RU2403177C1 - Aircraft with folding wing and device for aircraft wing folding - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transport.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to aircraft with folding wings and can be used in design of transport facilities for traveling over air or ground. Aircraft with folded wing contains cockpit, propulsion unit with pushing airscrew, fins installed in tail-end of aircraft, wheel landing gear, centre wing, pivotally connected with it outer wings, fixing locks. Connection of the outer wings with centre wing is executed with possibility to turn them up-back relative to axes located in horizontal plane and divergent at an angle 35°-55° to aircraft longitudinal axis from the front part of aircraft to its rear part, and their installation along aircraft with their front edge up and towards aircraft symmetry plane. Outer wings in folded position are fixed with struts fixed on tail-end of aircraft. Device for aircraft wing folding.

EFFECT: simplicity of aircraft wing folding, decrease in its lateral dimension, rigidity and outer wings holding strength with decreasing loads in assembly units in flight configuration and in folded condition.

6 cl, 9 dwg

Description

Technical field

The invention relates to aircraft manufacturing, namely to aircraft with a folding wing, and can be used in the design of vehicles for movement by air and on the ground.

The main task, the solution of which is the basis of the invention, is to ensure the transport mobility of a modern person by creating a flying vehicle in the form of an airplane with a folding wing in order to reduce the transverse size of the aircraft, which will allow its transportation on public roads and convenient storage near the owner's house. It also provides the possibility of independent movement of an aircraft with a folded wing on the ground when equipping it with drives on the wheels of the landing gear or due to propeller thrust.

Folding the wing provides a device for swiveling the wing consoles with the center wing with fixation in the flight configuration using a lock, while solving the problem of ensuring the strength and stiffness of this device with a significant reduction in loads at the connection nodes.

State of the art

A road-air vehicle is known having an aerodynamic layout of the “triplane” type, comprising a body with a two-seat cockpit, an engine with a propeller located at the rear of the cockpit, wing consoles pivotally connected to the body, two-pitch vertical tail unit, rear and front horizontal tail unit, four-wheeled chassis , engine with transmission for use on the ground. Each wing console is made of two segments, which when folded are pressed against each other and to the sides of the cockpit body. The wing console folding units include hinges and locks located in the wing cross section, see www.terrafugia.com Terrafugia Transition aircraft.

The disadvantages of the vehicle are the non-traditional aerodynamic layout, which causes risks in its technical implementation, the complexity of the wing structure in the field of connections of its components, the high loads acting in the joints due to the small spacing between the axis of rotation and the locking lock, limited by the thickness of the wing profile.

Known aircraft having the ability to fold the wing consoles by turning them about an axis located at an angle of 40-50 ° to the longitudinal and vertical axes of the aircraft closest to the proposed vehicle. This aircraft is made according to the scheme of a free-carrying high-wing containing a fuselage with a cabin and a tail boom, vertical and horizontal tail mounted on a beam, a three-wheeled landing gear with a nose wheel, an engine with a propelling propeller behind the cockpit, a center section with wing consoles hinged to it with locks, fixing consoles in flight configuration. When folding the wing console, they turn back and up relative to the center wing and are installed along the fuselage with the toe up. In the folded state, the ends of the consoles rest on special units mounted on a horizontal tail. To increase the gap between the trailing edge of the folded consoles and the ground, the flaps and ailerons can rotate parallel to the ground. The aircraft can move on the ground with the wing folded due to the propeller thrust, while the wing consoles cover the rotary screw, see US No. 2674422, 06/04/1954, CL. 244-49.

The disadvantage of this method of folding the wing consoles is the structural difficulties in ensuring the strength and rigidity of the connection of the consoles with the center section, associated with the location of this node on the main spar with a small spacing of elements - the eyes of the hinged joint, limited by the thickness of the wing profile. Turning the consoles up and back for a high wing creates difficulties for this operation to be performed manually by one person. In addition, the support of the folded wing consoles to the ends of the horizontal tail causes additional loads acting on the horizontal tail structure when the aircraft moves on the ground.

