CN115465439A

CN115465439A - Wing tip load shedding mechanism and aircraft

Info

Publication number: CN115465439A
Application number: CN202211313113.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 马振海; 陈恺; 孙宇辰; 吴大卫; 程攀; 薛飞
Original assignee: Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd
Current assignee: Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd
Priority date: 2022-10-25
Filing date: 2022-10-25
Publication date: 2022-12-13

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a wing tip load shedding mechanism and an aircraft, wherein the wing tip load shedding mechanism comprises: a wing having a tip portion disposed along a spanwise direction thereof; a wing tip movably mounted at a tip end of the wing; and a hinge assembly, the hinge assembly comprising: the first hinge piece and the second hinge piece are hinged with each other, the first hinge piece is fixedly connected with the tip end part of the wing, and the second hinge piece is fixedly connected with the wing tip; wherein a load-relieving element is arranged between the first hinge part and the second hinge part; under the action of the relief element, the wing tip automatically forms corresponding deflection angles relative to the wing under different loads. According to the invention, the wing tip automatically forms a corresponding deflection angle relative to the wing under the condition of bearing different loads, so that the load of the wing can be effectively reduced, the aerodynamic performance of the wing is improved, and the flight performance of an aircraft is further improved.

Description

Wing tip load shedding mechanism and aircraft

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of aircraft aerodynamics, in particular to a wing tip load shedding mechanism and an aircraft.

Background

Relevant aerodynamic research shows that the airfoil profile can effectively improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the airplane according to the change of different flight environments. The variable-bending wing tip can improve the maneuvering performance, reduce the induced resistance and improve the stall performance. For example, greater flare at cruise conditions may achieve better aerodynamic performance; under the condition of large overload, the load and the moment of the wing tip are large, and the dihedral angle of the wing tip is adjusted according to aerodynamic research, so that the load can be effectively reduced; meanwhile, in the shutdown state, in order to utilize the runway width as much as possible, the wing span in the shutdown state is close to the corresponding runway grade width, and in order to further utilize the span length to improve the performance, the wings need to be contracted and folded in the shutdown state.

At present, aiming at the existing folding wing technology, the dihedral angle of the wing tip in flight and shutdown is fixed at a pre-designed angle through a mechanism lock, and the dihedral angle cannot be adjusted according to the change of the flight environment.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a wing tip load shedding mechanism and an aircraft, and aims to improve the flight performance of the aircraft.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the embodiment of the present invention discloses the following technical solutions:

in one aspect, there is provided a wing tip offloading mechanism comprising: a wing having a tip portion disposed along a spanwise direction thereof;

a wing tip movably mounted at a tip end of the wing; and

a hinge assembly, the hinge assembly comprising: the first hinge piece and the second hinge piece are hinged with each other, the first hinge piece is fixedly connected with the tip end part of the wing, and the second hinge piece is fixedly connected with the wing tip;

wherein a load relief element is arranged between the first hinge part and the second hinge part;

under the action of the relief element, the wing tip automatically forms corresponding deflection angles relative to the wing under different loads.

In addition to or in the alternative to one or more of the features disclosed above, the load relief element is a torsion spring.

In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features disclosed above, a stiffness coefficient of the load relief element is defined as K, the stiffness coefficient K satisfying:

wherein M is ₀ The torque of the relief element when the wing tip is not under load; m ₁ The torque of the load reducing element is reduced when the load borne by the wing tip is 1G; and alpha is the anhedral angle of the wing tip relative to the wing.

In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features disclosed above, said relief element is provided with at least 1,

defining the number of the load reducing elements as X, and the stiffness coefficient of each load reducing element as K ₁ Satisfies the following conditions:

in addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features disclosed above, the anhedral angle α of the wing tip with respect to the wing satisfies: alpha is more than or equal to 45 degrees and less than or equal to 90 degrees.

In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features disclosed above, defining the dihedral angle β of the wing tip with respect to the wing satisfies: beta is more than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 80 degrees.

In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features disclosed above, a mounting chamber is formed between the first and second hinge members, the relief element being disposed within the mounting chamber.

In addition or alternatively to one or more of the features disclosed above, a first connection portion is provided at the tip end portion, a second connection portion is provided at an end of the first hinge member close to the wing, and the first connection portion is fixedly connected to the second connection portion;

and a third connecting part is arranged at one end of the wing tip close to the wing in the wingspan direction, a fourth connecting part is arranged at one end of the second hinged part close to the wing tip, and the third connecting part is fixedly connected with the fourth connecting part.

In addition to or instead of one or more of the features disclosed above, the wing is provided with a spar, the first connecting portion is fixedly connected with or integrally formed with the spar, and the extending direction of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion is parallel to the extending direction of the spar.

