The Boeing Company

Ross Westermeier

Jan A Kordel

Bryan Gruner

Kyle J Johnson

Donald Drew Reinhart

Kevin Raylin Tsai

Gregory M Santini

Peter Schupp

Linkage assemblies for moving tabs on control surfaces of aircraft are disclosed herein. An example aircraft includes a wing including a fixed wing portion and a trailing edge control surface. The trailing edge control surface includes a fore panel rotatably coupled to the fixed wing portion and an aft panel rotatably coupled to the fore panel. The wing also includes a linkage assembly including a rocking lever rotatably coupled to a bottom side of the fore panel, a trailing edge link having a first end rotatably coupled to the fixed wing portion and a second end rotatably coupled to the rocking lever, and an aft panel link having a first end rotatably coupled to the rocking lever and a second end rotatably coupled to a bottom side of the aft panel.

Linkage assemblies for moving tabs on control surfaces of aircraft

Structural composite airfoils include a primary structural element and a secondary structural element defining the trailing edge of the structural composite airfoil. The primary structural element includes an upper skin panel, a lower skin panel, and a middle C-channel spar that is coupled to the upper skin panel and the lower skin panel. The upper skin panel extends from an upper leading edge end to an upper trailing edge end, and the lower skin panel extends from a lower leading edge end to a lower trailing edge end. The lower leading edge end of the lower skin panel is coupled to the upper leading edge end of the upper skin panel within the leading edge region of the primary structural element.

Structural composite airfoils with a single spar, and related methods

Structural composite airfoils include a primary structural element, a secondary structural element defining the trailing edge of the structural composite airfoil, and a discrete leading edge structure defining the leading edge of the structural composite airfoil. The primary structural element includes an upper skin panel, a lower skin panel, and a middle C-channel spar that is coupled to the upper skin panel and the lower skin panel. The discrete leading edge structure is coupled to the upper leading edge end of the upper skin panel and to the lower leading edge end of the lower skin panel. The upper skin panel may include a first panel bend adjacent the discrete leading edge structure, and the lower skin panel may include a second panel bend adjacent the discrete leading edge structure.

Structural composite airfoils include a front C-channel spar having an upper flange coupled to an upper skin panel, and a lower flange coupled to a lower skin panel. The lower skin panel includes a joggle adjacent a lower leading edge end, with the joggle being positioned forward of the front C-channel spar. An upper skin surface of the lower leading edge end faces an internal volume defined between the upper skin panel and the lower skin panel. A lower skin surface of the lower leading edge end faces an internal surface of the upper leading edge end of the upper skin panel, and the lower leading edge end of the lower skin panel is coupled to the upper leading edge end of the upper skin panel forward of the front C-channel spar. The leading edge has a bullnose shape defined by the upper skin panel.

Structural composite airfoils with an improved leading edge, and related methods

Structural composite airfoils include a primary structural element and a secondary structural element defining a trailing edge of the structural composite airfoil. The primary structural element includes an upper skin panel, a lower skin panel, and a middle C-channel spar that is coupled to the upper skin panel and the lower skin panel. An upper flange of the middle C-channel spar is coupled to the upper skin panel, while a lower flange of the middle C-channel spar is coupled to the upper skin panel and the lower skin panel. An internal volume is defined by the upper skin panel and the lower skin panel aft of the middle C-channel spar, and is defined by the upper skin panel forward of the middle C-channel spar. The leading edge region of the primary structural element defines the leading edge of the structural composite airfoil.

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Ross Westermeier