GB1560911A

GB1560911A - Aircraft

Info

Publication number: GB1560911A
Application number: GB822277A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: British Aircraft Corp Ltd
Current assignee: British Aircraft Corp Ltd
Priority date: 1978-02-17
Filing date: 1978-02-17
Publication date: 1980-02-13

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO AIRCRAFT (71) We, BRITISH AIRCRAFT CORPORA TION LIMITED, a British Company, of 100 Pall Mall, London, S.W. 1, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to aircraft.

According to the invention an aircraft includes a fuselage region, wing regions lying to each side of the fuselage region, and a fairing region extending between the fuselage region and an inboard leading portion of each wing region, each fairing region having a forward articulated portion tiltable upwardly in such a manner that a slot is formed aft of the articulated portion.

Preferably each articulated portion is provided with a fence member so that when it is tilted any inboard and upward air flow from below the fairing region is restricted or prevented.

In this specification, references to the attitude of parts of the aircraft assume the aircraft to be in straight and level flight.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of an aircraft in one condition, Figure 2 is a similar view with the air- craft in a further condition, Figure 3 is a part side elevation of the aircraft in the condition of Figure 2, and Figure 4 is a part front elevation of the aircraft also in the condition of Figure 2.

In the drawings. an aircraft has a fuselage 1 and wings 2. Extending forward of the wings along each side of the fuselage is a fairing member in the form of a lift increasing strake 3. Only one strake is visible in the Figures: the other is identical but of opposite hand.

Each strake 3 has a forward articulated portion 4 hinged about a spanwise axis so that it can tilt leading edge up with respect to an adjacent rearward fixed portion and simultaneously form a generally spanwise slot 6 aft of the articulated portion, that is to say between it and the adjacent rearward fixed portion. The tilted position is shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, whilst the non-tilted position is shown in Figure 1.

Beneath the level of each strake 3 and adjacent the fuselage lies an air intake 7.

Since each intake is close to the fuselage it is convenient to duct the sluggish boundary layer associated with the fuselage in known manner above and below the intake bulge in angled passages 8 and 9. These passages lie between the fuselage and each intake and they exhaust respectively above the level of the wings and below the level of the intakes. Each intake 7 has a fixed flow splitting plate 10 of known form vertically mounted edgewise with respect to the air flow and positioned inboard of the intake and outboard of the passages 8 and 9 to physically separate the boundary layer air from the intake air.

When the articulated portions 4 are in the upwardly tilted position, inboard gaps (shown generally at 11) are formed which allow air to escape from the intake capture area below the level of the strake in a generally upwards and inboard direction.

To mitigate this detrimental effect, a vertically extending fence plate 12 is provided at an inboard edge of the portion 4 to extend between the portion 4 and the flow splitting plate 10 when the former is in its tilted position so that a vertical extension is effectively provided to the flow splitting plate 10. When the portoin 4 is not tilted the fence plate 12 lies closely adjacent an inboard face of the splitting plate 10.

Below the level of each strake 3 but above each intake 7 is a further intake 13 which conveys ambient air to a heat exchanger.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:- 1. An aircraft including a fuselage region, wing regions lying to each side of the fuselage region, and fairing regions ex

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. (54) IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO AIRCRAFT (71) We, BRITISH AIRCRAFT CORPORA TION LIMITED, a British Company, of 100 Pall Mall, London, S.W. 1, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to aircraft. According to the invention an aircraft includes a fuselage region, wing regions lying to each side of the fuselage region, and a fairing region extending between the fuselage region and an inboard leading portion of each wing region, each fairing region having a forward articulated portion tiltable upwardly in such a manner that a slot is formed aft of the articulated portion. Preferably each articulated portion is provided with a fence member so that when it is tilted any inboard and upward air flow from below the fairing region is restricted or prevented. In this specification, references to the attitude of parts of the aircraft assume the aircraft to be in straight and level flight. A preferred embodiment of the invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of an aircraft in one condition, Figure 2 is a similar view with the air- craft in a further condition, Figure 3 is a part side elevation of the aircraft in the condition of Figure 2, and Figure 4 is a part front elevation of the aircraft also in the condition of Figure 2. In the drawings. an aircraft has a fuselage 1 and wings 2. Extending forward of the wings along each side of the fuselage is a fairing member in the form of a lift increasing strake 3. Only one strake is visible in the Figures: the other is identical but of opposite hand. Each strake 3 has a forward articulated portion 4 hinged about a spanwise axis so that it can tilt leading edge up with respect to an adjacent rearward fixed portion and simultaneously form a generally spanwise slot 6 aft of the articulated portion, that is to say between it and the adjacent rearward fixed portion. The tilted position is shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, whilst the non-tilted position is shown in Figure 1. Beneath the level of each strake 3 and adjacent the fuselage lies an air intake 7. Since each intake is close to the fuselage it is convenient to duct the sluggish boundary layer associated with the fuselage in known manner above and below the intake bulge in angled passages 8 and 9. These passages lie between the fuselage and each intake and they exhaust respectively above the level of the wings and below the level of the intakes. Each intake 7 has a fixed flow splitting plate 10 of known form vertically mounted edgewise with respect to the air flow and positioned inboard of the intake and outboard of the passages 8 and 9 to physically separate the boundary layer air from the intake air. When the articulated portions 4 are in the upwardly tilted position, inboard gaps (shown generally at 11) are formed which allow air to escape from the intake capture area below the level of the strake in a generally upwards and inboard direction. To mitigate this detrimental effect, a vertically extending fence plate 12 is provided at an inboard edge of the portion 4 to extend between the portion 4 and the flow splitting plate 10 when the former is in its tilted position so that a vertical extension is effectively provided to the flow splitting plate 10. When the portoin 4 is not tilted the fence plate 12 lies closely adjacent an inboard face of the splitting plate 10. Below the level of each strake 3 but above each intake 7 is a further intake 13 which conveys ambient air to a heat exchanger. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1. An aircraft including a fuselage region, wing regions lying to each side of the fuselage region, and fairing regions ex tending between the fuselage region and an inboard leading portion of each wing region, each fairing region having a forward articulated portion tiltabie upwardly in such a manner that a slot is formed aft of the articulated portion.

2. An aircraft according to claim 1 wherein each articulated portion is provided with a fence member so that when it is tilted any inboard and upward flow of air from below the fairing region is restricted or prevented.

3. An aircraft according to claim 2 in which a fixed plate member is carried inboard of and below the level of each articulated portion edgewise to the airflow, and each fence member comprises a rigid plate which lies closely adjacent a face of said fixed plate member when the articulated portions are in the non-tilted position.

4. An aircraft substantially as described with reference to the accompanying draw ings.