Vertical take-off and/or landing aircraft and method for controlling a flow of a fluid along a fluidic line of a vertical take-off and/or landing aircraft

1. A vertical take-off and/or landing aircraft ( 1 ) comprising:

a fuselage ( 2 ) having a longitudinal axis (D);

a pair of semi-wings ( 3 ) protruding from said fuselage ( 2 ) in a transversal direction with respect to said longitudinal axis (D);

a pair of predetermined breaking areas ( 11 ) of said semi-wings ( 3 ) defining respective preferred rupture sections ( 12 ) at which the respective semi-wings ( 3 ) are designed to break, in use, in a controlled way moving, in use, along a preferred collapse trajectory in the event of impact; and

at least one fluidic line ( 13 ) configured to convey at least one service fluid from and/or towards at least one said semi-wing ( 3 ) and crossing at least one of said preferred rupture sections ( 12 );

a self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) movable between a first configuration in which it enables the flow of said service fluid from and/or towards said at least one semi-wing ( 3 ), and a second configuration in which it prevents said flow and the spilling of said service fluid from said fluidic line ( 13 );

said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) being movable from said first configuration to said second configuration through the movement of said semi-wing ( 3 ) along said preferred collapse trajectory; and

a driving device ( 20 ), configured to transmit said movement of said at least one semi-wing ( 3 ) along said preferred collapse trajectory to said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ), so as to control the movement of said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) from said first configuration to said second configuration.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein said driving device ( 20 ) comprises:

a control appendix ( 21 ) fixed to said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) and movable to cause the movement of said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) from said first configuration to said second configuration; and

a connection element ( 22 ) operationally interposed between said at least one semi-wing ( 3 ) and said control appendix ( 21 ) and configured to transform said movement of said at least one semi-wing ( 3 ) along said preferred collapse trajectory into the movement of said control appendix ( 21 ).

3. The aircraft according to claim 2 , wherein said movement of said at least one semi-wing ( 3 ) comprises a substantially rotational motion of said at least one semi-wing ( 3 ) about an axis lying on said preferred rupture section ( 12 );

said connection element ( 22 ) being configured to transform said substantially rotational motion of said semi-wing ( 3 ) into a substantially translational motion of said control appendix ( 21 ) to move said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) from said first configuration to said second configuration.

4. The aircraft according to claim 2 , wherein said connection element ( 22 ) is fixed to said at least one semi-wing ( 3 ) at its first end portion ( 22 a ), and is hinged to said control appendix ( 21 ) at its second end portion ( 22 b ).

5. The aircraft according to claim 2 , wherein said connection element ( 22 ) is a rigid element or a flexible element.

6. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein said fluidic line ( 13 ) comprises a first segment ( 14 a ) extending at said semi-wing ( 3 ) and a second segment ( 14 b ) extending at said fuselage ( 2 );

said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) comprising a valve device ( 16 ) movable between:

an open position, in which it allows said flow of said service fluid between said first segment ( 14 a ) and said second segment ( 14 b ); and

a closed position, in which it prevents said flow of said service fluid between said first segment ( 14 a ) and said second segment ( 14 b );

said valve device ( 16 ) being arranged in said open position when said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) is in said first configuration, and being arranged in said closed position when said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) is in said second configuration.

7. The aircraft according to claim 6 , wherein said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) further comprises a coupling device ( 17 ) configured to fluidly connect said first segment ( 14 a ) to said second segment ( 14 b ) and comprising a first coupling element ( 18 ) carried by said first segment ( 14 a ) and a second coupling element ( 19 ) carried by said second segment ( 14 b );

said coupling device ( 17 ) being movable between:

an operating position, in which said first coupling element ( 18 ) is coupled with said second coupling element ( 19 ); and

a rest position, in which said first coupling element ( 18 ) is decoupled from said second coupling element ( 19 );

said coupling device ( 17 ) being arranged in said operating position when said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) is in said first configuration, and being arranged in said rest position when said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) is in said second configuration.

8. The aircraft according to claim 2 , wherein said control appendix ( 21 ) is fixed to one of said first coupling element ( 18 ) and second coupling element ( 19 ) and can be actuated by said connection element ( 22 ) to determine the removal of said one of said first coupling element ( 18 ) and second coupling element ( 19 ) from the other of said first coupling element ( 18 ) and second coupling element ( 19 ) and thus moving said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) from said first configuration to said second configuration.

9. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein each preferred rupture section ( 12 ) is arranged in an intersection area between the related semi-wing ( 3 ) and said fuselage ( 2 );

said semi-wing ( 3 ) being configured to separate from said fuselage ( 2 ) along said preferred rupture section ( 12 ) moving along said preferred collapse trajectory.

10. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein said aircraft ( 1 ) is a convertiplane or a helicoplane.

11. A method for controlling a flow of a service fluid inside a fluidic line ( 13 ) of a vertical take-off and/or landing aircraft ( 1 );

said aircraft ( 1 ) comprising:

a fuselage ( 2 ) having a longitudinal axis (D);

a pair of semi-wings ( 3 ) protruding from said fuselage ( 2 ) in a transversal direction with respect to said longitudinal axis (D);

a pair of a predetermined breaking areas ( 11 ) of said semi-wings ( 3 ) defining respective preferred rupture sections ( 12 ) at which the respective semi-wings ( 3 ) are designed to break, in use, in a controlled way moving along a preferred collapse trajectory in the event of impact; and

at least one fluidic line ( 13 ) configured to convey at least one service fluid from and/or towards at least one said semi-wing ( 3 ) and crossing at least one of said preferred rupture sections ( 12 );

wherein the method comprises the steps of:

moving a self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) between a first configuration, in which it enables the flow of said service fluid from and/or towards said at least one semi-wing ( 3 ), and a second configuration, in which it prevents said flow and the spilling of said service fluid from said fluidic line ( 13 ), through said movement of said at least one semi-wing ( 3 ) along said preferred collapse trajectory; and

transmitting said movement of said at least one semi-wing ( 3 ) along said preferred collapse trajectory to said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) through a driving device ( 20 ).

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said driving device ( 20 ) comprises:

a control appendix ( 21 ) fixed to said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ); and

a connection element ( 22 ) operationally interposed between said at least one semi-wing ( 3 ) and said control appendix ( 21 );

wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

translating said control appendix ( 21 ) to cause the movement of said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) from said first configuration to said second configuration; and

transforming said movement of said semi-wing ( 3 ) along said preferred collapse trajectory into the translation of said control appendix ( 21 ) via said connection element ( 22 ), and/or

wherein the step of moving said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) comprises the step of:

arranging a valve device ( 16 ) from an open position, in which it allows said flow of said service fluid from and/or towards said semi-wing ( 3 ), to a closed position, in which it prevents said flow and said spilling from said fluidic line ( 13 ), through the translation of said control appendix ( 21 ).

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) comprises a first coupling element ( 18 ) and a second coupling element ( 19 ), coupled to each other when said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) is arranged in said first configuration and decoupled when said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) is arranged is said second configuration;

wherein the step of moving said self-sealing coupling ( 15 ) comprises the step of:

decoupling said first coupling element ( 18 ) and said second coupling element ( 19 ) through the translation of said control appendix ( 21 ).