Closest to the proposed device for folding the wing of the aircraft is a device used on a deck aircraft having a free-weight low-wing circuit with wing consoles folding back and forth. The device comprises a swivel of the movable part of the wing with a fixed axis of rotation located in the plane of the main spar and oblique relative to the vertical, and the locking device for fixing the wing in the unfolded position is allocated from the hinge closer to the front edge of the wing. The upper surface of the moving part of the wing behind the hinge has a shield deflecting when folding the wing and closing the recess in the fixed part of the wing when unfolding in the flight configuration, see GB patent No. 627121 (A) from 1949-07-28, class. B64C 3/56.

A disadvantage of the design of such a device is its location on the main spar with a small spacing of elements — the eyes of the hinged joint, limited by the thickness of the wing profile. This causes a noticeable increase in weight and design complexity while providing wing stiffness and strength in the flight configuration. In addition, the presence of a flap on the upper surface of the wing complicates the device.

Technical result

The technical result to which the invention is directed is to provide simplicity of folding the wing of the aircraft in order to reduce its transverse size, allowing its transportation on public roads, while the folding device of the wing consoles provides rigidity and strength of attachment of the consoles while reducing the load in the nodes in flight configurations and when folded. In addition, it is possible to move a folded aircraft on the ground due to a drive on wheels or due to propeller thrust while providing good visibility from the pilot's seat and the safety of others.

Salient features

To achieve the technical result in an airplane with a folding wing containing a cockpit installed in the front of the aircraft, a propulsion system with a propeller installed behind the cockpit, a tail mounted in the tail of the aircraft, a wheeled landing gear, a center section connected to the center section by two hinged assemblies rotary wing consoles, locking locks, the connection of the wing consoles with the center wing is made with the possibility of turning them up and back relative to the axes located in a horizontal plane, diverging at an angle of 35-55 ° to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft from the front of the aircraft to the tail, and installing them along the aircraft with the front edge up and towards the plane of symmetry of the aircraft with their subsequent fixation. In this case, the hinge assemblies and the locking lock are spaced in the wing plane from each other at a distance of not less than 1.8 times the thickness of the wing profile in the joint zone. The joint of the wing consoles with the center wing is made along a broken line passing from the leading edge across the wing to the front hinge assembly, then along the wing to the locking lock, then again across the wing through the second hinge assembly to the trailing edge of the wing.

In addition, in order to simplify the fastening of the folded wing consoles, struts are fixed on the tail of the aircraft.

In this case, the struts are made telescopic with two fixed positions, which makes it possible to fix the wing consoles in an incompletely folded position and the movement of the aircraft with a rotating propeller.

The struts are attached to the rear of the fuselage with the possibility of laying them in the flight configuration along the rear of the aircraft and fixation on it.

The wing of the aircraft is equipped with ailerons and flaps. To further reduce the transverse size of the folded aircraft, the connection of the flaps with the wing consoles is made with the possibility of turning them trailing edge up.

In the device for folding an aircraft wing, which contains the fixed and rotary parts of the wing with frame elements in the form of side members and end ribs, two hinged nodes of the ear-fork type and a locking lock, the hinged nodes are located in a plane parallel to the plane of the wing chords near the upper surface of the wing, are installed along the axis of rotation, inclined to the cross section of the wing at an angle of 30-60 ° in the direction of the trailing edge and end of the wing, and spaced apart along the axis of rotation in the plane of the wing. In this case, the elements of the front hinge assembly are fixed on the side members of the wing parts, and the elements of the rear hinge assembly are fixed on the end ribs of the wing parts in their tail section. The locking lock is assigned from the front hinge assembly in the direction of the wing end, the elements of this lock are fixed at the junction of the side members of the wing parts with their end ribs.

The spars of the wing parts in the joint zone from the front hinge assembly to the lock are made parallel to each other when the wing position is unfolded.

The joint of the wing parts in the plan view when the wing position is unfolded is a broken line. The joint is made from the leading edge across the wing to the front hinge assembly, then along the side members of the wing parts to the lock, then again across the wing along the end ribs through the second hinge assembly to the trailing edge of the wing. The bow of the center section in the joint area is made with a cutout from the leading edge of the wing to the side member, which in the flight configuration is closed by the bow of the wing console.