In addition or alternatively to one or more features disclosed above, the hinge assembly further comprises: the first hinge part, the second hinge part and the load relief element are all sleeved on the periphery of the hinge shaft; and

at least two mountings, mounting fixed mounting in on the articulated shaft, and every the mounting is arranged respectively in the side of first articulated elements along the axial direction of articulated shaft.

In addition, or alternatively, to one or more features disclosed above, further comprising: a fairing disposed between the wing and the wing tip and hollow inside to form a closed cavity, the hinge assembly disposed within the closed cavity;

the fairing is streamlined.

In addition or alternatively to one or more features disclosed above, the fairing includes: a fixing portion provided at a tip end portion of the wing; and

a follow-up section provided at one end of the wing tip close to the wing in a wingspan direction thereof;

the fixed part and the follow-up part surround to form the closed cavity.

In addition, or alternatively, to one or more features disclosed above, further comprising: a locking assembly for locking the wing tip in a droop condition;

the locking assembly includes: the clamped piece is arranged on the second hinge piece;

a fixed shaft disposed on the first hinge; and

the buckle unit is movably arranged on the periphery of the fixed shaft;

under the cooperation of the clamped piece and the clamping unit, the wing tip is locked in a sagging state.

In addition or alternatively to one or more of the features disclosed above, the snap unit comprises: the fixing buckle is arranged on the first hinge piece;

the movable buckle is movably arranged on the fixed shaft; and

and the elastic element is arranged between the fixed buckle and the movable buckle, and the head end and the tail end of the elastic element are respectively and fixedly connected with the fixed buckle and the movable buckle.

In addition or alternatively to one or more of the features disclosed above, the locking assembly further comprises: the unlocking driver is arranged on the first hinge piece, and the power output end of the unlocking driver is in transmission connection with the movable buckle;

under the effect of the unlocking driver, the movable buckle is far away from the fixed buckle.

In another aspect, there is also provided an aircraft comprising, in addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features disclosed above, a wing tip offloading mechanism as claimed in any of the preceding claims.

One of the above technical solutions has the following advantages or beneficial effects: according to the invention, the load shedding element is arranged between the first hinge part and the second hinge part, so that the wing tip automatically forms a corresponding deflection angle relative to the wing under the condition of bearing different loads, the load shedding can be effectively carried out on the wing, the aerodynamic performance of the wing is improved, and the flight performance of an aircraft is further improved.

Another technical scheme in the above technical scheme has the following advantages or beneficial effects: according to the invention, the fairing is arranged between the wing and the wing tip, and the hinge assembly is arranged in the fairing to isolate the hinge assembly from the external environment, so that the external environment is prevented from damaging the airflow of the airfoil, and the fairing is streamlined to eliminate the influence of the fairing on the airfoil of the aircraft, so that the fairing does not influence the aerodynamic lift resistance of the airfoil of the aircraft, and further the flight performance of the aircraft is improved.

Drawings

The technical solution and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a three dimensional structural view of a wing tip offloading mechanism provided in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

figure 2 is an exploded view of a wing tip relief mechanism provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a wing tip offloading mechanism provided in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3;

figure 5 is a front view of a wing tip offloading mechanism provided in accordance with an embodiment of the invention in a reverse-up state;

figure 6 is a front view of a wing tip relief mechanism provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention in a depending condition;

FIG. 7 is a front view of a hinge assembly provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an elevation view of a hinge assembly and locking assembly provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention in a flat condition;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of the hinge assembly and locking assembly provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention in a pendulous configuration;

FIG. 10 is an elevation view of a locking assembly provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention in an expanded state;

FIG. 11 is a front view of a latch assembly provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention in a closed position.

Description of reference numerals:

100. a wing tip offloading mechanism;

110. an airfoil; 111. a tip portion; 112. a first connection portion;

120. a wing tip; 121. a third connecting portion;

130. a hinge assembly; 131. a first hinge member; 1311. a second connecting portion; 1312. a first limit surface; 1313. a third limiting surface; 132. a second hinge member; 1321. a fourth connecting portion; 1322. a second limiting surface; 1323. a fourth limiting surface; 133. an installation chamber; 134. hinging a shaft; 135. a fixing member;

140. a load relief element;

150. a cowling; 151. a closed cavity; 152. a fixed part; 153. a follow-up section;

160. a locking assembly; 161. a card receiving piece; 162. a fixed shaft; 163. a buckle unit; 1631. fixing a buckle; 1632. a movable buckle; 1633. an elastic element; 164. unlocking the driver; 165. a guide member; 166, a movable member.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly apparent, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and the detailed description. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", and the like, indicate orientations and positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, and are used only for convenience of description and simplicity of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, should not be considered as limiting the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first", "second", may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the described features. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically defined otherwise.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning either a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection; they may be mechanically coupled, directly coupled, indirectly coupled through intervening media, and may be interconnected or interconnected between two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

In the present invention, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, the recitation of a first feature "on" or "under" a second feature may include the recitation of the first and second features being in direct contact, and may also include the recitation that the first and second features are not in direct contact, but are in contact via another feature between them. Also, the first feature being "on," "above" and "over" the second feature includes the first feature being directly on and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicating that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply meaning that the first feature is at a lesser level than the second feature.

