Aircraft nacelles having adjustable chines are described. An example apparatus includes a chine coupled to a nacelle. The chine is oriented along a fore-aft direction. The chine is translatable relative to the nacelle along the fore-aft direction.

Aircraft nacelles having adjustable chines are described. An example apparatus includes a chine coupled to a nacelle. The chine is oriented along a fore-aft direction. The chine is translatable relative to the nacelle along the fore-aft direction.

An airfoil structure for an aircraft includes a spanwise-extending load-carrying member, a leading-edge structure, a trailing-edge structure, an upper cover, and a lower cover. The load-carrying member is configured to react more than half of all flight loads experienced by the airfoil structure during flight and is configured to have selected stiffness properties selected such that the airfoil structure bends and twists in a predefined manner in response to applied flight loads. The leading-edge structure is configured to form a leading-edge part of an aerodynamic surface of the airfoil structure. The trailing-edge structure is configured to form a trailing edge part of the aerodynamic surface. The upper cover is configured to form an upper part of the aerodynamic surface. The lower cover is configured to form a lower part of the aerodynamic surface.

A vortex generator, includes a vane, mountable on an aerodynamic surface of an aircraft, and an actuator that rotates the vane between a stowed position and a deployed position. The actuator includes a linear actuator, composed at least in part of a shape memory alloy (SMA), that when thermally activated facilitates rotation of the vane between the stowed position to the deployed position. Thermal activation of the SMA is caused via one or more of joule heating, conduction, and induction in response to one or more of an electronic command signal and a wireless command signal. The electronic command signal and the wireless command signal may be transmitted in response to ambient conditions, aircraft flight conditions, and aircraft mission.

A vortex generator, includes a vane, mountable on an aerodynamic surface of an aircraft, and an actuator that rotates the vane between a stowed position and a deployed position. The actuator includes a linear actuator, composed at least in part of a shape memory alloy (SMA), that when thermally activated facilitates rotation of the vane between the stowed position to the deployed position. Thermal activation of the SMA is caused via one or more of joule heating, conduction, and induction in response to one or more of an electronic command signal and a wireless command signal. The electronic command signal and the wireless command signal may be transmitted in response to ambient conditions, aircraft flight conditions, and aircraft mission.

Morphable active corrugate structure and aeronautical wings are provided herein including one or more skins or envelopes, and a sheet having independently actuable hinge domains attached to the one or more skins or envelopes and independently actuable facet domains, each of the hinge domains and facet domains configured with through-thickness differential expansion coefficients, wherein differential strains in at least one of the hinge domains or the facet domains cause the sheet to expand or contract along a flexible axis of the sheet, wherein the sheet is attached to the upper and lower skins at respective upper and lower of the hinge domains.

A linear step discontinuity on the lower surface of the lifting surface is disclosed extending from the front of the lifting surface, possibly the leading edge, and may extend in the direction of the line of flight towards the trailing edge. The linear step discontinuity represents a step up if moving from the outboard end to the inboard end, such that in use fluid moving over the lifting surface tumbles over the linear step discontinuity to create a vortex in the fluid passing over the upper surface. The lifting surface may be an aircraft wing or in particular a winglet on an aircraft wing. The linear step discontinuity may be provided by the straight edge of a semi-circular object integrated into or adhered to the surface of the lifting surface.

A linear step discontinuity on the lower surface of the lifting surface is disclosed extending from the front of the lifting surface, possibly the leading edge, and may extend in the direction of the line of flight towards the trailing edge. The linear step discontinuity represents a step up if moving from the outboard end to the inboard end, such that in use fluid moving over the lifting surface tumbles over the linear step discontinuity to create a vortex in the fluid passing over the upper surface. The lifting surface may be an aircraft wing or in particular a winglet on an aircraft wing. The linear step discontinuity may be provided by the straight edge of a semi-circular object integrated into or adhered to the surface of the lifting surface.

Disclosed is an aircraft and a method of controlling an aircraft. The aircraft comprises a continuous wing assembly extending from port to starboard sides of the aircraft. The aircraft is controlled partially by flexing portions of the wing, and partially or totally by mechanical systems that alter the position of a fuselage with respect to the wing. The fuselage is attached to the wing by a wing/fuselage joint structure that permits at least two mutually orthogonal axes of rotation of the fuselage relative to the wing. The aircraft includes a sensors, a telemetry system linked to a remote server, and a control system for programming flight information and aircraft control instructions and a plurality of actuators responsive to the control system for rotating the fuselage relative to the wing and flexing the wing for controlling the flight of the aircraft in response to instructions from the control system.

A turbomachine includes a rotor and a stator, the stator having a plurality of profiled structures, each profiled structure being elongated in a direction of elongation in which the profiled structure has a length exposed to an airflow, and having a leading edge and/or a trailing edge, at least one of which is profiled and has, in said direction of elongation, serrations defined by a succession of peaks and troughs and having a geometric pattern transformed, over at least a part of said length exposed to the airflow, by successive scaling, via multiplicative factors, in the direction of elongation and/or transverse to the direction of elongation. The geometric pattern, as defined with reference to a radial distribution of the integral scale of the turbulence, evolves in a non-periodic manner.