Issued patent
Green aviation - improved aerodynamic efficiency and less fuel burn
An issued NASA patent from the Technology Transfer catalog.
About this technology
Overview
NASA has created and combined two new concepts aircraft aerodynamic control surfaces and active wing-shaping control to reduce aircraft drag and lower fuel consumption. The first concept is referred to as a variable camber continuous trailing edge flap or, alternatively, a variable camber continuous leading edge slat. Aerodynamic simulations and wind tunnel experiments have shown that this type of flap can reduce aerodynamic drag substantially as compared to a conventional flap. The second element is a new active wing-shaping control concept that is proposed in connection with the presently disclosed variable camber continuous trailing edge flap (or leading edge slat). The active wing-shaping control is designed to aeroelastically change a wing shape in-flight in order to achieve a desired wing shape for optimal drag reduction.