초록 ▼

Concepts and technologies described herein provide for a low noise aircraft wing slat system. According to one aspect of the disclosure provided herein, a cove-filled wing slat is used in conjunction with a moveable panel rotatably attached to the wing slat to provide a high lift system. The moveabl

Concepts and technologies described herein provide for a low noise aircraft wing slat system. According to one aspect of the disclosure provided herein, a cove-filled wing slat is used in conjunction with a moveable panel rotatably attached to the wing slat to provide a high lift system. The moveable panel rotates upward against the rear surface of the slat during deployment of the slat, and rotates downward to bridge a gap width between the stowed slat and the lower wing surface, completing the continuous outer mold line shape of the wing, when the cove-filled slat is retracted to the stowed position.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A low noise leading edge wing slat, comprising: a front surface;a rigid rear surface converging with the front surface at an upper vertex and at a lower vertex such that the upper vertex abuts an upper surface of an aircraft wing and the lower vertex is proximate to a lower surface of the aircraf

1. A low noise leading edge wing slat, comprising: a front surface;a rigid rear surface converging with the front surface at an upper vertex and at a lower vertex such that the upper vertex abuts an upper surface of an aircraft wing and the lower vertex is proximate to a lower surface of the aircraft wing when the low noise leading edge wing slat is configured in a stowed position against the aircraft wing such that the rigid rear surface between the upper vertex and the lower vertex is hidden from an ambient airflow over the aircraft wing in the stowed position, wherein at least a first portion of the rigid rear surface between the upper vertex and the lower vertex is substantially concave and a cove-filled second portion of the rigid rear surface is substantially convex and lower than the first portion; anda moveable panel, rotatably connected proximate to the lower vertex, configured to rotate downward from the rear surface when the low noise leading edge wing slat is refracted to the stowed position such that the moveable panel bridges a gap width between the lower vertex and the lower surface of the aircraft wing and a distal edge of the moveable panel abuts the lower surface of the aircraft wing, and the moveable panel is also configured to rotate upward toward the cove-filled second portion of the rear surface when the low noise leading edge wing slat is extended away from the aircraft wing. 2. The low noise leading edge wing slat of claim 1, wherein an ambient airflow turning angle corresponding to the lower vertex is less than approximately 90 degrees. 3. The low noise leading edge wing slat of claim 1, wherein the lower vertex is positioned a gap width apart from the lower surface of the aircraft wing when the low noise leading edge wing slat is configured in the stowed position. 4. The low noise leading edge wing slat of claim 1, further comprising an actuator attached to the moveable panel and configured to rotate the moveable panel around the lower vertex. 5. The low noise leading edge wing slat of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the rigid rear surface between the lower vertex and a midpoint of the rigid rear surface is convex. 6. A high lift system, comprising: an aircraft wing having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a fixed leading edge; anda rigid cove-filled slat having a rear surface, wherein a first portion of the rear surface between an upper vertex and a lower vertex is substantially concave and a second portion of the rear surface is cove-filled, lower than the first portion, and substantially convex, the slat being configured to retract to a position adjacent to the fixed leading edge of the aircraft wing when configured in a stowed position and to extend away from the fixed leading edge of the aircraft wing when configured in a deployed position, anda rotatable panel adapted to rotate down when the rigid cove-filled slat is configured in the stowed position such that the upper surface of the aircraft wing, a front surface of the rigid cove-filled slat, the rotatable panel, and the lower surface of the aircraft wing defines a continuous outer mold line shape. 7. The high lift system of claim 6, wherein the rigid cove-filled slat comprises: the front surface; anda rigid rear surface converging with the front surface at an upper vertex and at a lower vertex such that the upper vertex abuts the upper surface of the aircraft wing and the lower vertex is proximate to the lower surface of the aircraft wing when the rigid cove-filled slat is configured in the stowed position such that the rigid rear surface between the upper vertex and the lower vertex is hidden from an ambient airflow over the aircraft wing in the stowed position, wherein at least a portion of the rigid rear surface between the upper vertex and the lower vertex is not concave. 