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The 13th Asia Conference on Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (ACMAE 2022) IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2472 (2023) 012016 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2472/1/012016

Design of flap/spoiler follower mechanism for civil aircraft

Yunwen Feng1, Jiaqiang Tang1, Zhiyu He1, Xiaofeng Xue1* and Meng Dong2
1
School of Aeronautics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, 710072, China
2
Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd, Shanghai, 201210,
*
Corresponding author’s E-mail: xuexiaofeng@nwpu.edu.cn

Abstract. With the gradual development of the lift device to a simple and efficient direction,
the drooped spoiler has become an emerging lift device. The drooped spoiler can improve the
aerodynamic performance of the wing by reducing the air flow separation and increase the lift
coefficient, which requires the spoiler to deflect a certain angle following the downward
deflection of the flap. Aiming at this requirement, this paper proposes a design method of
spoiler follower mechanism based on the relative pole method. The applicability and
correctness of the method are verified by kinematics simulation. Moreover, the kinematic
characteristics of the simple four-bar linkage and the complex four-bar linkage are compared,
and the results show that the complex four-bar linkage is more stable in the motion process.

1. Introduction
In recent years, with the gradual development of the lift device towards simplicity and high efficiency,
the drooped spoiler has become a new improved design technology for the traditional lifting device. In
particular, the linkage drooped spoiler can simplify the movement mechanism of the trailing edge flap
without losing the potential of aerodynamic performance [1-3], and the transformation is simple, and can
be directly applied to active aircraft. The principle is to set a set of motion mechanism that can follow
the downward deflection of the flap to deflect. Since it is not necessary to provide a separate driving
element, this form simplifies the movement mechanism of the trailing edge lifter, making the structure
simpler and more efficient.
At present, a large number of scholars at home and abroad have carried out research on the design
of kinematic mechanisms, and most of them use geometric and analytical methods. Mallik [4] and
others proposed a method to theoretically deduce the points that RSSR four-bar linkage cannot pass
through, give the limit position, and compare with RSSP and RCCC mechanism. Zhang [5] and others
used analytical and graphical methods to design the four-bar linkage mechanism of hydraulic support.
At the same time, the interference and simulation analysis of the hydraulic support is carried out, and
the motion trajectory of the four-bar linkage mechanism under the actual engineering conditions is
given. The simulation results show that the design of the four-bar linkage mechanism is reasonable
and can meet the actual work requirements. Wang [6] and others used ADAMS software to model the
four-bar linkage mechanism in view of the complex design process and large calculation error of the
traditional four-bar linkage mechanism. In the design and analysis, the experimental data obtained
from the simulation and the theoretical calculation results are compared, and the data results are
basically consistent, which verifies the correctness of the four-bar linkage design and kinematic
analysis method.
The above research shows that the multi-link mechanism has been widely used in the design of the
kinematic mechanism[7], and most scholars use the pure drawing method and the analytical method.
However, although the analytical method can approximate the given motion law within a certain range

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The 13th Asia Conference on Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (ACMAE 2022) IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2472 (2023) 012016 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2472/1/012016

and has high precision, the calculation is more complicated and the solution is a numerical solution. In
addition, these methods are aimed at a link mechanism with a drive, and the linkage lower spoiler
motion mechanism is a set of follow-up mechanism, so the design process using the above method is
relatively cumbersome. Aiming at this problem, this paper proposes a comprehensive design method
based on the relative pole method, which can realize the design of the linkage mechanism of the
drooped spoiler. The linkage mechanism designed by this method can realize the downward deflection
of the spoiler when the flap is deflected downward, thereby reducing the gap between the spoiler and
the leading edge of the flap and the separation of air flow, so as to achieve the purpose of improving
the lift coefficient. Finally, two sets of design schemes are presented in this paper and the applicability
and effectiveness of the design method proposed in this paper are verified by kinematics simulation.