Thus, the proposed device provides a reduction in flight loads on the butt nodes due to their significant spacing from each other in the plane of the wing. The transmission of the bending moment from the spar of the console to the spar of the center wing occurs by a pair of forces acting in the locking lock and the front hinge assembly, at the base equal to the distance between them. Torque is transmitted from the console to the center wing by a pair of forces acting in the locking mechanism and the rear assembly at the base equal to the distance between them.

In the folded state, the wing console rests on the front and rear nodes of the center section, spaced from each other by a distance of 2-3.5 times the thickness of the wing profile in the joint area, which ensures rigidity of this connection in this configuration.

List of drawings

The invention is illustrated by the following drawings:

figure 1 - is an isometric view of the aircraft in flight configuration, made in accordance with the invention, where

1 - crew cabin,

2 - power plant with a propeller,

3 - plumage,

4 - the tail of the aircraft,

5 - chassis

6 - wing center section,

7 - wing console,

8 - flap of the wing console,

9th aileron,

10 - telescopic strut,

11 - node on the wing console for connection with a strut,

ABCD - the junction line of the center section and wing console,

X'-X '- the axis of the hinged center section with the wing console,

figure 2 shows a top view of figure 1;

figure 3 shows a side view of an airplane with a folded wing;

4 shows a top view of an airplane with a folded wing;

5 shows a front view of an airplane with a wing folded, with the flaps of the wing consoles further rotated;

6 is an isometric view of an airplane with a wing folded and additionally turned flaps of the wing consoles;

7 is an isometric view of an airplane in a folded configuration with not fully folded wing consoles;

FIG. 8 shows a top view of an airplane wing folding device in a flight configuration, where

6 wing center section;

7 wing console;

12 center wing spar;

13 end rib of the center section;

14 console spar;

15 butt rib of the console;

ABCD - the junction line of the center section and wing console;

X'-X '- the axis of the hinged center section with the wing console;

Fig.9 is a perspective view of a device for folding the wing of an aircraft in the folded position of the wing, where

6 - wing center section;

7 - wing console;

12 - the spar of the center section;

13 - end rib of the center section;

14 - console spar;

15 - end rib of the console;

16 - bracket of the front hinge assembly on the center section;

17 - bracket of the front hinge assembly on the console;

18 - the bracket of the rear hinge assembly on the center section;

19 - bracket for the rear hinge assembly on the console;

20 - elements of the locking lock on the center section;

21 - elements of the locking lock on the console.

Information confirming the possibility of carrying out the invention

The plane with a folding wing (see Fig. 1) is a low-wing normal circuit and contains a crew cabin 1 in the front of the aircraft, a power plant with a pushing propeller 2, located behind the cockpit, tail unit 3, located on the rear of the aircraft 4, wheel chassis 5, the center section 6, connected to the center section via two hinged nodes, rotary wing consoles 7, locking locks. Flaps 8 and ailerons 9 are installed on the wing consoles. The wing consoles are connected to the center wing and can be folded by turning them up and back relative to the X'-X 'axes located in a horizontal plane at an angle of 35-55 ° to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft (see figure 2). The junction of the wing console with the center wing is a broken line ABCD (see figure 1, 2).

In the folded position, the wing consoles are located along the aircraft with the leading edge up and towards the plane of symmetry of the aircraft (see Figs. 3, 4, 5). The wing consoles in the folded position can be fixed using telescopic struts 10 (see Fig.3, 6), which are installed on the rear of the aircraft. For this, the wing consoles are made with nodes 11 (see FIGS. 1, 2), which are located on the upper surface of the wing consoles in their middle part. Telescopic struts 10 are made with the possibility of fixing two positions of the wing consoles for a fully or incompletely folded wing (see Fig.7). In the flight configuration, telescopic struts can be removed or laid along the tail of the aircraft and fixed on it (see Fig. 1, 2).

