I lllll llllllll Ill lllll lllll lllll lllll lllll 111111111111111111111111111111111 US007104498B2 c12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,104,498 B2 Englar et al. (45) Date of Patent: Sep.12,2006 (54) CHANNEL-WING SYSTEM FOR THRUST 2,665,083 A * 1/1954 Custer ....................... 244/12.6 DEFLECTION AND FORCE/MOMENT 2,687,262 A 8/ 19 54 Custer GENERATION 2,691,494 A * 10/1954 Custer ....................... 244/12.6 2,885,160 A * 5/1959 Griswold, II ............... 244/207 (75) Inventors: Robert J. Englar, Marietta, GA (US); 2,937,823 A * 5/1960 Fletcher ..................... 244/12.6 Dennis M. Bushnell, Hayes, VA (US) (Continued) (73) Assignee: Georgia Tech Research Corp., Atlanta, GA (US) Primary Examiner-Peter M. Poon Assistant Examiner-Jia Qi (Josh) Zhou ( *) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this (7 4) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Thomas, Kay den, patent is extended or adjusted under 35 Horstemeyer & Risley, LLP U.S.C. 154(b) by 111 days. (57) ABSTRACT (21) Appl. No.: 10/867,114 An aircraft comprising a Channel Wing having blown chan­ (22) Filed: Jun. 14, 2004 nel circulation control wings (CCW) for various functions. The blown channel CCW includes a channel that has a (65) Prior Publication Data rounded or near-round trailing edge. The channel further has US 2005/0029396 Al Feb. 10, 2005 a trailing-edge slot that is adjacent to the rounded trailing edge of the channel. The trailing-edge slot has an inlet Related U.S. Application Data connected to a source of pressurized air and is capable of (60) Provisional application No. 60/478,186, filed on Jun. tangentially discharging pressurized air over the rounded 13, 2003. trailing edge. The aircraft further has a propeller that is located in the channel and ahead of the rounded trailing edge (51) Int. Cl. of the channel. The propeller provides a propeller thrust B64C 15100 (2006.01) exhaust stream across the channel wing to propel the aircraft (52) U.S. Cl. ...................................... 244/12.6; 244/207 through the air and to provide high lift. The pressurized air being discharged over the rounded trailing edge provides a (58) Field of Classification Search ............... 244/12.6, high lift that is obtained independent of an aircraft angle of 244/207 attack, thus preventing the asymmetry, separated flow, and See application file for complete search history. stall experienced by the CC wing at the high angle of attack (56) References Cited it required for high lift generation. The aircraft can further include blown outboard circulation control wings (CCW) U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS that are synergistically connected to the blown channel 2,424,556 A 7/1947 Custer CCWs. The blown outboard CCWs provide additional high 2,476,482 A 7/1949 Custer lift, control thrust/drag interchange, and can provide all three 2,510,959 A * 6/1950 Custer ....................... 244/12.6 aerodynamic moments when differential blowing is applied 2,514,478 A * 7/1950 Custer ....................... 244/12.6 front-to-rear or left-to-right. Both the blown channel CCW 2,532,481 A 12/1950 Custer and the outboard CCW also have leading-edge blowing slots 2,532,482 A * 12/1950 Custer ....................... 244/12.6 to prevent flow separation or to provide aerodynamic 2,589,994 A 3/1952 Custer moments for control. 2,611,555 A * 9/1952 Custer ....................... 244/12.6 2,611,556 A 9/1952 Custer 18 Claims, 3 Drawing Sheets 11 12 US 7,104,498 B2 Page 2 U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 4,398,687 A 8/1983 Nichols, Jr. et al. ........ 244/207 4,415,131 A 11/1983 Bertelsen et al .............. 244/13 2,957,647 A * 10/1960 Shew ........................ 244/12.6 4,463,920 A 8/1984 Nichols, Jr. et al. ........ 244/207 3,081,965 A * 3/1963 Shew ........................ 244/12.6 5,082,204 A 1/1992 Croston ...................... 244/126 3,123,321 A 3/ 1964 Custer 5,597,137 A 1/1997 Skoglun .................... 244/12.4 3,204,596 A 9/1965 Fallon 6,155,893 A 12/2000 Belmont ...................... 440/66 3,504,873 A 411970 Spence 6,474,604 Bl 11/2002 Carlow ....................... 244/199 3,704,842 A * 12/1972 Custer ....................... 244/12.6 6,592,072 Bl 7/2003 Gregg, III et al. ............ 244/35 3,705,700 A * 12/1972 Custer ......................... 244/13 6,708,924 Bl 3/2004 Page et al. .................... 244/36 3,830,450 A 8/1974 Williams et al. .............. 244142 2003/0062443 Al 4/2003 Wagner et al .............. 244/12.3 4,307,856 A 12/1981 Walker ...................... 244/12.2 2003/0085319 Al 5/2003 Wagner et al .............. 244/12.3 4,387,869 A 611983 Englar ........................ 244/207 4,391,424 A * 7I1983 Bartoe, Jr. ................. 