The Boeing Company

Samuel L Block

Kevin Raylin Tsai

Bret Alan Bowers

Ramón Burin

Seiya Sakurai

Mark Steven Good

Bryan Gruner

Ian E Schroeder

John A Standley

Michael Robert Rush

Daniel Harvey Fletcher

Ryan J Cazin

Colin Lee Farr

Elizabeth Rose Benson

Orion Parker Watson

Ramón A Burin

Kyle Steven Wydock

Steven S Heer

John A Davies

An aircraft includes a wing and a leading-edge aerodynamic surface coupled to the wing. An actuator is disposed within the wing and coupled to the leading-edge aerodynamic surface via a linkage system. Two or more hinge systems are coupled to the leading-edge aerodynamic surface and configured to rotate about a fixed axis internal to the wing to move the leading-edge aerodynamic surface between a retracted position and a drooped position.

Leading-edge droop actuation system

An auxiliary flap assembly includes a track, a wingbox attachment, and a flap carriage. The wingbox attachment is attached to an aircraft wing and to the track such that the track is pivotable relative to the aircraft wing. The flap carriage is movably engaged with the track such that the flap carriage is retained by and movable along a length of the track. The flap carriage includes a top portion, a bottom portion, and an intermediate portion. The top portion includes a spherical bearing coupled to the flap. The bottom portion includes a pair of primary rollers configured to roll along the bottom surface of the track and the intermediate portion includes a pair of secondary rollers configured to roll along opposing C-shaped channels of the track.

Auxiliary flap assembly for aircraft

Wing assemblies comprise a slat, wing support structures, and a gap-adjustment assembly configured to permit selective adjustment of the slat relative to the wing support structures. The gap-adjustment assembly comprises a track member and an adjustment member. The track member is pivotally coupled relative to the wing support structures about a track-member axis, the slat is operatively translationally coupled to the track member, and the track member is configured to constrain translation of the slat between a stowed position and a deployed position. The adjustment member is pivotally coupled relative to the wing support structures about an adjustment-member axis and pivotally coupled to the track member about a linkage axis. The adjustment member is configured to permit selective adjustment of a direct distance between the adjustment-member axis and the linkage axis.

Wing assemblies and aircraft with gap-adjustment assemblies for slats

A system and a method include a crank pivotally coupled to a bracket of a main body of a wing of an aircraft. A drive link is pivotally coupled to the crank. A flap link is pivotally coupled to a carrier beam extending from a flap moveably coupled to the main body of the wing. A rocker bracket is pivotally coupled to the flap link and the drive link.

Flap support systems and methods for a wing of an aircraft

Multi-functional trailing edge apparatus and methods for aircraft are disclosed herein. An example wing of an aircraft disclosed herein includes an aft edge supporting a trailing edge device. The trailing edge device has a control surface and a side surface. A linkage is rotatably coupled to the side surface and the aft edge, and a rotary actuator is operatively coupled to the linkage to move the control surface.

Multi-functional trailing edge apparatus and methods for aircraft

A mechanism for moving an aircraft wing slat between a retracted position and a deployed position includes a rib, an arm, a first bar and a second bar. The arm is disposed generally parallel with the rib and is configured for attachment with the wing slat. The rib, the arm and the first and second bars cooperate to form a four-bar linkage which is rotatable about connection points in a negative pitch rotational direction to dispose the arm in the deployed position, and in a positive pitch rotational direction to disposing the arm in the retracted position. The mechanism includes additional structures for maintaining the arm in the deployed position, including a magnetic extend stop and a standoff, an arm lobe and a cross-bolt, and a bar lobe and a linear member.

Mechanism for moving and maintaining position of an aircraft wing slat

A linear actuator driven flap mechanism for an aircraft wing is contained within a wing support and fairing of the aircraft wing. The rib frame of the flap mechanism is attached to the wingbox structure of the aircraft wing at a first and second point. The rib frame of the flap mechanism defines a width with a first and second web. A linear actuator and a motion linkage are positioned with the width between the first and second webs of the rib frame. The linear actuator is not mechanically driven rotary actuation or mechanically driven linear actuation. As a result of the compact construction, the flap mechanism can be employed in thinner, smaller aircraft wings being designed today.

Linear actuator driven flap mechanism

A nut cap assembly for securing an internal component to an external component includes a seal cap having a base and a shroud extending from the base. The base includes a mounting flange configured to be mounted to the internal component. The base includes an opening at a mounting end of the base configured to be mounted to the internal component. The base includes a seal groove surrounding the opening configured to receive a seal. The seal groove is open at the mounting end to interface the seal with the internal component. The shroud includes a nut pocket has a cap anti-rotation feature. The nut cap assembly includes a nut received in the nut pocket. The nut includes a threaded bore configured to threadably receive a threaded fastener used to secure the internal component to the external component. The nut includes a nut anti-rotation feature interfacing with the cap anti-rotation feature.

Nut cap assembly

A jam detection system for a flap of a wing of an aircraft includes a linkage coupled to the flap and a support of the wing, and a sensor configured to detect a position of at least a portion of the linkage. The sensor is further configured to compare the position of the least a portion of the linkage to a jam threshold to determine if a jam condition exists. The linkage can also be coupled to a carriage moveably coupled to the support.

Systems and methods for detecting a jam of a flap of a wing of an aircraft

An underwing flap support mounting structure is disclosed that includes an underwing beam comprising an integral clevis at a forward end of the underwing beam and mounted to a lower skin of a wingbox, wherein the integral clevis comprises a first clevis bore and second clevis bore; and a wingbox lug fitting comprising a wingbox lug and a spherical bearing support assembly carrying a race and a spherical bearing, the wingbox lug having a wingbox lug bore and the spherical bearing having a spherical bearing bore, wherein a forward-aft oriented fuse pin is slidably received in the spherical bearing bore, the first clevis bore, and the second clevis bore to inhibit relative linear-vertical motion of the underwing beam and the integral clevis relative to a wingbox lug fitting that is mounted to the lower skin of the wingbox.

Failsafe determinate flap support underwing attachment

Example implementations relate to simple to manufacture flap assemblies with failsafe jam-resistant flap tracks. An example flap assembly may include a track having an elongate structure and a flap carriage configured to move along a length of the track. The track is configured to couple to an aircraft wing and the flap carriage includes a primary roller and a pair of secondary rollers configured to secure the flap carriage to the track. A top portion of the flap carriage is configured to couple to a flap such that movement of the flap carriage along the length of the track enables movement of the flap relative to the aircraft wing.

Flap assemblies with failsafe jam-resistant flap tracks

Aircraft main landing gear drag brace backup fitting assemblies and related methods are described herein. An example aircraft wing disclosed herein includes a rear spar having a rear side and a front side opposite the rear side, a side-of-body rib coupled to the rear spar, a rib post disposed on the front side of the rear spar, where the rib post is to couple a second rib to the rear spar, a side-of-body fitting coupled to the side-of-body rib, an intercostal member coupled between the side-of-body fitting and the rib post, and a drag brace fitting disposed on the rear side of the rear spar. The drag brace fitting is coupled to the rib post and the side-of-body fitting via a first plurality of fasteners extending through the rear spar.

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Samuel L Block