Granted Patent B2

US 12,234,008 · App. 18/511,135 · Granted Feb 25, 2025

Inventors: Christopher Wright (Bristol, GB); James K. Chu (Macclesfield, GB); Jan Himisch (Braunschweig, DE)

Assignees: AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED; AIRBUS OPERATIONS GMBH

B64C23/065B64C3/58B64C23/069Y02T50/10Y10T29/49716

Abstract

Claims (28)

1. A wing tip device for fixing to an outboard end of a wing, the wing defining a wing plane, the wing tip device comprising:

an upper wing-like element projecting upwardly with respect to a wing plane and having a trailing edge; and

a substantially planar lower wing-like element fixed with respect to the upper wing-like element and having a root chord and a trailing edge, the lower wing-like element root chord intersecting with the upper wing-like element, and the lower wing-like element projecting downwardly from the intersection,

wherein the trailing edge of the lower wing-like element is adjacent the trailing edge of the upper wing-like element at the intersection,

wherein a length of the upper wing-like element, measured from a tip of the upper wing-like element to the intersection, is substantially 1.8 times longer than a length of the lower wing-like element, measured from a tip of the lower wing-like element to the intersection, and

wherein an included angle between the upper and lower wing-like elements is approximately 90 degrees.

2. The wing tip device of claim 1 , wherein the leading and trailing edges of the upper wing-like element have a sweepback angle,

wherein the leading and trailing edges of the lower wing-like element have a sweepback angle,

wherein the sweep back angle of the lower wing-like element leading edge is similar to the sweep back angle of the upper wing-like element leading edge.

3. The wing tip device according to claim 1 , wherein the sweep back angle of the lower wing-like element trailing edge is similar to the sweep back angle of the upper wing-like element trailing edge.

4. The wing tip device according to claim 1 , wherein the upper wing-like element is substantially planar.

5. The wing tip device according to claim 4 , wherein the upper wing-like element further includes an arcuate transition portion adapted to smoothly blend the outboard end of the wing into the substantially planar portion of the upper wing-like element.

6. The wing tip device according to claim 1 , wherein the intersection between the lower wing-like element and the upper wing-like element is at the outboard end of the wing.

7. The wing tip device according to claim 1 , wherein the wing tip device is arranged such that the lower wing-like element provides an increase in wingspan during flight.

8. The wing having an outboard end and the wing tip device of claim 1 fixed to its outboard end.

9. An aircraft having the wing according to claim 8 .

10. A method of fitting, or retro-fitting, a wing tip device to a wing, the method comprising fixing a wing tip device in accordance with claim 1 to the outboard end of a wing.

11. A method of modifying a wing tip device for the outboard end of a wing, the wing defining a wing plane, the wing tip device comprising an upper wing-like element projecting upwardly with respect to the wing plane and having a trailing edge, the method comprising:

providing a substantially planar lower wing-like element fixed with respect to the upper wing-like element and having a root chord and a trailing edge, the lower wing-like element root chord intersecting with the upper wing-like element, and the lower wing-like element projecting downwardly from the intersection; and

fixing the lower wing-like element to the upper wing-like element such that: the lower wing-like element root chord intersects with the upper wing-like element, and the lower wing-like element projects downwardly from the intersection, and such that the trailing edge of the lower wing-like element is adjacent the trailing edge of the upper wing-like element at the intersection, and such that an included angle between the upper and lower wing-like elements is approximately 90 degrees,

wherein a length of the upper wing-like element, measured from a tip of the upper wing-like element to the intersection, is substantially 1.8 times longer than a length of the lower wing-like element, measured from a tip of the lower wing-like element to the intersection.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the leading edge of the upper wing-like element has an upper leading edge sweepback angle,

wherein the leading edge of the lower wing-like element has a lower leading edge sweepback angle,

wherein the lower leading edge sweep back angle is similar to the upper leading edge sweep back angle.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the trailing edge of the upper wing-like element has an upper trailing edge sweepback angle,

wherein the trailing edge of the lower wing-like element has a lower trailing edge sweepback angle,

wherein the upper trailing edge sweep back angle is similar to the lower trailing edge sweep back angle.

14. A method of operating a wing having a wing tip device fixed to the outboard end of the wing, the wing defining a wing plane, and the wing tip device comprising: an upper wing-like element projecting upwardly with respect to the wing plane and having a trailing edge; and a lower wing-like element fixed with respect to the upper wing-like element and having a root chord and a trailing edge, the lower wing-like element root chord intersecting with the upper wing-like element, and the lower wing-like element projecting downwardly from the intersection, wherein a length of the upper wing-like element, measured from a tip of the upper wing-like element to the intersection, is substantially 1.8 times longer than a length of the lower wing-like element, measured from a tip of the lower wing-like element to the intersection and the trailing edge of the lower wing-like element is adjacent the trailing edge of the upper wing-like element at the intersection, and wherein an included angle between the upper and lower wing-like elements at the intersection is approximately 90 degrees, the method comprising: subjecting the wing to aerodynamic loads such that the wing shape undergoes aeroelastic deformation to a state in which wing bending causes rotation of the wing tip device about the wing root such that the tip of the lower wing-like element extends further outboard in the spanwise direction than the tip of the upper wing-like element.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (4)

References Cited (361)