Relevant aerodynamic research shows that the airfoil profile can effectively improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the airplane according to the change of different flight environments.

In an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 1 to 9, the wing tip load shedding mechanism 100 may include: a wing 110, the wing 110 being provided with a tip end 111 in a span-wise direction thereof; a wing tip 120 movably mounted at a tip end 111 of the wing 110; and a hinge assembly 130, the hinge assembly 130 comprising: a first hinge 131 and a second hinge 132 hinged to each other, wherein the first hinge 131 is fixedly connected to the tip 111 of the wing 110, and the second hinge 132 is fixedly connected to the wing tip 120;

wherein a load-reducing element 140 is disposed between the first hinge 131 and the second hinge 132; under the action of the relief element 140, the wing tip 120 automatically forms corresponding deflection angles with respect to the wing 110 under different loads.

Specifically, the aircraft has three states of stop, cruise and large load, when the aircraft is in the stop state, the wing tip 120 is not subjected to pneumatic load, meanwhile, the load reducing element 140 does not provide torque, the wing tip 120 deflects downwards relative to the wing 110 under the action of self gravity, and is in a sagging state, so that the overall length of the wing 110 and the wing tip 120 is reduced to adapt to the length of an airport, and the aircraft can be matched in a taxiway and/or a boarding gate.

When the aircraft is in a cruising state, the load borne by the wing tip 120 causes the second hinge member 132 to be twisted upwards relative to the first hinge member 131, at this time, the load reducing element 140 generates a torque in the opposite direction due to tension, and the torque provided by the load reducing element 140 and the load borne by the wing tip 120 are balanced, so that the wingspan direction of the wing tip 120 and the wingspan direction of the wing 110 are in the same straight line, the wing tip 120 is maintained in a straight state, the overall span length of the aircraft is lengthened, the lift force is provided to the greatest extent, the maximum aerodynamic performance is obtained, and the aerodynamic performance of the wing is improved;

when the aircraft is in a heavy load state in the flight process, the load borne by the wing tip 120 drives the second hinge 132 to further twist relative to the first hinge 131, so that the load reducing element 140 further twists, the stroke of the load reducing element 140 is increased to provide a larger reverse torque, and the wing tip 120 deflects upwards relative to the wing 110 to maintain the wing tip 120 in a dihedral state corresponding to the borne load, so that the effective load reduction of the wing tip is realized, and the aerodynamic performance of the wing is further improved.

The "first" and "second" of the first hinge 131 and the second hinge 132 are only used to distinguish different hinge elements connected to the wing 110 and the wing tip 120, respectively, and do not limit the number or sequence of the hinge elements. For example, the first hinge 131 is fixedly connected to the tip 111 of the wing 110, and correspondingly, the second hinge 132 is fixedly connected to the wing tip 120. For another example, the second hinge 132 is fixedly connected to the tip 111 of the wing 110, and correspondingly, the first hinge 131 is fixedly connected to the wing tip 120.

In the embodiment of the present invention, referring to fig. 2 to 4, the load-reducing element 140 is a torsion spring, which is easy to obtain and low in cost, and can effectively reduce the cost.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a stiffness coefficient of the load shedding element 140 is defined as K, and the stiffness coefficient K satisfies:

wherein M is ₀ Relieving the torque of the load cell 140 when the wing tip 120 is not under load; m ₁ The torque of the load shedding element 140 is reduced when the load applied to the wing tip 120 is 1G; α is the anhedral angle of the wing tip 120 relative to the wing 110.

It is understood that, in the present invention, the stiffness coefficient of the load reduction element 140 is defined so that under the action of the load reduction element 140, the wing tip 120 automatically forms corresponding deflection angles with respect to the wing 110 under different loads, thereby improving the flight performance of the aircraft pair.

In an embodiment of the invention, the stiffness coefficients of the individual load shedding elements 140 satisfy a linear superposition relationship.

Specifically, the number of the load reducing elements 140 is at least 1, the number of the load reducing elements 140 is defined as X, and the stiffness coefficient of each load reducing element 140 is K ₁ Satisfies the following conditions:

for example, when the number of the load shedding elements 140 is 2, the stiffness coefficient of each load shedding element 140 is K ₁ 0.5K; for another example, when the number of the load shedding elements 140 is 3, the stiffness coefficient of each load shedding element 140 is K ₁ Is 1/3K; for example, when the number of the load reducing elements 140 is 4, the stiffness coefficient of each load reducing element 140 is K ₁ Is 1/4K.

