An aircraft 1 comprising a wing 5 having a fixed wing 7 with a wing tip device 9 moveably mounted about a hinge 11 (e.g. a double hinge allowing upward and downward rotation). The aircraft comprises a restraining assembly 17 operable between a restraining mode holding the wing tip device in a flight configuration using a restraining force (e.g. by a brake 19) and a releasing mode wherein the restraining force is released, such that the wing tip device is moved relative to the fixed wing into a load alleviating configuration and the wing load is reduced. The load may be due to a gust or a dive. Preferably a biasing member (e.g. a rotation spring 23) exerts a force to urge the wing tip device towards the load alleviating configuration. A control system may switch operation of the restraining assembly in response to an aircraft angle of attack. The wing tip device may also be operable to a ground configuration wherein the span of the aircraft wing is reduced. The hinge may be orientated perpendicular to swept mean chord axis (13, figure 1b) and hence non-parallel to flight direction.
An aircraft wing with a movable wing tip device for load alleviation
2017-07-19
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
IPC: | B64C AEROPLANES , Flugzeuge |
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