Aerodynamic sealing member for aircraft
View Patent ↗A sealing member for forming a seal in an aircraft, the sealing member comprising: a sealing material; and a stiffening element which provides structural support to the sealing material and comprises a material with a glass transition temperature below +50° C. The stiffening element is relatively flexible when the aircraft is at low altitude (high temperature) but becomes relatively stiff (increasing resistance to seal flutter) when the aircraft is at cruise altitude (low temperature).
1. An aircraft comprising first and second components; and a sealing member forming an aerodynamic seal between the first and the second components and is exposed to a flow of air over the aircraft during flight, the sealing member comprising:
a sealing material; and
a stiffening element which provides structural support to the sealing material and which will stiffen to a greater degree than the sealing material in response to a decrease in temperature when the aircraft climbs from ground level to cruise altitude, wherein the sealing member is secured to the first component and the sealing material is compressed against the second component to form the aerodynamic seal between the components, wherein the sealing member further includes a strip of stiffening fabric element, and wherein the stiffening element forms an external aerodynamic surface of the aerodynamic seal.
2. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the stiffening element comprises a material with a glass transition temperature below +20° C.
3. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the stiffening element comprises a material with a glass transition temperature above −50° C.
4. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the sealing material has a glass transition temperature which is lower than the glass transition temperature of the material forming the stiffening element.
5. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the stiffening element will stiffen to a greater degree than the sealing material in response to a decrease in temperature from +50° C. to −50° C.
6. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the sealing material comprises an elastomeric material.
7. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the stiffening element comprises an elastomeric material.
8. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the sealing member forms a blade seal.
9. The aircraft of claim 8 wherein a relative amount of sealing material to stiffening element varies along the length of the blade seal.
10. An aircraft comprising first and second components; and a sealing member forming an aerodynamic seal between the components which is exposed to a flow of air over the aircraft during flight, the sealing member comprising:
a sealing material; and
a stiffening element which provides structural support to the sealing material and comprises a material with a glass transition temperature below +50° C.,
wherein the sealing member is secured to the first component and the sealing material is compressed against the second component to form the aerodynamic seal between the components, wherein the sealing member further includes a strip of stiffening fabric element, and wherein the stiffening element forms an external aerodynamic surface of the aerodynamic seal.
11. The aircraft of claim 10 wherein the stiffening element comprises a material with a glass transition temperature below +20° C.
12. The aircraft of claim 10 wherein the stiffening element comprises a material with a glass transition temperature above −50° C.
13. The aircraft of claim 10 wherein the sealing material has a glass transition temperature which is lower than the glass transition temperature of the material forming the stiffening element.
14. The aircraft of claim 10 wherein the stiffening element will stiffen to a greater degree than the sealing material in response to a decrease in temperature from +50° C. to −50° C.
15. The aircraft of claim 10 wherein the sealing material comprises an elastomeric material.
16. The aircraft of claim 10 wherein the stiffening element comprises an elastomeric material.
17. The aircraft of claim 10 wherein the sealing member forms a blade seal.
18. The aircraft of claim 17 wherein a relative amount of sealing material to stiffening element varies along the length of the blade seal.
19. The aircraft of claim 1 further comprising an actuator for moving the first component relative to the second component in order to adjust an aerodynamic property of the aircraft.
20. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the first component comprises a flap track fairing and the second component comprises a wing structure.
21. The aircraft of claim 10 wherein the stiffening element comprises a material which will stiffen to a greater degree than the sealing material in response to a decrease in temperature when the aircraft climbs from ground level to cruise altitude.
22. The aircraft of claim 10 further comprising an actuator for moving the first component relative to the second component in order to adjust an aerodynamic property of the aircraft.
23. The aircraft of claim 10 wherein the first component comprises a flap track fairing and the second component comprises a wing structure.