Airplane flap control

[sstahovich]

I am working on a project regarding general aviation aircraft. I need to deploy a device, very similar to flaps, on the airplane. For safety reasons the Flaps must be able to return to their original position if any system failure were to occur. In other words the actuators holding power must be low enough for wind resistance to close the flaps as a fail safe if the system were to malfunction or occur an electrical power loss. Right now the best thing I can come up with is a common ball screw linear actuator. Is their any better commercial available options, possibly something with a magnetic clutch?? I will need one for each side of the plane and weight is a significant factor.

 

[berkshire]

sstahovich (Mechanical)
Flap controls driven by independent mechanisms on small aircraft make me nervous, how do you reconcile one side failing and the other side not?
There have been instances of un-commanded roll rates on small aircraft, when a push rod has failed on a manual centrally driven system, yet alone a system with separate servos.
B.E.

You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.

 

[sstahovich]

The application is not exactly a flap, its just operated similarly. Only one side opens at a time.

 

[berkshire]

This sounds like a roll control spoiler, Have you looked at prior art?
B.E.

You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.

 

[rb1957]

i think it's an appliance, not a control surface ...

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