To further reduce the lateral size of the flaps of the consoles are made with the possibility of rotation with the trailing edge up (see Fig.5, 6).

The device for folding the wing of an airplane (see Fig. 8) contains a fixed part of the wing — a center section 6 with frame elements in the form of a spar 12 and an end rib 13 and a rotary part connected to the center section via two hinge assemblies — a wing console 7 with a spar 14 and an end rib 15 Swivel assemblies are mounted along the axis of rotation X'-X ', inclined to the wing cross section at an angle of 30-60 ° towards the trailing edge and the end of the wing. The wing parts were connected at three points B, C and D, the front hinge assembly is located at point B, the rear hinge assembly is located at point D, and a lock is fixed at point C to fix the wing parts in the flight configuration. In this position of the wing, the junction of the wing console with the center wing has the shape of a broken line ABCD (see Fig. 8). The joint is made passing from point A on the leading edge of the wing to the front hinge assembly at point B, then along the side members between them to point C to the distance L to the locking lock and then along the end ribs through the rear hinge assembly at point D to the trailing edge of the wing. Parts of the center wing spars and wing consoles along the length L are made parallel to each other.

The hinge nodes are located in a plane parallel to the plane of the wing chords near the upper surface (see Fig. 9), and they are ear-plug connections, the elements of which are attached to the power frames of the wing parts, the connecting brackets 16 and 17 of the front hinge assembly are mounted on the side members 12 and 14 of the center section and wing consoles, butt brackets 18 and 19 are fixed on the end ribs of the wing parts in their tail parts. The planes of the eyes of the butt brackets are perpendicular to the axis of rotation X'-X '. At the corner of the center section at the junction of its spar with the end rib installed elements 20 of the locking lock, the response elements 21 of the lock are fixed on the spar of the wing console at the junction of it with the end rib of the console.

Thus, in the folded state, the wing console rests on the center wing at points B and D, spaced from each other by a distance of 2-3.5 times greater than the thickness of the wing profile in the joint zone, which ensures high rigidity of the connection.

Due to the fact that the joint of the wing parts in the unfolded position is made at three points (B, C and D) that are significantly spaced from each other, the effect of reducing the loads acting on the elements of the hinge assemblies and the locking lock in flight is achieved, while transmitting the bending moment from the spar the console on the center wing spar is carried out by a couple of forces on the shoulder L, which is 1.8-2.5 times greater than the construction height of the spar.

An airplane with a folding wing and a wing folding device are operated as follows.

After performing a flight with landing at the airfield, the wing consoles are folded. To do this, open the locking lock, each console is manually manually rotated up and down by an angle of 140-150 °, while they are located along the aircraft with the front edge up and to the side of the plane of symmetry of the aircraft, and then they are fixed by struts. After that, the folded plane is rolled into the hangar, where it will occupy 3-4 times less space in comparison with an airplane with an uncomplicated wing. The unfolding of the wing before the flight is carried out in the reverse order, and the control system is automatically docked. The work of folding or unfolding the wing can be performed without using a tool by one person in no more than 1 minute.

Compact folding of the aircraft allows it to be transported along public roads, and the quick and easy procedure of folding or unfolding the wing allows you to carry out the option when the aircraft is stored in the premises of the owner’s house and transported to a runway located near the house, for example, on the outskirts of the village , using a car on a trailer or directly towing a car, with a special coupling device mounted to the nose of the aircraft, and the front strut and clean. For greater compactness of the aircraft, essential when driving on the road, additional folding of the flaps of the consoles is possible by turning them with their trailing edge up.

When the aircraft is equipped with an additional wheel drive, it can independently move when folded along the road, while the location of the cockpit in the front of the aircraft, and the propulsion system with a propeller behind the cockpit, provides good visibility both in flight and on the road.

It is also possible the movement of a folded aircraft on the propeller thrust; for this, the wing consoles are lifted and mounted on the telescopic struts to the extended position, which ensures freedom of rotation of the propeller, while the wing consoles cover the rotary screw on the side, ensuring the safety of others. For movement on roads, the aircraft is equipped with appropriate lighting equipment.