In an embodiment of the invention, in connection with fig. 6, the anhedral angle α of the wing tip 120 with respect to the wing 110 satisfies: alpha is more than or equal to 45 degrees and less than or equal to 90 degrees. That is, the anhedral angle α of the wing tip 120 with respect to the wing 110 can be controlled within a range of 75 ° to 80 °. For example, the anhedral angle α of the wing tip 120 with respect to the wing 110 may be 45 °, 50 °, 55 °, 60 °, 65 °, 70 °, 75 °, 80 °, 85 °, 90 °, etc. It is to be noted that the specific numerical values of the anhedral angle α are given only by way of example, as long as any value within the range of 45 ° to 90 ° is within the scope of the present application. In the invention, the dihedral angle alpha of the wing tip 120 relative to the wing 110 can be controlled within the range of 45-90 degrees, so that the overall length of the wing 110 and the wing tip 120 can be reduced to adapt to the length of an airport, and an aircraft can be matched in a taxiway and/or a boarding gate.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, referring to fig. 7, a first limit surface 1312 is disposed on the first hinge member 131, and a second limit surface 1322 is disposed on the second hinge member 132, in the present invention, the limit position of the downward deflection of the wing tip 120 relative to the wing 110 is limited by the cooperation between the first limit surface 1312 and the second limit surface 1322, so as to prevent the wing tip 120 from being excessively deflected to damage components.

The "first" and the "second" of the first limit surface 1312 and the second limit surface 1322 are only for distinguishing different limit surfaces on the first hinge member 131 and the second hinge member 132, respectively, and are not intended to limit the number or the sequence of the limit surfaces.

Specifically, an included angle between the first limiting surface 1312 and the vertical direction is defined as θ, and an included angle between the second limiting surface 1322 and the vertical direction is defined as η, then the included angle θ, the included angle η, and the dihedral angle α satisfy:

θ + η = α to collectively make up the downward deflection angular travel of the wing tip 120 relative to the wing 110.

Preferably, in consideration of uniform load transmission, the first limit surface 1312 and the second limit surface 1322 are symmetrically arranged such that the included angle θ and the dihedral angle α satisfy: θ = α/2; the included angle eta and the lower reflection angle alpha meet the following conditions: η = α/2.

Specifically, for the angle distribution of the first limit surface 1312 and the second limit surface 1322, the angle distribution is slightly adjusted on the basis of the approximately symmetrical distribution in consideration of uniform load transmission, so as to facilitate the processing and manufacturing.

Further, with reference to fig. 5, the dihedral angle β of the wing tip 120 relative to the wing 110 is defined as β, which satisfies: beta is more than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 80 degrees. That is, the dihedral angle β of the wing tip 120 relative to the wing 110 can be controlled within the range of 0 to 80 °. For example, the dihedral angle β of the wing tip 120 relative to the wing 110 may be 0, 10 °, 20 °, 30 °, 40 °, 50 °, 60 °, 70 °, 80 °, etc. It is worth noting that the specific numerical value of the dihedral angle α is given only by way of example, as long as any value of the angle within the range of 0 to 80 ° is within the scope of the present application. In the invention, the dihedral angle beta of the wing tip 120 relative to the wing 110 can be controlled within the range of 0-80 degrees, so that the wing tip 120 can automatically form a corresponding deflection angle relative to the wing 110 under the condition of bearing different loads, and the flight performance of the aircraft is improved.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, referring to fig. 7, the first hinge member 131 is provided with a third limiting surface 1313, and the second hinge member 132 is provided with a fourth limiting surface 1323, in the present invention, the third limiting surface 1313 and the fourth limiting surface 1323 are matched to limit the limit position of the wing tip 120 deflected upward relative to the wing 110, so as to prevent the wing tip 120 from being deflected excessively to damage parts.

The "third" and "fourth" of the third limiting surface 1313 and the fourth limiting surface 1323 are only for distinguishing different limiting surfaces from the first hinge member 131 and the second hinge member 132, respectively, and are not limited to the number or sequence of the limiting surfaces.

Specifically, an included angle between the third limiting surface 1313 and the vertical direction is defined as γ, and an included angle between the fourth limiting surface 1323 and the vertical direction is defined as δ, and then the included angle γ, the included angle δ, and the dihedral angle β satisfy:

γ + δ = β to collectively constitute an angular upward deflection travel of the wing tip 120 relative to the wing 110.

Preferably, in view of uniform load transmission, the third limiting surface 1313 and the fourth limiting surface 1323 are symmetrically arranged such that the included angle γ and the dihedral angle β satisfy: γ = β/2; the included angle delta and the dihedral angle beta satisfy the following conditions: δ = β/2.

