Airplane with unswept slotted cruise wing airfoil
USRE44313E1 · kind E1 · reissue
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 22, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jun 25, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 22, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC —)General
Abstract
Slotted cruise airfoil technology allows production of a substantially unswept wing that achieves the same cruise speed as today's conventional jet airplanes with higher sweep. This technology allows the wing boundary layer to negotiate a strong recovery gradient closer to the wing trailing edge. The result is about a cruise speed of Mach=0.78, but with a straight wing. It also means that for the same lift, the super velocities over the top of the wing can be lower. With very low sweep and this type of cruise pressure distribution, natural laminar flow will be obtained. In addition, heat is transferred from the leading edge of the wing and of the main flap to increase the extent of the natural laminar flow. The slotted cruise wing airfoil allows modularization of the wing and the body for a family of airplanes. The unsweeping of the wing significantly changes the manufacturing processes, reduces manufacturing costs and flow time from detail part fabrication to airplane delivery. The system architecture is all new for cost reduction. A high wing arrangement allows more freedom for installation of higher bypass ratio advanced geared fan engines. A low is wing in conjunction with aft …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.