2. Design ideas
For the inner flap mechanism, there is no spanwise displacement of the wing during downward
deflection, only the downward deflection movement along the wing direction, which is a fixed-axis
rotation around the rotation axis of the flap. Therefore, to realize the joint downward deflection of the
inner spoiler and the inner flap, a set of link linkage mechanism can be designed. Using the link
linkage mechanism, while the inner flap is deflected downward, the inner spoiler is also deflected
downward at a certain angle, so as to ensure that there is no excessive gap between the spoiler and the
flap. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that the spoiler movement process is not stuck.
In order to realize the design of the inner spoiler, this paper proposes a set of linkage mechanism
design method based on the relative pole method, as shown in Figure 1. First of all, the design goal
needs to be determined before the design starts, which is generally the corresponding relationship of
the linkage angle, and the determined rod length or angle information. Then, using the known
information, the wire frame model of the linkage mechanism is determined based on the relative pole
method to ensure that the designed mechanism can meet the given design goals. On the basis of the
wire frame model, through the analysis of degrees of freedom and singularities, the kinematic pair
arrangement of the linkage mechanism and the shape design of the mechanism are determined. Finally,
kinematics simulation is used to verify whether the above structure meets the proposed design
requirements. If it is satisfied, the design scheme of the inner spoiler mechanism will be output, and
the next engineering verification can be carried out; If not, redesign the wireframe model until the
design goals are met.
Design goals
Inner spoiler mechanism
design input Input requirements

Build the wire frame model

Relative polar method
of inner spoiler mechanism

Arrangement of the kinematic

pair and drive mechanism of
inner spoiler mechanism
Wire frame model of
redesign mechanism
Simulation and verification of
design scheme of inner spoiler Linkage angle
mechanism

No Does
it meet the
needs？

Yes
Design scheme of inner
spoiler mechanism

Figure 1. Design idea process.

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The 13th Asia Conference on Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (ACMAE 2022) IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2472 (2023) 012016 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2472/1/012016

3. Designing process

3.1. Mechanism synthesis based on relative pole method

There are three types of problems in the synthesis of planar four-bar mechanism: rigid body guidance,
function generation and trajectory generation. However, the mechanism design of the corresponding
positional relationship of many pairs can be realized by using the geometric drawing method. Using
the relative pole method to design the four-bar linkage mechanism can satisfy the three corresponding
position relationships of the input and output components. As shown in Figure 2, the size of the
mechanism is determined by finding the rotational poles between the relative positions ( R12 , R13 in
the figure). This method can obtain multiple solutions.
However, the mechanism synthesis in this paper is not simply the relationship between the rotation
angle of the input component and the position of the output component. The design goal of the spoiler
follower mechanism is: when the flap is deflected, the spoiler rotates with a certain angle. Relative to
the relationship between angle and position, the relationship between angle and angle is more
complicated, and the specific corresponding relationship is shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Design objectives of the deflection angle of the linkage mechanism.

Flap position Angle of flap deflection /° Angle of spoiler deflection /°

Cruise 0 0
Take-off 19 2
Landing 36 10

R12

R13

Figure 2. Relative pole method.

3.2. Scheme 2: Simple four-bar linkage

Based on this, the drawing process of designing a four-bar mechanism using the relative pole method
is as follows, which makes the input and output components satisfy three corresponding positional
relationships, as shown in Figure 3:
(1) Make the frame AD, according to the known length of the linkage frame, AD=690mm;
(2) The angles between the L1 and L2 lines on the fixed hinge A and the frame AD are α=1°and
β=5°respectively;
(3) The angles between the L3 and L4 lines at the over-end hinge point D and AD are γ=9.5°and
δ=18°respectively;
(4) The intersection of the L1 and L2 lines is recorded as the relative pole R12 of the motion
mechanism, and the intersection of the L3 and L4 lines is recorded as the relative pole R13 of the motion
mechanism;
(5) Make R12-Z1 and R12-Z2 lines at any appropriate position through R12, so that ∠Z1-R12-Z2=∠A-
R12-D;
(6) Make R13-Z3 and R13-Z4 lines at any appropriate position through R13, so that ∠Z3-R13-Z4=∠
A-R13-D;
(7) The intersection of the R12-Z2 line and the R13-Z3 line is the point B, and the intersection of the
R12-Z1 line and the R13-Z4 line is the point C. The four-link ABCD is the required four-link mechanism,