Specifically, the angle distribution of the third limiting surface 1313 and the fourth limiting surface 1323 is slightly adjusted on the basis of the approximately symmetrical distribution in consideration of uniform load transfer, so as to facilitate the manufacturing.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the torque M of the relief element 140 is defined as 2G of load applied to the wing tip 120 ₂ Defining the dihedral angle β of the wing tip 120 relative to the wing 110 when the load on the wing tip 120 is 2G ₁ Satisfies the following conditions:

defining a torque M of the relief element 140 at a load M of 2.5G on said wing tip 120 ₃ The wing tip 120 is loaded by 25G the dihedral angle of the wing tip 120 relative to the wing 110 is β ₂ Satisfies the following conditions:

defining a maximum dihedral angle β of said wing tip 120 relative to said wing 110 _max Satisfies the following conditions: beta is a ₁ ≤β _max ≤β ₂ 。

At the same time, the total travel of the tip 120 up and down with respect to the wing 110 is approximately 180 ° for better offloading as contemplated in the present invention.

Further, referring to fig. 3 to 4, an installation chamber 133 is formed between the first hinge 131 and the second hinge 132, and the relief element 140 is disposed in the installation chamber 133.

As can be understood, the present invention forms the installation chamber 133 between the first hinge 131 and the second hinge 132 to dispose the relief element 140 in the installation chamber 133, so that the overall structure is compact, the occupied space is small, and the overall size is effectively reduced.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a mounting groove is formed between the first hinge member 131 and the second hinge member 132 to form the mounting chamber 133. For example, the first hinge member 131 is provided with a mounting groove to form a mounting chamber 133 between the first hinge member 131 and the second hinge member 132, or the second hinge member 132 is provided with a mounting groove to form a mounting chamber 133 between the first hinge member 131 and the second hinge member 132, or both the first hinge member 131 and the second hinge member 132 are provided with mounting grooves to form a mounting chamber 133 between the first hinge member 131 and the second hinge member 132. The present invention is not particularly limited.

Further, with reference to fig. 3 to 4, a first connecting portion 112 is disposed on the tip portion 111, a second connecting portion 1311 is disposed at an end of the first hinge 131 close to the wing 110, and the first connecting portion 112 is fixedly connected to the second connecting portion 1311;

in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first connection portion 112 is integrally formed with the tip end portion 111 of the wing 110; alternatively, the first connection portion 112 is fixedly connected to the tip end portion 111 of the wing 110, and the invention is not limited in particular.

The second connection part 1311 is integrally formed with the first hinge 131; alternatively, the second connecting portion 1311 is fixedly connected to the first hinge 131, and the invention is not limited in particular.

The "first" and the "second" of the first connection portion 112 and the second connection portion 1311 are only for distinguishing different connection portions provided at the tip portion 111 and the first hinge 131, and are not intended to limit the number or order of the connection portions.

The wing tip 120 is provided with a third connecting portion 121 at an end close to the wing 110 in the wingspan direction, the second hinge member 132 is provided with a fourth connecting portion 1321 at an end close to the wing tip 120, and the third connecting portion 121 is fixedly connected with the fourth connecting portion 1321.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the third connection portion 121 is integrally formed with the wing tip 120; alternatively, the third connecting portion 121 is fixedly connected to the wing tip 120, and the invention is not limited in particular.

The fourth connecting portion 1321 is integrally formed with the second hinge 132; alternatively, the fourth connecting portion 1321 is fixedly connected to the second hinge 132, and the present invention is not limited in particular.

The "third" and "fourth" of the third connecting portion 121 and the fourth connecting portion 1321 are only for distinguishing different connecting portions provided on the wing tip 120 and the second hinge 132, and the number or the order of the connecting portions is not limited.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the wing 110 is provided with a wing spar (not shown), the first connecting portion 112 is fixedly connected to or integrally formed with the wing spar, and an extending direction of the first connecting portion 112 and the second connecting portion 1311 is parallel to an extending direction of the wing spar.

It can be understood that the first connection portion 112 of the present invention is fixedly connected to or integrally formed with the spar, and the extending directions of the first connection portion 112 and the second connection portion 1311 are parallel to the extending direction of the spar, so that when the wing tip 120 deflects under a load, the shearing forces generated between the first hinge 131, the second hinge 132 and the load-shedding element 140 are directly transmitted to the spar through the first connection portion 112 and the second connection portion 1311, so that the stress relationship during load transmission between the wing 110 and the wing tip 120 meets the mechanical requirements of an aircraft, and the components of the aircraft can be effectively protected.

