Method and apparatus for controlling bound vortices in the vicinity of lifting surfaces
US4697769A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 23, 1984 |
| Grant date | Oct 6, 1987 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 23, 2004 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02T50/10
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The lift generated by delta wings is due primarily to large vortices associated with the flow separation near the leading edge. The invention includes a perturbation device to control the separation shedding of those vortices and manipulate their frequency and pairing. This results in different growth rates of the vortices downstream of the device and thus the lift produced by the large bound vortices may be controlled. If the invention is applied to both leading edges, the total lift of the wing will be altered; if the perturbation is preferentially applied on only one side of the wing, the moment around the roll axis of the aircraft is controlled. A first embodiment uses a piston coupled to a cavity and slot to produce the desired perturbation. Alternative embodiments are described which achieve the results without moving parts.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.