3
The 13th Asia Conference on Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (ACMAE 2022) IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2472 (2023) 012016 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2472/1/012016

point A is the input shaft, AB, BC, CD are the follower rods, and the rod lengths are respectively
AB=454.965mm, BC= 219.712 mm, CD= 53.218 mm.
Z3
Z2
L3 B
R13
L2
C

Z1
L1 A α=1°
Z4 R12 γ=9.5° δ=18°
β=5°
L4 D
Figure 3. Schematic diagram of the solution of simple four-bar linkage.
According to the above analysis, the wire frame model of the inner spoiler/flap linkage mechanism
is determined as shown in Figure 4. Point A is the rotation axis of the inner spoiler, point D is the
rotation axis of the inner flap, segment AD is the length of the frame fixed on the wing, segment AB is
fixed on the inner spoiler, and segment CD is fixed on the inner flap, the BC segment is the active link.
Through the clockwise driving of point D at the inner flap, the CD segment will be driven to deflect,
and then BC and AB will be driven, and finally the inner spoiler will also be deflected downward at a
certain angle at the same time. Finally, the geometric configuration after geometric design and
kinematic pair selection is shown in Figure 5.
Spoiler
Flap

Rack structure
Rack structure

Figure 4. wire frame model.

Spoiler
Flap

Spoiler rotation axis Spoiler lug

Link
Hinge point

Flap rotation axis

Figure 5. Geometric model.

Finally, the kinematic simulation of the inboard spoiler/flap mechanism is carried out by
establishing a three-dimensional numerical model of the inboard spoiler/flap mechanism. The rotation
axis of the inner flap is set as the drive input axis, and the movement is smooth and free from jamming
during the simulation process. The simulation results of the mechanism for cruise, take-off and landing
are shown in Figure 6, and the corresponding angle relationship during the output movement is shown
in Table 2.

4
The 13th Asia Conference on Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (ACMAE 2022) IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2472 (2023) 012016 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2472/1/012016

(a) cruise (b) take-off

(c) landing
Figure 6. Simulation results.
Table 2 Inboard spoiler/flap linkage angle output.

Flap position Angle of flap deflection /° Angle of spoiler deflection /° Goal satisfaction
Cruise 0 0 Yse
— 7.37 0.5 —
— 12.19 1 —
Take-off 19.00 2 Yes
— 27.62 4 —
— 34.31 7 —
Landing 36.00 10 Yes

3.3. Scheme 2: Complex four-bar linkage

The complex four-bar linkage mechanism is a configuration that is often used in design. The
structure of the relatively simple four-bar linkage mechanism is relatively complex, but the motion
performance is better. The scheme realizes the linkage movement of the inner flap/inner spoiler by
setting two sets of four-bar linkage. According to the force transmission characteristics of the spoiler,
the four-bar linkage mechanism on one side of the spoiler is first determined. Then, through the corner
characteristics of the four-bar linkage mechanism, the four-bar linkage mechanism on the flap side is
designed to meet the purpose of the linkage deflection angle.
As shown in Figure 7, the length of the frame AG is 690mm, and the relative pole method is used
to determine the moving wire frame model. The process is consistent with the simple four-bar linkage
mechanism. The specific process is shown in Figure 7. Finally determine the length of each rod:
AB=430mm, BC=160mm, CD=45mm, DE=80mm, EF=275.86mm, FG=85.2mm.
A
B
Z2
Z3

E
Z4

D C F
Z1
β=34.36°

α=6.19°
R12 L3
G
L2
R13 δ=18° L1
γ=9.5°
L4

Figure 7. Schematic diagram of the solution of complex four-bar linkage.