In an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to fig. 3 to 4, the hinge assembly 130 further includes: the hinge shaft 134, the first hinge member 131, the second hinge member 132 and the relief element 140 are all sleeved on the periphery of the hinge shaft 134; and at least two fixing pieces 135, the fixing pieces 135 are fixedly installed on the hinge shaft 134, and each of the fixing pieces 135 is respectively disposed at a side end of the first hinge member 131 in an axial direction of the hinge shaft 134.

It can be understood that, in the present invention, the fixing member 135 is disposed at the side end of the first hinge member 131 in the axial direction of the hinge shaft 134, so that the fixing member 135 limits the first hinge member 131 and the second hinge member 132, thereby preventing the first hinge member 131 and the second hinge member 132 from moving freely during the rotation.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fixing member 135 is a fixing bolt to reduce the overall cost.

In an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to fig. 1-2, the wing tip offloading mechanism 100 further comprises: a fairing 150, said fairing 150 being disposed between said wing 110 and said wing tip 120, said fairing 150 being hollow to form a closed cavity 151, said hinge assembly 130 being disposed within said closed cavity 151; the fairing 150 is streamlined.

It can be understood that, at present, the existing hinge devices disposed between the wing 110 and the wing tip 120 are all exposed, and when the aircraft is in a flight state, the structure may damage the airflow of the wing surface, which may cause a large impact on the drag, and is not beneficial to improving the flight performance of the aircraft. In the invention, the fairing 150 is arranged between the wing 110 and the wing tip 120, and the hinge assembly 130 is arranged in the fairing 150, so that the hinge assembly 130 is isolated from the external environment, the external environment is prevented from damaging the airflow of the airfoil, and the fairing 150 is streamlined, so that the influence of the fairing 150 on the airfoil of the aircraft is eliminated, the fairing does not influence the aerodynamic lift resistance of the airfoil of the aircraft, and the flight performance of the aircraft is improved.

Further, in conjunction with fig. 2, the fairing 150 includes: a fixing portion 152, the fixing portion 152 being provided at the tip end portion 111 of the wing 110; and a follower 153, the follower 153 being disposed at one end of the wing tip 120 in the spanwise direction close to the wing 110; the fixed portion 152 and the following portion 153 form the sealed cavity 151 in a surrounding manner.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the fixing portion 152 is integrally formed with the tip end portion 111 of the wing 110; alternatively, the fixing portion 152 is fixedly connected to the tip end portion 111 of the wing 110, and the invention is not limited in particular.

The follow-up part 153 is integrally formed with the wing tip 120; alternatively, the following portion 153 is fixedly connected to the wing tip 120, and the invention is not limited in any way.

It can be understood that the fixing portion 152 is disposed at the tip end portion 111 of the wing 110, so that the fixing portion 152 is in an inactive state with the wing 110, and the following portion 153 is disposed at one end of the wing tip 120 close to the wing 110 in the span direction, so that the following portion 153 can rotate with the wing tip 120 synchronously, so that the hinge assembly 130 is in the closed cavity 151 formed by the fairing 150 when the wing tip 120 is at different deflection angles relative to the wing 110, and meanwhile, by connecting in this way, no stroke hole needs to be preset for the third connecting portion 121 and the fourth connecting portion 1321, a closed and complete connection of the fairing can be achieved, the shape integrity is ensured to the maximum extent, and the aerodynamic performance after fairing is ensured.

In an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to fig. 8 to 9, the wing tip load shedding mechanism 100 further comprises: a locking assembly 160, the locking assembly 160 for locking the wing tip 120 in the droop state;

specifically, the locking assembly 160 includes: an engaged piece 161, the engaged piece 161 being disposed on the second hinge 132; a fixed shaft 162, the fixed shaft 162 being disposed on the first hinge 131; and a locking unit 163 movably disposed at the outer circumference of the fixing shaft 162;

in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the caught piece 161 is integrally formed with the second hinge 132; alternatively, the clamped member 161 is fixedly connected to the second hinge member 132, and the invention is not limited in particular.

The fixed shaft 162 is integrally formed with the first hinge 131; alternatively, the fixed shaft 162 is fixedly connected to the first hinge member 131, and the invention is not limited in this respect.

It can be understood that when the aircraft is in a stopped state, the wing tip 120 is not subjected to aerodynamic load, and the relief element 140 does not provide torque, the wing tip 120 deflects downward relative to the wing 110 under its own weight to be in a drooping state, and at the same time, the caught piece 161 provided on the second hinge 132 deflects downward synchronously with the second hinge 132, so that the caught piece 161 contacts with the catch unit 163 and the caught piece 161 is in a snap-in connection with the catch unit 163, and the wing tip 120 is locked in the drooping state by the cooperation of the caught piece 161 and the catch unit 163.

