GB2344805A - Aerofoil configuration for wing-in-ground-effect and other aerodynamic vehicles - Google Patents
Aerofoil configuration for wing-in-ground-effect and other aerodynamic vehicles Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2344805A GB2344805A GB9827488A GB9827488A GB2344805A GB 2344805 A GB2344805 A GB 2344805A GB 9827488 A GB9827488 A GB 9827488A GB 9827488 A GB9827488 A GB 9827488A GB 2344805 A GB2344805 A GB 2344805A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- wing
- airframe
- vehicle
- tips
- ground
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60V—AIR-CUSHION VEHICLES
- B60V1/00—Air-cushion
- B60V1/08—Air-cushion wherein the cushion is created during forward movement of the vehicle by ram effect
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Toys (AREA)
Abstract
The vehicle may comprise a wing 10, having wing-tip end plates 12, and twin booms 16, supporting fins 18 and stabilising surfaces 22, having elevators 22. The stabilising surfaces 22 are mounted behind and outboard of the tips of the wing 10, so as to be in the upward-going part of wing-tip vortices. The vehicle could be waterborne, or comprise an undercarriage, and could comprise large span narrow chord wings without wing-tip end plates.
Description
2344805 AIRFRAME CONFIGURATIONS FOR GROUND EFFECT VEHICLES This invention
relates to aircraft and other hybrid aerodynamic vehicles which operate in ground effect.
A class of vehicles using the wing-in-ground (WIG) effect is well known. These vehicles fly at altitudes comparable to their wing chord and achieve high power or flight efficiency by using the interference between the wing and the surface over which they are flying. Examples of this type of vehicle are the "Xtreme Explorer" and the Russian Ekranoplan. These WIG vehicles are known to be inherently unstable in pitch when operating in ground effect because of adverse movement of the centre of pressure as the vehicle approaches the surface.
Various solutions have been proposed to address the problem of pitch instability in WIG vehicles. For example some solutions measure pressure beneath various parts of the vehicle structure and use measured pressure differentials to adjust aerodynamic surfaces on the vehicle via active control loops.
The disadvantages of the known solutions are complexity, reliability, cost of maintenance and environmental vulnerability.
It is an object of our invention to overcome the above disadvantages and to provide airframe configurations for WIG vehicles inherently stable by virtue primarily of the shape of those vehicles.
According to the present invention an airframe comprises a wing and pitch stabilising surfaces mounted behind and outboard of the tips of the said wing.
The stabilising surfaces may be mounted on booms extending rearwardly from the tips of the wings.
The stabilising surfaces may be mounted so as to be in the same plane or above or below the plane of the wing and may be mounted so as to be horizontal or inclined to the horizontal to provide desirable lateral stability and control characteristics.
The wing may be fitted with wing tip end plates or vertical surfaces at the wing tips to enhance aerodynamic efficiency. An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings of which Figure 1 is a plan elevation view of a wing-in-ground effect vehicle, Figure 2 is a side elevation view of the WIG vehicle shown in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a front elevation view of the WIG vehicle shown in Figure 1 and 2.
In the drawings a wing-in-ground effect (WIG) vehicle 1 comprises a fuselage 2 having a seaplane hull shaped lower profile 4, and forward crew compartment with windows 6 and twin gas turbine engines 8 mounted in its upper surface.
Attached to the fuselage 2 at mid-section is a wing 10 having a relatively low span to chord ratio. At the ends of the wing i.e. the wing tips, are wing tip end plates or vertical surfaces 12 which blend into float members 14 at their lower ends.
Extending rearwardly from the tips of the wing 10 are twin booms 16 which are faired into the wing tip end plates 12 at their upper surfaces. At the rearward end of the booms 16 are vertical fins 18 each carrying lateral control surfaces or rudders 20. Extending horizontally from the ends of the booms 16 are pitch stabilising surfaces 22 each carrying an elevator control surface 24.
It will be seen that the horizontal stabilising surfaces 22 are thus mounted behind and outboard of the tips of the wing 10 and moreover that in this example the plane of the stabilising surfaces is above that of the wing 10.
The WIG vehicle we have shown in the drawings operates on water. In operation it accelerates on the surface of the water until flying speed is achieved. The pilot then brings the vehicle to a height at which the wing 10 is operating with the benefits of the wing-in-ground effect. Because of the location of the pitch stabilising surfaces 22 i.e. behind and outboard of the tips of the wing 10 these surfaces 22 are in the upward-going part of the wing tip vortices indicated by arrows Y' and thus experience an airflow with an upward component. If the vehicle descends towards the surface the strength of the vorticesV'will reduce due to ground effect, resulting in a reduced upward component of the airflow over the stabilising surfaces. Thus reducing altitude in ground effect will result in an increasing nose up pitching moment and vice versa. In fact the vehicle is inherently stable in the pitch plane in ground effect and very little control by the pilot using the elevators 24 will be required to keep the vehicle flying straight and level at the WIG height above the sea or ground surface. Flaps 25, ailerons 26 and other aerodynamic control devices may be fitted for lift enhancement, attitude control and manoeuvring purposes.
