Wing-body load alleviation for aircraft

US8024079B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The Boeing Company · US

Inventors

• Kioumars Najmabadi · Bellevue, US
• William F. Shivitz · Renton, US
• Edward E. Coleman · Lake Forest Park, US
• John Ho · Fremont, US
• Richard D. Johnson · Edmonds, US
• William F. Carver · Shoreline, US
• David Grubb · Doylestown, US
• Robert James McIntosh · Bothell, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 20, 2008
• Grant date: Sep 20, 2011
• Expiry date: Jul 21, 2030

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02T50/40
• WIPO field: Transport
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program product for symmetric and anti-symmetric control of aircraft flight control surfaces to reduce wing-body loads. Commands are sent to symmetrically deploy outboard control surfaces to shift wing air-loads inboard based on airplane state and speed brake deployment. Surface rate retraction on a wing with peak loads is limited to reduce maximum loads due to wheel checkback accompanied by utilization of opposite wing control surfaces to retain roll characteristics. Airloads are shifted inboard on a swept wing to move the center of pressure forward, thereby reducing the tail load required to perform a positive gravity maneuver. In a negative gravity maneuver, speed brakes are retracted, thereby reducing the positive tail load and reducing the aft body design loads. High gain feedback commands are filtered from wing structural modes above one hertz by a set of linear and non-linear filters.