In an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to fig. 9, the fastening unit 163 includes: a fixing buckle 1631 disposed on the first hinge 131; a movable buckle 1632 movably disposed on the fixed shaft 162; and an elastic element 1633 disposed between the fixed buckle 1631 and the movable buckle 1632, wherein the first end and the second end of the elastic element 1633 are respectively fixedly connected to the fixed buckle 1631 and the movable buckle 1632.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fixing catch 1631 is integrally formed with the first hinge 131; alternatively, the fixing buckle 1631 is fixedly connected to the first hinge 131, and the invention is not limited in particular.

The elastic element 1633 is any one of a spring, an elastic sheet or an elastic rope. For example, the elastic element 1633 is a spring; for another example, the elastic element 1633 is an elastic sheet; also for example, the elastic element 1633 is a bungee cord. The specific choice of the elastic element 1633 can be set by the operator according to the actual situation, and is not limited in the present invention.

In an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to fig. 9, the locking assembly 160 further includes: the unlocking driver 164, the unlocking driver 164 is installed on the first hinge 131, and the power output end of the unlocking driver 164 is in transmission connection with the movable buckle 1632; under the action of the unlocking actuator 164, the movable catch 1632 is away from the fixed catch 1631.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the unlocking actuator 164 is a steering engine, and preferably, the unlocking actuator 164 is a linear steering engine.

The locking assembly 160 further comprises: the guide member 165 is fixedly mounted on the first hinge member 131, the two movable members 166 are oppositely arranged, and are in transmission connection with the power output end of the unlocking driver 164, and the two movable members 166 are movably arranged on the guide member 165.

Under the action of the unlocking driver 164, the movable member 166 approaches the movable catch 1632 to contact the movable catch 1632.

Preferably, the two movable members 166 are in transmission connection with the power output end of the unlocking driver 164 through a connecting member (not shown).

The connecting piece can adopt any one of a rope, a spring and an elastic rope.

Specifically, referring to fig. 8 to 11, the locking unit 163 has two states of closing and opening, and under the action of the elastic element 1633, the locking unit 163 is in the closing state by the support of the elastic element 1633 in the natural extension state;

when the aircraft is in the idle state, the caught piece 161 deflects downward synchronously with the second hinge 132 to make the caught piece 161 strike against the movable catch 1632, the unlocking driver 164 is activated to drive the movable member 166 to move, so that the movable member 166 contacts the movable catch 1632 and compresses the connecting end of the movable catch 1632 and the elastic member 1633 to press the connecting end of the movable catch 1632 and the elastic member 1633 to rotate the movable catch 1632 around the fixed shaft 162, the elastic member 1633 is compressed to generate a return elastic force, the catching unit 163 is in the open state, the caught piece 161 enters between the movable catch 1632 and the fixed catch 1631, and then the unlocking driver 164 drives the movable catch 166 to return to the initial position to separate the movable member 166 from the movable catch 1632, and the movable catch 1632 returns to the return position under the return elastic force of the elastic member 1633 to make the caught piece 161 connect with the catching unit 1632, and the caught piece 120 is locked in the hanging state under the cooperation of the caught piece 161 and the catching unit 1633.

And in a normal state, the movable member 166 is in a separated state of the movable catch 1632, and the movable member 166 does not affect the movable catch.

When the wing tip 120 needs to be unlocked from the sagging state, the unlocking driver 164 is activated to drive the moving member 166 to move, so that the moving member 166 contacts with the moving buckle 1632 and compresses the connecting end of the moving buckle 1632 and the elastic element 1633 to generate pressure on the connecting end of the moving buckle 1632 and the elastic element 1633, so that the moving buckle 1632 rotates around the fixed shaft 162, the elastic element 1633 is compressed to generate a return elastic force, the buckling unit 163 is in the opening state, and the clamped piece 161 can be separated from the buckling unit 163, thereby unlocking the wing tip 120; after the unlocking is completed, the unlocking driver 164 drives the moving member 166 to reset to the initial position, so that the moving member 166 is separated from the movable catch 1632, and the movable catch 1632 is reset simultaneously under the action of the reset elastic force of the elastic element 1633.

In a further aspect the invention provides an aircraft including a wing tip offloading mechanism as described in any of the above.

The above steps are provided only for helping to understand the method, structure and core idea of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention, and these changes and modifications also fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wing tip offloading mechanism, comprising:

a wing (110), the wing (110) being provided with a tip end (111) in a spanwise direction thereof;

a wing tip (120) movably mounted at a tip end (111) of the wing (110); and

a hinge assembly (130), the hinge assembly (130) comprising: a first hinge (131) and a second hinge (132) hinged to each other, the first hinge (131) being fixedly connected to the tip end (111) of the wing (110), the second hinge (132) being fixedly connected to the wing tip (120);

wherein a load relief element (140) is arranged between the first articulation (131) and the second articulation (132);

under the action of the load relief element (140), the wing tip (120) automatically forms corresponding deflection angles relative to the wing (110) under different loads.

