AN AIRCRAFT COMPRISING A FOLDABLE AERODYNAMIC STRUCTURE AND A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A FOLDABLE AERODYNAMIC STRUCTURE FOR AN AIRCRAFT

摘要

A method of manufacturing a foldable aerodynamic structure, such as a wing, for an aircraft. The wing (1) including an inner region (1) and an outer region (3) rotatable relative to the inner region between a flight configuration and a ground configuration. The method includes designing the foldable aerodynamic structure by determining the location and orientation of an Euler axis of rotation (11) about which the outer region rotates to achieve the ground configuration and determining a cut plane (13), perpendicular to that Euler axis, separating the inner and outer regions; and iteratively repeating this process until a preferred cut plane (13) is obtained that satisfies at least one design criteria.

主权项

1. A method of manufacturing an aircraft wing, the wing comprising a fixed wing and a wing tip device at the tip of the fixed wing, wherein the wing tip device is pivotable relative to the fixed wing between:
a flight configuration for use during flight, and a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations, in which ground configuration the wing tip device is rotated relative to the fixed wing such that the span of the wing is reduced, the method comprising the steps of, designing the wing by: a) determining an orientation of an Euler axis of rotation for rotating the wing tip device from the flight configuration to the ground configuration and then determining the-a location of a cut plane separating the fixed wing and the wing tip device, the cut plane being orientated normal to the Euler axis; or b) determining a location and an orientation of a cut plane separating the fixed wing and the wing tip device, and then determining a location of an Euler axis of rotation for rotating the wing tip device from the flight configuration to the ground configuration, the Euler axis being orientated normal to the cut plane, and iteratively repeating step (a) or step (b) until a preferred cut plane is obtained that achieves one or more design criteria; and manufacturing a wing wherein the wing tip device and the fixed wing are separated along the preferred cut plane.