A proportional braking system is provided for use with a movable surface which is movable relative to a housing. The proportional braking system includes a variable displacement brake which is configured for displacement toward or away from braking engagement with the movable surface in proportion to an input command and a brake driver which is receptive of data reflective of movements of the movable surface relative to the housing and which issues the input command to the variable displacement brake in accordance with the data.

The present disclosure generally relates to thermoplastic truss structures and methods of forming the same. The truss structures are formed using thermoplastic materials, such as fiber reinforced thermoplastic resins, and facilitate directional load support based on the shape of the truss structure. In one example, multiple two-dimensional patterns of fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin are disposed on one another in a saw tooth pattern, sinusoidal pattern, or other repeating pattern, and adhered to one another in selective locations. The two dimensional patterns may then be expanded in a third dimension to form a three-dimensional, cross-linked truss structure. The three-dimensional, cross-linked truss structure may then be heated or otherwise treated to maintain the three-dimensional shape.

A modular vehicle system includes at least one body module having at least one body connection interface, and a kit. The kit includes a plurality of utility modules including at least one first utility module (in the form of a fixed-wing utility module) and at least one second utility module (in the form of a rotor-wing utility module). Each first utility module includes at least one utility module connection interface in the form of a first utility module connection interface for coupling with the body connection interface. Each second utility module includes at least one utility module connection interface in the form of a second utility module connection interface, distinct from the first utility module connection interface, for coupling with the body connection interface. Each body connection interface is configured for selective reversible coupling at least with respect to any one of the utility module connection interfaces while concurrently excluding coupling of another utility module connection interface thereto, to provide an air vehicle.

An aircraft system is provided that includes a propulsor rotor, a geartrain, a thermal engine, a drivetrain and an electric machine. The geartrain includes a power output, a first power input and a second power input. The power output is coupled to the propulsor rotor. The thermal engine is configured to drive rotation of the propulsor rotor through the geartrain. The thermal engine is coupled to the first power input. The drivetrain includes a first driveshaft and a second driveshaft. The first driveshaft is coupled to and between the second power input and the second driveshaft. The second driveshaft is angularly offset from the first driveshaft. The electric machine is configured to drive rotation of the propulsor rotor through the drivetrain and the geartrain. The second driveshaft is coupled to and between the first driveshaft and the electric machine.

A wing segment for an aircraft includes a first skin element with a material having anisotropic characteristics and a rib element arranged between leading and trailing edges of the wing segment. The first skin element is attached to the rib element such that deformation of the skin element results in a twist of the wing segment with respect to a main extension direction of the wing segment. The wing segment further includes a control unit to control deformation of the skin element in order to adjust the twist of the wing segment to achieve a predetermined twist of the wing segment.

An ice protection system includes an aircraft surface and a gutter defined in the aircraft surface between raised rails. The gutter includes a mouth that narrows into a trailing portion of the gutter. The mouth is configured to channel water runback rivulets into the trailing portion of the gutter. The gutter can be a first gutter of a plurality of side by side gutters, each including a respective mouth narrowing into a respective trailing portion, wherein the gutters are separated from one another by respective rails.

An ice protection system includes an aircraft surface and a gutter defined in the aircraft surface between raised rails. The gutter includes a mouth that narrows into a trailing portion of the gutter. The mouth is configured to channel water runback rivulets into the trailing portion of the gutter. The gutter can be a first gutter of a plurality of side by side gutters, each including a respective mouth narrowing into a respective trailing portion, wherein the gutters are separated from one another by respective rails.

The new wing or blade design for wingtip device, rotor, propeller, turbine, and compressor blades with energy regeneration can be used to generate lift, propel vehicles more efficiently, compress fluids more efficiently, harness energy more efficiently. This system can be used as a wing, as a wingtip device, as a propeller for aircraft or boats or any vehicle moving through a fluid, in a compressor, as a rotor for wind turbine or helicopter, in a gas turbine. The new wing or blade design for wingtip device, rotor, propeller, turbine, and compressor blades with energy regeneration is a series of low aspect ratio wings placed in parallel with gaps between them connected by smaller wings that are placed in the gaps to harness the energy and produce forces; the gaps are shaped to decelerate the fluid and/or accelerate the fluid by varying the cross-sectional area of the gaps. Even if the small aspect ratio makes those wings inefficient, the strength of the vortices is smaller in the gaps.

The new wing or blade design for wingtip device, rotor, propeller, turbine, and compressor blades with energy regeneration can be used to generate lift, propel vehicles more efficiently, compress fluids more efficiently, harness energy more efficiently. This system can be used as a wing, as a wingtip device, as a propeller for aircraft or boats or any vehicle moving through a fluid, in a compressor, as a rotor for wind turbine or helicopter, in a gas turbine. The new wing or blade design for wingtip device, rotor, propeller, turbine, and compressor blades with energy regeneration is a series of low aspect ratio wings placed in parallel with gaps between them connected by smaller wings that are placed in the gaps to harness the energy and produce forces; the gaps are shaped to decelerate the fluid and/or accelerate the fluid by varying the cross-sectional area of the gaps. Even if the small aspect ratio makes those wings inefficient, the strength of the vortices is smaller in the gaps.

A leading edge structure for providing an aerodynamic surface of an aircraft is disclosed having a skin structure, the skin structure providing an outer aerodynamic surface and an inner surface, both surfaces extending in a chordwise and spanwise direction of the structure, and a plurality of structural members, each structural member being connected to the inner surface of the skin structure and extending in the chordwise direction along the inner surface, wherein the structural members are integrally formed with the inner surface of the skin structure. The disclosure is also related to an aircraft wing, aircraft tailplane, wing box structure, wing or wing structure and an aircraft including the leading edge structure.