Spoileron
Encyclopedia
In aeronautics
spoilerons are flight control surfaces, specifically spoilers
that can be used asymmetrically to achieve the effect of aileron
s, i.e. to roll
an aircraft by reducing the lift
of one wing
but unlike ailerons not increasing the lift of the other wing. As a side effect a raised spoileron also increases the drag on one wing which causes the aircraft to yaw
which can be compensated with the rudder
. But since roll and yaw motion are both to the wing with the raised spoileron, it's usually desirable. Spoilerons can be used to assist the ailerons or replace them entirely, thus reducing the number of control surfaces.
An early use of spoilerons was in the Northrop P-61 Black Widow
night fighter.
The B-52 Stratofortress
has no ailerons as they would cause excessive twisting of the highly flexible wing. It achieves roll control entirely through spoilerons mounted near the center of the wing in about the same place as most gliders. The Mitsubishi Mu-2
has double-slotted flaps that take-up the full length of the wing, leaving no room for ailerons. Like the B-52 it has spoilerons near the center of the wing. Another aircraft with full-length double-slotted flaps was the Wren 460
. It had a series of spoilerons on each wing that twisted broadside to the wind to assist with roll control.
Boeing
's line of jet airliners have fast-acting spoilers. They double as spoilerons that assist the ailerons when the pilot commands a high roll rate. These can be readily seen in operation when the pilot is fighting gusting crosswinds when landing.
, elevon
s, flap
s, flaperon
s, and spoilerons into wings to perform the aerodynamic purpose with the advantages of less: mass, cost, drag, inertia
(for faster, stronger control response), complexity (mechanically simpler, fewer moving parts or surfaces, less maintenance), and radar cross section
for stealth
. These may be used in many unmanned aerial vehicle
s (UAVs) and 6th generation fighter aircraft
. Two promising approaches are flexible wings, and fluidics.
In flexible wings, much or all of a wing surface can change shape in flight to deflect air flow. The X-53 Active Aeroelastic Wing is a NASA
effort. The Adaptive Compliant Wing
is a military and commercial effort.
In fluidics
, forces in vehicles occur via circulation control, in which larger more complex mechanical parts are replaced by smaller simpler fluidic systems (slots which emit air flows) where larger forces in fluids are diverted by smaller jets or flows of fluid intermittently, to change the direction of vehicles. In this use, fluidics promises lower mass, costs (up to 50% less), and very low inertia
and response times, and simplicity.
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
spoilerons are flight control surfaces, specifically spoilers
Spoiler (aeronautics)
In aeronautics, a spoiler is a device intended to reduce lift in an aircraft. Spoilers are plates on the top surface of a wing which can be extended upward into the airflow and spoil it. By doing so, the spoiler creates a carefully controlled stall over the portion of the wing behind it, greatly...
that can be used asymmetrically to achieve the effect of aileron
Aileron
Ailerons are hinged flight control surfaces attached to the trailing edge of the wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. The ailerons are used to control the aircraft in roll, which results in a change in heading due to the tilting of the lift vector...
s, i.e. to roll
Flight dynamics
Flight dynamics is the science of air vehicle orientation and control in three dimensions. The three critical flight dynamics parameters are the angles of rotation in three dimensions about the vehicle's center of mass, known as pitch, roll and yaw .Aerospace engineers develop control systems for...
an aircraft by reducing the lift
Lift (force)
A fluid flowing past the surface of a body exerts a surface force on it. Lift is the component of this force that is perpendicular to the oncoming flow direction. It contrasts with the drag force, which is the component of the surface force parallel to the flow direction...
of one wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
but unlike ailerons not increasing the lift of the other wing. As a side effect a raised spoileron also increases the drag on one wing which causes the aircraft to yaw
Flight dynamics
Flight dynamics is the science of air vehicle orientation and control in three dimensions. The three critical flight dynamics parameters are the angles of rotation in three dimensions about the vehicle's center of mass, known as pitch, roll and yaw .Aerospace engineers develop control systems for...
which can be compensated with the rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
. But since roll and yaw motion are both to the wing with the raised spoileron, it's usually desirable. Spoilerons can be used to assist the ailerons or replace them entirely, thus reducing the number of control surfaces.
An early use of spoilerons was in the Northrop P-61 Black Widow
P-61 Black Widow
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II...
night fighter.
