Dual eccentric bearing for adjustment of pivoting aircraft wings

Abstract

A dual eccentric bearing system for precise adjustment of wing incidence and dihedral. The bearing system is utilized in the attachment of wings that vary the sweep by rotation about a pivot fixedly located on an aircraft fuselage through an interconnecting wing pivot pin. The top portion of the pivot pin is supported by the dual eccentric bearing system and the bottom by a non-eccentric bearing system. The eccentric bearing system has both an eccentric ball retaining ring free to rotate relative to its fuselage attachment and a ball contained within the ring which includes an eccentric pivot pin receiving aperture free to rotate within the ring containment. The bottom end of the pin is supported by a conventional non-eccentric bearing system with the ring fixedly held in position by its fuselage connection. The ball of the non-eccentric bearing has a similar pin receiving aperture with the ball free to rotate angularly relative to the ring. Locking members are provided to lock selected relative rotational positions of the ring and ball of the eccentric bearing system so as to tilt the pin relative to the centerline through the races to provide a selected incidence and dihedral to the wing attached thereto when the wing is rotated about the pin to a deployed position from a stowed position.