8. The high lift system of claim 7, wherein an ambient airflow turning angle corresponding to the lower vertex is less than approximately 90 degrees. 9. The high lift system of claim 7, wherein the lower vertex is positioned a gap width apart from the lower surface of the aircraft wing when the rigid cove-filled slat is configured in the stowed position, and wherein the rotatable panel is sized to bridge the gap width when rotated down with the rigid cove-filled slat configured in the stowed position. 10. The high lift system of claim 7, wherein the rotatable panel is hinged to the rigid cove-filled slat proximate to the lower vertex and is configured to rotate downward from the rigid rear surface when the rigid cove-filled slat is retracted to the stowed position such that the rotatable panel bridges a gap width between the lower vertex and the lower surface of the aircraft wing and a distal edge of the rotatable panel abuts the lower surface of the aircraft wing, and wherein the rotatable panel is configured to rotate upward toward the rigid rear surface when the rigid cove-filled slat is extended away from the aircraft wing. 11. The high lift system of claim 10, further comprising an actuator attached to the rotatable panel and configured to rotate the rotatable panel around the hinge proximate to the lower vertex. 12. The high lift system of claim 11, further comprising a controller operative to coordinate deployment and retraction of the rigid cove-filled slat and the rotatable panel such that deployment of the rigid cove-filled slat initiates retraction of the rotatable panel upward toward the rigid rear surface, and such that retraction of the rigid cove-filled slat initiates deployment of the rotatable panel downward away from the rigid rear surface to bridge the gap width and complete the continuous outer mold line shape. 13. A method for reducing aircraft noise associated with a high lift system, comprising: deploying a rigid cove-filled slat from a position proximate to a fixed leading edge of an aircraft wing to a high lift position, the rigid cove-filled slat having an upper vertex and a lower vertex, having a substantially concave area on a rear surface of the slat, and having a cove-filled substantially convex area below the concave area; andupon deployment of the rigid cove-filled slat to the high lift position, retracting a rotatable panel connected to the rigid cove-filled slat from a deployed position bridging a gap width between the lower vertex and a lower surface of the aircraft wing to a stowed position against the cove-filled convex area on the rear surface of the rigid cove-filled slat. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein retracting the rigid cove-filled slat from the high lift position to the stowed position comprises retracting the rigid cove-filled slat to a position in which a distal end of the rotatable panel abuts a lower surface of the aircraft wing such that an upper surface of the aircraft wing, a front surface of the rigid cove-filled slat, the rotatable panel, and the lower surface of the aircraft wing forms a continuous outer mold line shape. 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving a request to deploy the rigid cove-filled slat;in response to receiving the request to deploy the rigid cove-filled slat, activating a rotary actuator and pinion gear within the aircraft wing to extend a slat track attached to the rigid cove-filled slat and configured to extend and guide the rigid cove-filled slat to the high lift position; andfurther in response to receiving the request to deploy the rigid cove-filled slat, activating an actuator within the rigid cove-filled slat to retract the rotatable panel connected to the rigid cove-filled slat from the deployed position to the stowed position against the rear surface of the rigid cove-filled slat. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: receiving a request to retract the rigid cove-filled slat;in response to receiving the request to retract the rigid cove-filled slat, activating the rotary actuator and pinion gear within the aircraft wing to retract the slat track attached to the rigid cove-filled slat; andfurther in response to receiving the request to retract the rigid cove-filled slat, activating the actuator within the rigid cove-filled slat to deploy the rotatable panel connected to the rigid cove-filled slat from the stowed position against the rear surface of the rigid cove-filled slat to the deployed position in which the rotatable panel extends outward from the rear surface. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein activating the rotary actuator within the rigid cove-filled slat comprises activating the actuator until the rotatable panel aligns with and abuts a lower surface of the aircraft wing such that an upper surface of the aircraft wing, a front surface of the rigid cove-filled slat, the rotatable panel, and the lower surface of the aircraft wing forms a continuous outer mold line shape.