According to the above analysis, the geometric configuration of the inner spoiler/flap linkage
mechanism is determined as shown in Figure 8. The rotation axis of the flap is G, which is also the
driving axis of the entire mechanism. The shaft drives the intermediate driven rotating shaft D to rotate
through the connecting rod, which is fixed on the frame and rotates with the mechanism. Finally, the
downward deflection movement is realized around the rotation axis A with the spoiler.

5
The 13th Asia Conference on Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (ACMAE 2022) IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2472 (2023) 012016 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2472/1/012016

Spoiler

Flap

Spoiler rotation axis Link

Hinge point

Flap rotation axis

Figure 8. Geometric model.

Finally, the kinematic simulation of the inboard spoiler/flap mechanism is carried out by
establishing a three-dimensional numerical model of the inboard spoiler/flap mechanism. The rotation
axis of the inner flap is set as the drive input axis, and the movement is smooth and free from jamming
during the simulation process. The simulation results of the mechanism for cruise, take-off and landing
are shown in Figure 9, and the corresponding angle relationship during the output movement is shown
in Table 3.

(a) cruise (b) take-off

(c) landing
Figure 9. Simulation results.
Table 3 Inboard spoiler/flap linkage angle output.

Flap position Angle of flap deflection /° Angle of spoiler deflection /° Goal satisfaction
Cruise 0 0 Yse
— 6 0.06 —
— 12 0.57 —
Take-off 19 2 Yes
— 25 3.77 —
— 31 6.16 —
Landing 36 10 Yes

3.4. Scheme comparison

According to the kinematic simulation results of the two sets of spoiler/flap linkages mentioned above,
as shown in Figure 10. It can be seen that both scheme 1 and scheme 2 can achieve the angle
requirement of 3 card positions. However, the mechanism of scheme 1 has a large angle change near
the landing position; In the second scheme, the entire angle of the mechanism changes more uniformly,
and the movement process is more stable. Therefore, without considering the economy, the complex
four-bar linkage can better realize the follow-up deflection of the spoiler/flap.

6
The 13th Asia Conference on Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (ACMAE 2022) IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2472 (2023) 012016 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2472/1/012016

4. Conclusions
(1) This paper proposes a design method of the inboard spoiler/flap follower deflection
mechanism based on the relative pole method. The mechanism designed based on this method
can meet the angle requirements under three clamping positions, thereby reducing the gap
between the spoiler and the leading edge of the flap and improving the lift coefficient. And, the
applicability of the method is verified by simulation.
(2) By comparing the kinematics simulation results of the simple four-bar linkage and the
complex four-bar linkage, it can be seen that the motion of the complex four-bar linkage is
more stable. Without considering the economy, the complex four-bar linkage mechanism can
better realize the follow-up deflection of the spoiler/flap.

Figure 10. Scheme comparison

References
[1] Scholz P , Mahmood S , Casper M , et al. Design of Active Flow Control at a Drooped Spoiler
Configuration[C]// 31st AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference. 2013.
[2] Wang G , Zhang M , Mao J , et al. High-lift technology for spoiler on blended-wing-body civil
aircraft[J]. Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica, 2019.
[3] Wang G , Zhang M , Mao J , et al. High-lift technology for spoiler on blended-wing-body civil
aircraft[J]. Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica, 2019.
[4] Mallik, A. K . Mobility Analysis and Type Identification of Four-Link Mechanisms[J]. Journal
of Mechanical Design, 1994, 116(2):629-633.
[5] Zhang Y K , Xiao L J . Research on Design and Simulation of Four-Bar Linkage Mechanism of
Hydraulic Support Based on Virtual Prototype Technology[J]. Applied Mechanics and
Materials, 2012, 170-173:3539-3542.
[6] Wang X H, Chen Z H, Simulation for Four-bar Mechanism Based on ADAMS[J].
MECHANICAL ENGINEER, 2018(06):17-19.
[7] Wang J, Niu K J, Nie N H, et al. Singularity Analysis of Single Degree-of-freedom Complex
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