the art

As illustrated in particular by the document EP-A-0 622 604, it is known to equip a flying machine such as a missile of a wing constituted by a plate flexible connected to the fuselage of the craft by articulated arms.

When the flying object is stored or loaded under an aircraft, the wing is in a state folded, in which it is wrapped around the fuselage. Keeping the wing in this folded position is ensured by a retention mechanism whose release is automatically controlled when the machine is dropped. The intrinsic elasticity of the plate in which the wing is formed then brings this one automatically in a deployed state. The wing is then spread of the fuselage of the craft to present in section a substantially semi-circular shape.

The presence of such a wing on a machine steering wheel increases the range of this machine by increasing its lift during the flight.

In flying machines of this type, the plate forming the deployable wing has a profile thin rectangular which remains unchanged when the wing goes from its folded state to its deployed state, and vice versa. Furthermore, that the wing must have a low modulus of elasticity associated with a low thickness so to be able to be wound on the fuselage. The wing deployed therefore has a transverse bending rigidity and in relatively low torsion. That risks create mechanical and aerodynamic malfunctions at extreme speeds and load factors.

On the other hand, even if the rectangular profile thin of a wing so designed may be acceptable for a short-range flight, it has coefficients disadvantageous aerodynamics that it appears desirable to improve.

Furthermore, the very principle of a wing deployable likely to wrap around the fuselage of a flying object to ensure its storage leads to a wing of substantially semi-circular section when it is deployed. This results in an asymmetry which may cause some problems, especially when changing direction of the flying object, such as EP-A-0 622 604 also illustrates this.

Statement of the invention

The main object of the invention is a flying machine equipped with a deployable wing operating according to the principle described in document EP-A-0 622 604, but designed so that the wing has significantly improved rigidity and profile in its deployed state, without maintaining wing in its folded state is more difficult to achieve.

According to the invention, this result is obtained by means of a flying object comprising a fuselage and a deployable wing connected to the fuselage by arms articulated so as to be able to occupy a folded state, in which the wing is wrapped around the fuselage, and a deployed state, in which the wing is moved away from the fuselage, characterized in that the profile of the wing along the cross section passing through the longitudinal axis of the craft has a higher moment of inertia in its deployed state than in its folded state.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the wing has a curved profile relatively thick in its deployed state and profile relatively thin rectangular in its folded state.

For this purpose, the wing preferably comprises at least one strip whose natural state corresponds to relatively thick curved profile and a flattened state, obtained by winding the strip on the fuselage, corresponds to the relatively thin rectangular profile.

Advantageously, the wing can then be formed of two bands connected at a leading edge and along a trailing edge of the wing, so that a naturally concave face of each of the bands either turned to the other band. In this form of realization, the inertia of the wing in its deployed state is increased in both bending and torsion, so that only the inertia in bending is increased when the wing is formed of a single band.

Depending on the case, the wing can then be formed either two strips of metallic foil, welded edges to edges, either of two strips of composite material, glued edges to edges.

In addition, in order to prevent the deployed wing does not have an asymmetry compared to the machine steering wheel, the latter advantageously comprises at least two deployable wings connected to the fuselage independently of each other, by arms articulated, these wings being offset one with respect to the other in a longitudinal direction and forming a substantially complete ring when observed in this longitudinal direction.

Brief description of the drawings

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective qui représente partiellement un engin volant équipé de deux ailes déployables conformes à l'invention ;
• la figure 2 est une vue en coupe de l'engin volant de la figure 1 qui représente en traits pleins l'une des ailes en position déployée et, en traits discontinus la même aile en position repliée ;
• la figure 3 est une vue en coupe selon la ligne III-III de la figure 2 ;
• la figure 4 est une vue en coupe selon la ligne IV-IV de la figure 2 ; et
• la figure 5 est une vue en coupe comparable à la figure 3 représentant une variante de réalisation de l'aile déployable.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 is a perspective view which partially shows a flying machine equipped with two deployable wings according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a sectional view of the flying machine of Figure 1 which shows in solid lines one of the wings in the deployed position and, in broken lines the same wing in the folded position;
• Figure 3 is a sectional view along line III-III of Figure 2;
• Figure 4 is a sectional view along line IV-IV of Figure 2; and
• Figure 5 is a sectional view comparable to Figure 3 showing an alternative embodiment of the deployable wing.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

In Figures 1 and 2, reference 10 designates part of the fuselage of a flying object such than a missile according to the invention. More precisely, the part shown is a central part of the fuselage, of circular section, which is located between a tapered front end (not shown) and a rear end generally equipped with a device propulsion, ailerons and control surfaces (not shown).