Many other variations of the airframe configuration shown in the drawings will now suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. For example the vehicle need not be waterborne but could carry an undercarriage. The vehicle need not have wing tip end plates but could instead have a large span wing with relatively narrow chord. The craft may be capable of conventional flight at higher altitudes
Claims (6)
- An airframe for a ground effect aircraft or other hybrid aerodynamic vehicle comprising a wing and stabilising surfaces mounted behind and outboard of the tips of the said wing.
- 2. An airframe as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the stabilising surfaces are mounted an booms extending rearwardly from the tips of the wing.
- 3. An airframe as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which the stabilising surfaces are mounted so as to be above, below, or in the plane of the wing.
- 4. An airframe as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and wherein the stabilising surfaces are horizontal or inclined to the horizontal.
- 5. An airframe as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and wherein the wing has wing tip end plates or vertical surfaces mounted at the wing tips.
- 6. An airframe substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB9827488A GB2344805A (en) | 1998-12-15 | 1998-12-15 | Aerofoil configuration for wing-in-ground-effect and other aerodynamic vehicles |
PCT/GB1999/004186 WO2000035731A1 (en) | 1998-12-15 | 1999-12-15 | Airframe configurations for ground effect vehicles |
AU18671/00A AU1867100A (en) | 1998-12-15 | 1999-12-15 | Airframe configurations for ground effect vehicles |
EP99962290A EP1140599A1 (en) | 1998-12-15 | 1999-12-15 | Airframe configurations for ground effect vehicles |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB9827488A GB2344805A (en) | 1998-12-15 | 1998-12-15 | Aerofoil configuration for wing-in-ground-effect and other aerodynamic vehicles |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
GB9827488D0 GB9827488D0 (en) | 1999-02-10 |
GB2344805A true GB2344805A (en) | 2000-06-21 |
Family
ID=10844184
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
GB9827488A Withdrawn GB2344805A (en) | 1998-12-15 | 1998-12-15 | Aerofoil configuration for wing-in-ground-effect and other aerodynamic vehicles |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1140599A1 (en) |
AU (1) | AU1867100A (en) |
GB (1) | GB2344805A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2000035731A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2403462B (en) * | 2003-06-24 | 2007-07-04 | John Edward Randell | A land vehicle |
Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB652942A (en) * | 1948-07-24 | 1951-05-02 | Douglas Kent Warner | Improvements in or relating to aircraft |
GB679445A (en) * | 1950-02-20 | 1952-09-17 | Rene Leduc | Improvements in aircraft |
GB825442A (en) * | 1955-02-08 | 1959-12-16 | Hans Haymann Heinecke | Improvements in aircraft |
US3884432A (en) * | 1973-06-05 | 1975-05-20 | Nasa | High-lift aircraft |
US4686641A (en) * | 1985-03-18 | 1987-08-11 | Detroit Edison Company | Static programmable powerline carrier channel test structure and method |
EP0596131A1 (en) * | 1992-05-22 | 1994-05-11 | Nauchno-Proizvodstvennaya Kooperativnaya Firma "Ekip" | Flying vehicle |
WO1997030886A1 (en) * | 1996-02-23 | 1997-08-28 | Klem Richard H | Multiple-mode wing-in ground effect vehicle |
Family Cites Families (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB619064A (en) * | 1946-01-16 | 1949-03-03 | Sncase | Improvements in the arrangement of control surfaces in aircraft |
WO1988000898A1 (en) * | 1986-06-13 | 1988-02-11 | Arthur George Yarrington | Heli-hover amphibious aircraft |
-
1998
- 1998-12-15 GB GB9827488A patent/GB2344805A/en not_active Withdrawn
-
1999
- 1999-12-15 WO PCT/GB1999/004186 patent/WO2000035731A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1999-12-15 EP EP99962290A patent/EP1140599A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1999-12-15 AU AU18671/00A patent/AU1867100A/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB652942A (en) * | 1948-07-24 | 1951-05-02 | Douglas Kent Warner | Improvements in or relating to aircraft |
GB679445A (en) * | 1950-02-20 | 1952-09-17 | Rene Leduc | Improvements in aircraft |
GB825442A (en) * | 1955-02-08 | 1959-12-16 | Hans Haymann Heinecke | Improvements in aircraft |
US3884432A (en) * | 1973-06-05 | 1975-05-20 | Nasa | High-lift aircraft |
US4686641A (en) * | 1985-03-18 | 1987-08-11 | Detroit Edison Company | Static programmable powerline carrier channel test structure and method |
EP0596131A1 (en) * | 1992-05-22 | 1994-05-11 | Nauchno-Proizvodstvennaya Kooperativnaya Firma "Ekip" | Flying vehicle |
WO1997030886A1 (en) * | 1996-02-23 | 1997-08-28 | Klem Richard H | Multiple-mode wing-in ground effect vehicle |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB9827488D0 (en) | 1999-02-10 |
EP1140599A1 (en) | 2001-10-10 |
WO2000035731A1 (en) | 2000-06-22 |
AU1867100A (en) | 2000-07-03 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
COOA | Change in applicant's name or ownership of the application | ||
WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |