Aircraft High Lift Devices

AE 321(04): Fundamental of
Aerodynamics

What are High Lift Devices?

Inaircraftdesign,high-lift devicesare

moving surfaces or stationary components

intended to increaseliftduring certain
flight conditions.

High Lift Devices

Flaps
Slats and Slots
Blown Flaps

Flaps

Flapsare hinged surfaces mounted on the trailing edges of

thewingsof afixed-wing aircraftto reduce the speed at which

an aircraft can be safely flown and to increase the angle of
descent for landing. They shorten takeoff and landing
distances. Flaps do this by lowering thestall speedand
increasing thedrag.
Extending flaps increases thecamberor curvature of the wing,

raising the maximumlift coefficient- or the lift a wing can

generate. This allows the aircraft to generate as much lift but
at a lower speed, reducing thestalling speedof the aircraft, or
the minimum speed at which the aircraft will maintain flight.
Extending flaps increasesdragwhich can be beneficial during
approach and landing because it slows the aircraft.

Types of Flaps

Plain flap:the rear portion of airfoil rotates

downwards on a simple hinge mounted at the

front of the flap.

Split flap:the rear portion of the lower surface of the airfoil

Types of Flaps

hinges downwards from the leading edge of the flap, while

the upper surface stays immobile.Like the plain flap, this
can cause large changes in longitudinal trim, pitching the
nose either down or up, and tends to produce more drag
than lift. At full deflection, a split flaps acts much like a
spoiler, producing lots of drag and little or no lift.

Types of Flaps

Slotted flap:a gap between the flap and the wing

forces high pressure air from below the wing over

the flap helping the airflow remain attached to the
flap, increasing lift compared to a split flap.


Types
of Flaps
Fowler
flap:split flap that slides backwards flat, before

hinging downwards, thereby increasing first chord, then

camber. The flap may form part of the upper surface of
the wing, like a plain flap, or it may not, like a split flap but
it must slide rearward before lowering.

Types of Flaps

A fully extended double

slotted fowler flaps before
landing

A slotted fowler flaps of a

Boeing 747-400

and Slots
Slats
Another
common high-lift device is the slat, a small

aerofoil shaped device attached just in front of the

wing leading edge. The slat re-directs the airflow at
the front of the wing, allowing it to flow more
smoothly over the upper surface while at a
highangle of attack. This allows the wing to be
operated effectively at the higher angles required to
produce more lift.

Slats and Slots

Slats and Slots

A slot is the gap between the slat and the wing.

The slat may be fixed in position, or it may be

retractable. If it is fixed, then it may appear as a
normal part of the leading edge of a wing which
has slot. The slat or slot may be either full span, or
may occur on only part of the wing (usually
outboard),
depending
on
how
the
lift
characteristics need to be modified for good low
speed control. Often it is desirable for part of the
wing where there are no controls to stall first,
allowing aileron control well into the stall.

A319 slats during landing

Types of Slats
Automatic - the slat lies flush with the wing leading

edge until reduced aerodynamic forces allow it to

extend by way of springs when needed.
Fixed - the slat is permanently extended. This is

sometimes used on specialist low-speed aircraft

(these are referred to asslots) or when simplicity
takes precedence over speed.
Powered - the slat extension can be controlled by

the pilot. This is commonly used on airliners.

Blown flaps

Powered high-lift systems generally use airflow from

the engine to shape the flow of air over the wing,

replacing or modifying the action of the flaps.
Blown flapsuse "bleed air" from thejet engine's

compressor or engine exhaust which is blown over

the rear upper surface of the wing and flap, reenergising theboundary layerand allowing the
airflow to remain attached at higher angles of
attack.

Blown Flaps

Blown Flaps

C-17 Globemaster III

The C-17 has a system

that uses the airflow
from the engines
directly, by placing a flap
in the path of the

End......