244/207 * cited by examiner U.S. Patent Sep.12,2006 Sheet 1 of 3 US 7,104,498 B2 11 13 17 Fig. 1 12 9 5 ~ 34 10_) ~~;~3-0~~~~--- 14 21 32 ---r- \ 23 Fig. 2 19 U.S. Patent Sep. 12,2006 Sheet 2 of 3 US 7,104,498 B2 g j 34 30 10 ~~··---- 21 32 Fig. 3 12 13 / 29 25 CHORD LENGTH Fig. 4 43 U.S. Patent Sep. 12,2006 Sheet 3 of 3 US 7,104,498 B2 12 13 ~ 38 Chordline 25 43 Fig. 5 12 /1 12 7 36 36 ; J J \ \ 13 ~35 13 10 35 Fig. 6 US 7,104,498 B2 1 2 CHANNEL-WING SYSTEM FOR THRUST velocity over the channel's upper surface and augment the DEFLECTION AND FORCE/MOMENT circulation and lift there in much the same manner as a GENERATION moveable mechanical flap. Lift is also augmented by the deflected thrust slipstream behind the channel. However, the CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED 5 thrust deflection on this ChW aircraft itself was very limited APPLICATION until the channel was tilted to very high angle of attack, and this severely limited a pilot's visibility. This also caused This application claims priority to copending U.S. provi­ severe flow separations and asymmetries, and flight control sional application entitled, "Blown Channel-Wing System became very difficult if at all possible at these conditions. For Thrust Deflection And Aerodynamic Force/Moment 10 The Ch W aircraft has a number of drawbacks associated Generation," having Ser. No. 60/478,186, filed on Jun. 13, with low-speed handling, cruise drag, stability & control, 2003, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference. high-incidence operation, and one-engine-out scenarios, including, but not limited to: ORIGIN OF INVENTION higher drag from the channel surface area, 15 asymmetric thrust yields asymmetric moments and insta­ The invention described herein was made in the perfor­ bility, mance of work under a NASA contract and by an employee of the United States Govermnent and is subject to the channel leading-edge and trailing-edge separation occur­ provisions of Public Law 96-517 (35 U.S.C. 202) and may ring at high angle of attack, be manufactured and used by or for the Government for 20 poor low-speed control from conventional aerodynamic govermnental purposes without the payment of any royalties surfaces operating at low dynamic pressures, thereon or therefore. In accordance with 35 U.S.C. 202, the nose-down pitch from aft propeller loading on the wing, contractor elected to retain title. non-uniform flow around the propeller at high angle of attack, STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY 25 poor lift/drag ratio in cruise and climbing flight, SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT high-angle-of-attack operation could cause poor visibility and control, and The U.S. govermnent has a paid-up license in this inven­ one-engine-out control problems. tion and the right in limited circumstances to require the patent owner to license others on reasonable terms as 30 Another way to achieve Super STOL or VSTOL is to provided for by the terms of Grant No. NAG-1-02075 implement an outboard Circulation Control Wing/Upper awarded by the Langley Research Center of the National Surface Blowing (CCW/USB) system that has high jet­ Aeronautics and Space Administration of the U.S. induced thrust deflection. Typically, this CCW/USB system includes an engine and exhaust nozzle over the wing which TECHNICAL FIELD 35 squashes a circular jet thrust into a flattened exhaust stream. The CCW/USB system further includes a flat wing that has The present invention is generally related to aerodynamic a trailing-edge slot and a rounded trailing edge. The trailing­ force and moment generation systems, and, more particu­ edge slot is placed adjacent and along the rounded trailing larly, is related to wings of a powered-lift aircraft with each edge. The trailing-edge slot discharges pressurized air over wing including a channel, a rounded trailing edge, a pro­ 40 the rounded trailing edge. The pressurized air that is dis­ peller installed in the channel to provide thrust and powered charged over the rounded trailing edge remains attached to lift to the aircraft, and a slot or slots adjacent the rounded the rounded trailing edge by balancing reduced static pres­ trailing edge of the wings that discharge pressurized air over sure with centrifugal force of a curving jet. The pressurized the rounded trailing edge. air produces negative pressure (suction) along the rounded 45 trailing edge. When the flattened thrust stream passes over BACKGROUND the upper surface of the rounded trailing edge, it is entrained into the pressurized air and is deflected, which provides a The ability to achieve Super-Short Takeoff and Landing thrust deflection (and even a thrust reversal) and the asso­ (Super STOL) or Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing (VS­ ciated high lift.