In the preferred embodiment illustrated in particular in FIG. 1, the flying machine further comprises two deployable wings 12a and 12b. Each of these wings 12a and 12 is connected to the fuselage 10 by three articulated arms 13a, 14a, 15a and 13b, 14b, .15b, respectively.

The two deployable wings 12a and 12b are designed to be able to occupy a folded state, allowing their storage and their transport under an aircraft, as well that a deployed state, serving to increase the range of the craft during its flight.

The folded state of the wings 12a and 12b, partially illustrated in phantom for wing 12a on the Figure 2, is such that each of the wings is rolled up around the fuselage 10 so as to be pressed against this latest. Each of the wings then presents practically the shape of a circle surrounding almost all of the fuselage in section along a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X-X of the machine. When the craft flywheel is in this state, each of the wings 12a and 12b is maintained by a retention mechanism (not shown) such as a fastener interposed between the two then adjacent ends of the wing. This mechanism is automatically released when dropping or launching the flying object.

In its deployed state, illustrated in line full in Figures 1 and 2, each of the wings 12a and 12b is moved away from the fuselage 10 while being maintained at a substantially uniform distance from it by the articulated arms 13a, 14a, 15a and 13b, 14b, .15b. Each wings 12a and 12b therefore present in section the shape of an arc close to a Semi circle.

Furthermore, the mounting of the wings 12a and 12b on the fuselage 10 is produced symmetrically with respect to a plane passing through the longitudinal axis X-X of this fuselage, so that the wings 12a and 12b form a substantially complete ring when they are observed in a parallel longitudinal direction to this axis.

Except for the axial offset, which is explained by the need to fold each wing over the fuselage 10 in different locations, the wings deployed 12a and 12b then behave like a wing single forming a continuous ring around the fuselage of the craft. The behavior of the set constituted by the wings 12a and 12b is therefore practically independent possible changes in direction of the craft during his flight.

We will now describe in more detail the structure of one 12a of the wings equipping the machine steering wheel in figure 1. The structure of the second wing 12b is completely identical to that of wing 12a. Her separate description is therefore not necessary.

According to the invention, the wings 12a and 12b have a different inertia, depending on whether they occupy their deployed state or their folded state. More specifically, this inertia is significantly more high when the wings occupy their extended state than when they occupy their folded state. This characteristic provides relatively easy maintenance wings in their folded state while giving them a much higher rigidity, especially in transverse bending and preferably in torsion, in their state deployed. We are thus guaranteed not to create a malfunction mechanical or aerodynamic in extreme speed and load factor conditions.

In practice and as illustrated in particular the sections of Figures 3 and 4, this variation of the inertia of the wings 12a and 12b between their folded and deployed states is obtained by giving each wings a relatively thick domed profile in its natural state that it automatically resumes when passing from the folded state to the deployed state. On the contrary, the profile of each wing is a rectangular profile relatively thin in its folded state, as illustrated Figure 4.

More specifically, in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, we see that the wing 12a is constituted by a strip 16a, flexible and elastic which naturally presents in cross section, that is to say along a plane passing through the axis longitudinal XX, approximately the shape of a hanger whose concave side faces the fuselage 10. In this natural state that the band 16a tends to take back when its retention mechanism is released, and which corresponds to the deployed state of wing 12a, the latter has a relatively thick curved profile. Consequently, the inertia of the wing 12a is then relatively high. This therefore prevents it from being subjected to detrimental deformations under conditions extremes of theft.

On the contrary, when the strip 16a is plated against the fuselage 10 to bring the wing into its folded state, it automatically takes a rectangular section relatively thin as the figure 4. Consequently, its inertia is then relatively low, which facilitates its winding and maintenance on the fuselage 10 using a retention (not shown).

It should be noted that the relatively convex profile wing 12a thick in its extended state also improves the aerodynamic behavior of this during the flight of the flying object.