The B-52 Stratofortress
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
has no ailerons as they would cause excessive twisting of the highly flexible wing. It achieves roll control entirely through spoilerons mounted near the center of the wing in about the same place as most gliders. The Mitsubishi Mu-2
Mitsubishi MU-2
The Mitsubishi MU-2 is one of postwar Japan's most successful aircraft. It is a high-wing, twin-engine turboprop, and has a pressurized cabin.-Design and development:...
has double-slotted flaps that take-up the full length of the wing, leaving no room for ailerons. Like the B-52 it has spoilerons near the center of the wing. Another aircraft with full-length double-slotted flaps was the Wren 460
Peterson 260SE
The Peterson 260SE is a STOL conversion of a Cessna 182 airframe made by Todd Peterson. The conversion consists of the addition of a high-lift canard and a 260 hp engine.-Design and development:...
. It had a series of spoilerons on each wing that twisted broadside to the wind to assist with roll control.
Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
's line of jet airliners have fast-acting spoilers. They double as spoilerons that assist the ailerons when the pilot commands a high roll rate. These can be readily seen in operation when the pilot is fighting gusting crosswinds when landing.
Research
Several technology research and development efforts exist to integrate the functions of aircraft flight control systems such as ailerons, elevatorsElevator (aircraft)
Elevators are flight control surfaces, usually at the rear of an aircraft, which control the aircraft's orientation by changing the pitch of the aircraft, and so also the angle of attack of the wing. In simplified terms, they make the aircraft nose-up or nose-down...
, elevon
Elevon
Elevons are aircraft control surfaces that combine the functions of the elevator and the aileron , hence the name. They are frequently used on tailless aircraft such as flying wings. An elevon that is not part of the main wing, but instead is a separate tail surface, is a stabilator...
s, flap
Flap (aircraft)
Flaps are normally hinged surfaces mounted on the trailing edges of the wings of a fixed-wing aircraft to reduce the speed an aircraft can be safely flown at and to increase the angle of descent for landing without increasing air speed. They shorten takeoff and landing distances as well as...
s, flaperon
Flaperon
A flaperon is a type of aircraft control surface that combines aspects of both flaps and ailerons. In addition to controlling the roll or bank of an aircraft as do conventional ailerons, both flaperons can be lowered together to function similarly to a dedicated set of flaps...
s, and spoilerons into wings to perform the aerodynamic purpose with the advantages of less: mass, cost, drag, inertia
Inertia
Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest, or the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion. It is proportional to an object's mass. The principle of inertia is one of the fundamental principles of classical physics which are used to...
(for faster, stronger control response), complexity (mechanically simpler, fewer moving parts or surfaces, less maintenance), and radar cross section
Radar cross section
Radar cross section is a measure of how detectable an object is with a radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected.An object reflects a limited amount of radar energy...
for stealth
Stealth technology
Stealth technology also termed LO technology is a sub-discipline of military tactics and passive electronic countermeasures, which cover a range of techniques used with personnel, aircraft, ships, submarines, and missiles, to make them less visible to radar, infrared, sonar and other detection...
. These may be used in many unmanned aerial vehicle
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
s (UAVs) and 6th generation fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
. Two promising approaches are flexible wings, and fluidics.
In flexible wings, much or all of a wing surface can change shape in flight to deflect air flow. The X-53 Active Aeroelastic Wing is a NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
effort. The Adaptive Compliant Wing
Adaptive Compliant Wing
The Adaptive Compliant Wing is a wing design developed by FlexSys, Inc., which is flexible so that aspects of its shape can be changed in flight....
is a military and commercial effort.
In fluidics
Fluidics
Fluidics or Fluidic logic is the use of a fluid to perform analog or digital operations similar to those performed with electronics.The physical basis of fluidics is pneumatics and hydraulics, based on the theoretical foundation of fluid dynamics...
, forces in vehicles occur via circulation control, in which larger more complex mechanical parts are replaced by smaller simpler fluidic systems (slots which emit air flows) where larger forces in fluids are diverted by smaller jets or flows of fluid intermittently, to change the direction of vehicles. In this use, fluidics promises lower mass, costs (up to 50% less), and very low inertia
Inertia
Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest, or the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion. It is proportional to an object's mass. The principle of inertia is one of the fundamental principles of classical physics which are used to...
and response times, and simplicity.