2. A wing tip load shedding mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the load shedding element (140) is a torsion spring.

3. A wing tip load shedding mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the load shedding element (140) has a stiffness coefficient K defined as satisfying:

wherein M is ₀ To relieve the torque of the load element (140) when the wing tip (120) is not under load；M ₁ The torque of a load reducing element (140) is reduced when the wing tip (120) is subjected to a load of 1G; a is the anhedral angle of the wing tip (120) relative to the wing (110).

4. A wing tip load shedding mechanism according to claim 3, wherein there are at least 1 load shedding element (140),

defining the number of said load shedding elements (140) as X, the stiffness coefficient of each of said load shedding elements (140) being K ₁ Satisfies the following conditions:

5. a wing tip offloading mechanism as claimed in claim 3 wherein the anhedral angle α of the wing tip (120) relative to the wing (110) is such that: alpha is more than or equal to 45 degrees and less than or equal to 90 degrees.

6. A wing tip offloading mechanism as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the dihedral of the wing tip (120) relative to the wing (110) is defined as β, satisfying: beta is more than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 80 degrees.

7. A wing tip load shedding mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein a mounting chamber (133) is formed between the first hinge member (131) and the second hinge member (132), the load shedding element (140) being disposed within the mounting chamber (133).

8. A wing tip offloading mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein a first connection (112) is provided on the tip end (111), a second connection (1311) is provided at an end of the first hinge (131) adjacent the wing (110), and the first connection (112) is fixedly connected to the second connection (1311);

the wing tip (120) is provided with a third connecting portion (121) at one end close to the wing (110) in the wingspan direction, the second hinge member (132) is provided with a fourth connecting portion (1321) at one end close to the wing tip (120), and the third connecting portion (121) is fixedly connected with the fourth connecting portion (1321).

9. A wing tip load shedding mechanism as claimed in claim 8, wherein the wing (110) is provided with a spar, the first connection portion (112) is fixedly connected to or integrally formed with the spar, and the first connection portion (112) and the second connection portion (1311) extend in a direction parallel to the direction of extension of the spar.

10. A wing tip offloading mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hinge assembly (130) further comprises: the hinge shaft (134), the first hinge member (131), the second hinge member (132) and the load relief element (140) are sleeved on the periphery of the hinge shaft (134); and

at least two fixing pieces (135), the fixing pieces (135) are fixedly arranged on the hinge shaft (134), and each fixing piece (135) is respectively arranged at the side end of the first hinge piece (131) along the axial direction of the hinge shaft (134).

11. A wing tip load shedding mechanism as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a fairing (150), said fairing (150) being arranged between said wing (110) and said wing tip (120), and said fairing (150) being internally hollow to form a closed cavity (151), said hinge assembly (130) being arranged within said closed cavity (151);

the fairing (150) is streamlined.

12. A wing tip offloading mechanism as claimed in claim 11 wherein the fairing (150) comprises: a fixing portion (152) provided at a tip end portion (111) of the wing (110); and

a follower (153) provided at one end of the wing tip (120) close to the wing (110) in the wingspan direction;

the fixed part (152) and the follow-up part (153) surround to form the closed cavity (151).

13. A wing tip offloading mechanism as recited in claim 1, further comprising: a locking assembly (160), the locking assembly (160) for locking the wing tip (120) in a droop condition;

the locking assembly (160) includes: a caught piece (161) provided on the second hinge (132);

a fixed shaft (162) disposed on the first hinge (131); and

a locking unit (163) movably disposed on the outer circumference of the fixed shaft (162);

the wing tip (120) is locked in a drooping state by the engagement of the caught piece (161) with the catching unit (163).

14. A wing tip offloading mechanism according to claim 13, characterised in that said snap unit (163) comprises: a fixing catch (1631) disposed on the first hinge (131);

the movable buckle (1632) is movably arranged on the fixed shaft (162); and

and the elastic element (1633) is arranged between the fixed buckle (1631) and the movable buckle (1632), and the head end and the tail end of the elastic element (1633) are respectively and fixedly connected with the fixed buckle (1631) and the movable buckle (1632).

15. A wing tip relief mechanism as claimed in claim 14, wherein the locking assembly (160) further comprises: the unlocking driver (164), the unlocking driver (164) is installed on the first hinge part (131), and the power output end of the unlocking driver (164) is in transmission connection with the movable buckle (1632);

under the action of the unlocking driver (164), the movable catch (1632) is far away from the fixed catch (1631).

16. An aircraft comprising a wing tip offloading mechanism as claimed in any of claims 1 to 15.