Airbus Operations Gmbh

Henry Edwards

Keith Macgregor

Helen Driffill

Christopher Lynas

Dylan Benedict James

Angus Morgan

Christopher Slack

Michael Poad

Justine McCarthy

Richard Burness

Martin Lee

Francesco Gambioli

Nicholas Morton

Christopher John Slack

A wing-box structure for an aircraft is disclosed having an upper cover, a lower cover, longitudinal forward and rearward spars, and a plurality of transverse ribs. One of the transverse ribs is retained by a pair of opposed captive features disposed on an interior side of either the forward and rearward spars or the upper and lower covers. The rib is bonded rib to the forward and rearward spars and/or the upper and lower covers at a location where the rib is retained.

Wing-box structure

An aircraft engine incudes: a catalyst, e.g. platinum, applied to turbine blades () and/or to a catalytic grid downstream of the engine's combustion chamber. An exhaust fluid additive injection system is incorporated upstream of the catalyst via a line, in a stator blade within the engine. The catalyst is used to reduce NOx emissions from the engine by a Selective Catalytic Reduction reaction.

Aircraft engine for nitrogen oxide reduction

An aircraft is disclosed having a device and an aircraft wing. The aircraft wing includes a main wing element and a movable wing tip device attached to a tip end of the main wing element. The movable wing tip device includes an accumulator configured to store energy and the movable wing tip device can move relative to the main wing element to vary a span of the aircraft wing. The accumulator is configured to transmit power to the device. The accumulator enables energy to trickle between the main wing element and the movable wing tip device whilst still providing a suitable power source to the device. Additional embodiments include a method of maintenance, and a method of operating the aircraft wing to store energy in the movable wing tip device.

Aircraft with movable wing tip device

An aircraft wing is disclosed including a main wing element and a movable wing tip device attached to a tip end of the main wing element. The movable wing tip device can move relative to the main wing element to vary a span of the aircraft wing. An inductive coupler is arranged to inductively transmit data and/or power between the main wing element and the movable wing tip device. The inductive coupler removes the need for wires and cables to pass across a joint between the main wing element and a movable wing tip device. Additional embodiments include a method of maintenance, and a method of operating the aircraft wing to transmit data and/or power between the main wing element and the movable wing tip device.

Aircraft wing with movable wing tip device

An aircraft includes an active drag control system such as a Laminar Flow Control (LFC) system having a port LFC apparatus and a starboard LFC apparatus. The aircraft has a control system to test how efficiently the LFC system is working by differentially operating the port LFC apparatus and the starboard LFC apparatus, for example by deactivating either LFC apparatus, and measuring the effect on the direction of flight of the aircraft. The control system also can change the direction of the aircraft, and trim the aircraft, by differentially operating the port LFC apparatus and the starboard LFC apparatus.

Active drag control system for an aircraft

A wing assembly for an aircraft is disclosed having a wing and a wing tip device at the tip of the wing, wherein the wing tip device is moveable between a flight configuration and a ground configuration. The wing has a spar extension which extends spanwise away from a distal end of the wing, the spar extension having a first end portion fixed in the wing and a second end portion which, in the flight configuration, is disposed in the wing tip device such that, in the flight configuration, the spar extension transmits flight loads between the wing tip device and flight-load bearing structure in the wing. The wing assembly may have an actuation assembly to move the wing tip device.

Moveable wing tip arrangements and methods

A method of providing ice protection on a surface of an aircraft using exhaust air from a laminar flow control compressor. An aircraft structure, for example a wing, includes a skin. The skin has an external surface, on an outer face of the skin. The skin has an internal surface, located opposite the external surface on an inner face of the skin. The aircraft structure includes a laminar flow control system including a compressor. The aircraft structure is so arranged that the exhaust air from the compressor is directed onto the internal surface of the skin of the aircraft structure, for example thus providing hot exhaust air which function as an ice protection system (whether by de-icing or anti-icing).

Apparatus and method for heating an aircraft structure

A wing assembly mount for mounting a wing to a fuselage of an aircraft. The wing assembly mount includes a spigot arrangement between a wing assembly and a fuselage assembly. The spigot arrangement is able to react a load between the wing assembly and the fuselage assembly.

Wing assembly mount

An aircraft is disclosed having a structure at least part of which is capable of generating aerodynamic lift. A body having a mass is movably mounted to a portion of the structure by an active support. The active support includes an actuator to move the body relative to the portion of the structure, and a controller for controlling movement of the actuator in response to a dynamic input. The active support provides a range of movement for the body in at least one degree of freedom. The actuator moves the body across the entire range of movement in that one degree of freedom in a time period of less than 3 seconds. The actuator moves the body sufficiently rapidly to generate an inertial force that is equal to or greater than any aerodynamic force generated by the body during that movement of the body. The active support may be used to reduce loads on the aircraft structure.

Aircraft with active support

An aircraft landing gear arrangement with an airbag attached inside a landing gear bay is disclosed. The airbag has a deflated configuration and a first inflated configuration, wherein, when the landing gear is in the extended position and when the airbag is in the first inflated configuration, the airbag closes off the landing gear bay. The airbag may substantially close off the landing gear bay. The airbag may comprise an external surface, wherein the external surface of the airbag closes off at least a significant proportion of the landing gear bay and lies substantially flush with an external surface of the aircraft body. An aircraft, methods of operating a landing gear arrangement, and methods of operating an aircraft are disclosed.

Aircraft landing gear arrangement

An aircraft structure, for example a wing, including a skin. The skin has an external surface, on an outer face of the skin. The skin has an internal surface, located opposite the external surface on an inner face of the skin. The aircraft structure includes a laminar flow control system including a compressor. The aircraft structure is so arranged that the exhaust air from the compressor is directed onto the internal surface of the skin of the aircraft structure, for example thus providing hot exhaust air which function as an ice protection system (whether by de-icing or anti-icing). A method of providing ice protection on a surface of an aircraft using exhaust air from a laminar flow control compressor is also described.

An aircraft wing assembly including a wing having a main bodyand a movable portion, so that the wing may be folded when taxiing. A lighting system is provided with a light source; a light emitterarranged on one of the main body and the movable portion, and a light guidearranged to transmit light from the light source along a path between the main body and the movable portion to the light emitter. The provision of a light guide between the light source and the emitter allows for light to be transmitted to the emitter across the jointbetween the wing main body and the movable portion. Thus, lighting on the wing may be provided without the need to provide electrical wiring across the joint. A single light sourcemay be employed to illuminate multiple light emitterson the wing.

Aircraft wing lighting

An aircraft fuel tank system including a fuel tank compartment for containing liquid fuel and having a float-activated valve arranged to become positively buoyant when immersed in liquid fuel so that the float moves up to a raised position which causes the valve to close and prevent liquid fuel from flowing out of the fuel tank compartment through the valve. The float is also arranged to move down to a lowered position in response to a level of the liquid fuel in the fuel tank compartment dropping, the movement of the float to the lowered position causing the valve to open and permit liquid fuel to flow out of the fuel tank compartment through the valve. A pressure-activated valve may be used as an alternative to the float-activated valve.

Growing community of inventors

Bristol, United Kingdom

Henry Edwards