The described features allow you to avoid wasting time traveling to and from the airfield and, accordingly, significantly reducing the total time spent on a planned trip.

The folding of the wing consoles by rotation about one axis makes it easy to lay flexible systems, for example, electric wires, in the joint zone and makes it quite simple to solve the problem of automatic docking of rigid control systems when folding the wing into the flight configuration.

The design of the aircraft can be performed using metal and plastic, the width when folded is not more than 2.5 m. It is possible to install a high-speed parachute rescue system for the aircraft along with the crew.

In the folded state, the wing console rests on the center wing at points spaced from each other by a distance of 2-3.5 times greater than the thickness of the wing profile in the joint area, which ensures high rigidity of the connection.

Due to the fact that the joint of the wing parts in the unfolded position is made at three points significantly spaced from each other, the effect of reducing the loads acting on the elements of the hinge assemblies and the locking lock in flight is achieved, while the transmission of bending moment from the console spar to the center wing spar is carried out by a couple of forces on the shoulder L, which is 1.8-2.5 times greater than the structural height of the spar.

The described device for folding the wing can be used mainly in the construction of light aircraft, as well as in the design of unmanned aerial vehicles, in the construction of aircraft based on the decks of aircraft carriers and in the designs of other aircraft, where folding of parts of the wing is required to reduce the transverse dimension of the aircraft.

Claims (6)

1. An airplane with a folding wing, comprising a cockpit installed in the front of the aircraft, a propulsion system with a propelling propeller installed behind the cockpit, a tail mounted in the rear of the aircraft, a wheeled landing gear, a center section, rotary consoles connected to the center section via two hinged assemblies wing locking locks, characterized in that the connection of the wing consoles with the center wing is made with the possibility of turning them up and back relative to the axes located in the horizontal plane, ra converging at an angle of 35-55 ° to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft from the front of the aircraft to the tail, and installing them along the plane with the leading edge up and towards the plane of symmetry of the aircraft with their subsequent fixation, while the hinge assemblies and the locking lock are spaced apart from each other in the wing plane each other at a distance of not less than 1.8 times the thickness of the wing profile in the joint zone, the joint of the wing consoles with the center section is made along a broken line passing from the leading edge across the wing to the front hinge assembly, then along the wing to fix lock it, and then again across the wing through the second hinge assembly to the trailing edge. 2. A plane with a folding wing according to claim 1, characterized in that the connection of the flaps with the wing consoles is made with the possibility of rotation with the folded wing position with the rear edge up. 3. An airplane with a folding wing according to claim 1, characterized in that the struts are fixed on the tail of the aircraft to fix the wing consoles in the folded position. 4. Aircraft with a folding wing according to claim 3, characterized in that the struts are made telescopic with two fixed positions. 5. Aircraft with a folding wing according to claim 3, characterized in that the struts are attached to the rear of the fuselage with the possibility of laying them in a flight configuration along the tail of the aircraft and fixing it. 6. A device for folding an aircraft wing, comprising the fixed and rotary parts of the wing with frame elements in the form of side members and end ribs, two hinged assemblies of the ear-fork type and a locking lock, characterized in that the hinge assemblies are located in a plane parallel to the plane of the wing chords near the upper surface of the wing, installed along the axis of rotation, inclined to the cross section of the wing at an angle of 30-60 ° towards the trailing edge and end of the wing, and spaced apart along the axis of rotation in the plane of the wing, while the front hinge knots are fixed on the side members of the wing, and the elements of the rear hinge are fixed on the end ribs of the wing parts in their tail, the locking lock is assigned from the front hinge in the direction of the wing end, the elements of this lock are fixed at the junction of the wing parts of the wings end ribs, sections of the side members of the wing parts in the joint zone from the front hinge assembly to the locking lock are made parallel to each other when the wing position is unfolded, the joint of the wing parts n In the plan view at the unfolded position of the wing is a broken line and formed from the front edge across the wing to the front hinge assembly further along the wing spar parts to lock the locking and then again across the wing along the ribs end via a second hinge assembly to the trailing edge.

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