In the embodiment illustrated on Figures 1 and 2, each of the wings 12a and 12b is connected to the fuselage 10 by three articulated arms 13a, 14a, 15a and 13b, 14b, .15b. Specifically, the arms 13a, 14a and 13b, 14b are in the form of arcs of a circle complementary to the form presented in section by the fuselage 10. these arms 13a, 14a and 13b, 14b are interposed between the two ends of the corresponding wing 12a, 12b and the fuselage, and they're hinged on these parts by hinges 18a, 19a, 20a, 21a (figure 2).

The third articulated arm 15a is placed at equal distance of the first two arms 13a, 14a between the fuselage 10 and wing 12a and it appears under the form of two sections of arms 22a, 23a, articulated between them by a hinge 24a and articulated respectively on the fuselage 10 and on the wing 12a in pairs other hinges 25a and 26a. Each of the two sections 22a, 23a of this third arm 15a has a complementary shape of the shape presented in section by the fuselage 10, so that these sections fold back one on the other against the fuselage, when the wing 16a is folded over the latter (Figure 2).

The hinges 18a, 19a, 20a, 21a, 24a, 25a and 26a are for example formed by legs fixed to the fuselage 10 or wing 12a by rivets or by means an adhesive. The articulations themselves are ensured by wicks of "Kevlar" (registered trademark) coated with flexible resin.

In a preferred embodiment illustrated in Figure 5, instead of being consisting of a single strip 16a, the wing 12a is constituted by the assembly of two bands 16a and 17a, flexible and elastic, connected to each other according to the leading edge and along the trailing edge of the wing. More specifically, this connection is made in such a way so that the strips 16a and 17a have faces naturally turned towards each other.

The behavior of the wing 12a thus produced is comparable to that described above, that is to say that the wing has a curved profile relatively thick when in a deployed state and a relatively thin rectangular profile when occupies its folded state. By the way, the wing naturally regains its deployed form and relatively thick, as soon as the means of retention are released. this embodiment has the advantage, compared in case only one strip is used to form the wing, to increase both torsional rigidity and bending stiffness, when passing to the state deployed.

In practice, the strip (s) 16a and 17a constituting the deployable wing 12a can be metallic foil tapes or material tapes composite. In the case where two bands are associated to form the wing, they are welded edges to edges when made by tinsel and they are glued edge to edge when made made of composite material.

Of course, changing the inertia of the wing between its deployed state and its folded state can be obtained in a different way from that which has been described. Furthermore, if it is advantageous to equip the craft flying simultaneously with two deployable wings forming a substantially complete ring in their deployed state, the flying object according to the invention can also be equipped with a single deployable wing presenting a profile which varies when the wing passes from its folded state to its deployed state and vice versa.

Claims (7)

1. Aerial body comprising a fuselage (10) and a deployable wing (12a, 12b) connected to the fuselage by articulated arms (13a, 14a, 15a; 13b, 14b, 15b) in such a way as to be able to occupy a folded state in which the wing is rolled around the fuselage, and a deployed state in which the wing is spaced away from the fuselage, characterised by the fact that the profile of the wing (12a, 12b) in a transverse section passing through the longitudinal axis (XX) of the body has a moment of inertia greater in its deployed state than in its folded state.
2. Aerial body according to the claim, characterised by the fact that the wing (12a, 12b) has a relatively thick convex profile in its deployed state and a relatively thin rectangular profile in its folded state.
3. Aerial body according to claim 2, characterised by the fact that the wing (12a, 12b) comprises at least one strip (16a, 17a), flexible and elastic, of which a natural state corresponds to the said relatively thick convex profile and of which a flattened state, obtained by rolling the strip on the fuselage, corresponds to the said relatively thin rectangular profile.
4. Aerial body according to claim 3, characterised by the fact that the wing (12a, 12b) is formed of two strips (16a, 17a) connected along a leading edge and along a trailing edge of the wing, in such a way that a naturally concave face of each of the strips faces towards the other strip.
5. Aerial body according to claim 4, characterised by the fact that the wing (12a, 12b) is formed of two strips (16a, 17a) of metal foil welded edge to edge.
6. Aerial body according to claim 4, characterised by the fact that the wing (12a, 12b) is formed of two strips (16a, 17a) of composite material, caused to adhere together edge to edge.
7. Aerial body according to any one of the foregoing claims, characterised by the fact that it has at least two deployable wings (12a, 12b) connected to the fuselage independently of one another by articulated arms (13a, 14a, 15a; 13b, 14b, 15b), these wings being offset from one another in a longitudinal direction and forming a substantially complete ring when they are viewed along this longitudinal direction.

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