The Boeing Company

Jeffrey D Crouch

Lian L Ng

Mary I Sutanto

David W Foutch

Matthew Christopher Smith

Gregory D Miller

Philippe R Spalart

An aircraft wing is disclosed herein having a fixed-location trip device placed along the span of the wing to transition airflow from laminar flow to turbulent flow so that potential load increases are limited and flight performance uncertainties associated with laminar flow wings are reduced. Wings designed for extended laminar flow offer the potential to significantly reduce airplane drag and fuel consumption. A collateral impact of a laminar flow wing is the generation of elevated wing loads at critical load conditions. This impact is mitigated by controlling the downstream limit of transition at these critical load conditions.

Trip device for enhancing performance and handling qualities of an aircraft

Apparatus and methods described herein provide for boundary layer flow sensor and corresponding determination of the flow characteristics of an ambient airflow over an aerodynamic surface. According to one aspect of the disclosure provided herein, the boundary layer flow sensor includes a body configured for mounting within or below the aerodynamic surface, a pressure port configurable between an open state for taking pressure measurements within the boundary layer of the ambient airflow and a closed state that protects the pressure port from contaminants when not in use.

Boundary layer flow sensor

Laminar flow surfaces with selected roughness distributions, and associated methods are disclosed. A representative method for designing an airfoil includes selecting a parameter that includes a flow behavior distribution and/or a surface shape for an airflow surface. Based at least in part on the selected parameter, the method can include (a) selecting a target roughness value and determining a chordwise location forward of which surface roughness is at or below the target roughness value and/or (b) selecting a target chordwise location and determining a roughness value for a region forward of the chordwise location, with the surface roughness at or below the roughness value. In particular embodiments, a percentage of a local chord length of the airfoil over which the roughness is below a target value decreases in a spanwise direction. In another embodiment, the roughness at a particular spanwise location can increase over at least three values, continuously, in a step manner, or otherwise.

Laminar flow surfaces with selected roughness distributions, and associated methods

Methods and systems for removing material from aircraft flight surfaces are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an aircraft nacelle includes an inlet housing having a lip, a wiper positioned at the lip and movable relative to the lip, and a drive assembly positioned at least partially within the inlet housing and operably coupled to the wiper. The drive assembly is configured to move the wiper relative to the inlet housing to remove insect buildup and/or other material from at least a portion of the lip. The inlet housing can further include an interior surface and an exterior surface radially outward of the interior surface. The wiper can include a first end portion proximate to the interior surface and a second end portion proximate to the exterior surface.

Methods and systems for removing material from aircraft flight surfaces

An active control method and apparatus for encouraging the early destruction of trailing vortices formed by a lifting body having at least two control surfaces on each side and creating multiple vortex pairs is provided. The method includes actuating the control surfaces in a manner leading to the direct excitation of one or more of the Transient Growth Mechanism, the Short Wavelength Instability, the Long Wavelength Instability, and the Crow Instability to result in the accelerated breakup of the trailing vortices. A method of selecting control parameters in an active control system includes identifying the near-field vorticity distribution of the aircraft, selecting at least one amplification mechanism for distorting the trailing vortices, determining amplitudes and wavelengths for imposed vortex perturbations, simulating trailing vortex evolutions, determining effectiveness of perturbations and amplification mechanisms, determining vortex positions as a function of control surface deflections, and determining control parameters to govern the movement of the wing control surfaces.

Active system for early destruction of trailing vortices

A method and apparatus using localized heating to encourage laminar flow along an airfoil exterior surface. The airfoil includes a leading edge (24), a controlled surface (18), and an uncontrolled surface (20). The present invention localized heating system (38) includes a heat source (40) located within the airfoil and connected to the leading edge (24), and a heat sink (42) positioned aft of the heat source (40) and arranged to transfer heat from the airfoil controlled surface (18) to the uncontrolled surface (20). The heat sink (42) preferably expels heat along uncontrolled surface adjacent to turbulent air flow. In one preferred embodiment as applied to a generally circular aircraft engine nacelle (12), the heat source (40) is an electro-thermal heat source (44) having a high resistance wire embedded in a composite material leading edge structure (50), and the heat sink (42) is a heat pipe (52) having a wicking material (58) and a vaporizing agent (60). A method of encouraging laminar flow about a controlled surface of an airfoil is further provided. The method includes heating (61) the outer surface near the leading edge region, drawing (62) heat from a controlled surface downstream of the heated surface, and expelling (63) heat along the an uncontrolled surface.

Growing community of inventors

Issaquah, WA, United States of America

Jeffrey D Crouch