Propulsive wing of an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10450079-B2
Application number	US-201615348838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2016
Priority date	Nov 13, 2015
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

A propulsive wing of an aircraft including at least two structural spars, upstream and downstream that extend in a wing span direction of the wing. A propulsion assembly includes at least two fans that are each driven by at least one gas generator. The at least one gas generator extends along an axis that is remote from the axis of rotation of at least one fan. At least one of the spars includes a first part and a second part between which the propulsion assembly is arranged. The first and second parts are interconnected by a rigid structure that is shaped to extend at least in part around the fans. The propulsion assembly is supported by the rigid structure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A propulsive wing of an aircraft, comprising at least two structural spars, upstream and downstream, that extend in a wing span direction of the wing, and a propulsion assembly comprising at least two fans that are each driven by at least one gas generator,
said gas generator extending along an axis that is remote from the axis of rotation of at least one of said two fans, and
at least one of the at least two structural spars comprises a first part and a second part that are separated by the propulsion assembly in the wing span direction of the wing, the first and second parts of at least one of the at least two structural spars being interconnected by a rigid structure that is shaped so as to extend at least in part around said fans and being an upper structure extending above the propulsion assembly
the gas generator being supported directly and individually by the rigid structure
and each of the two fans is supported directly and individually by the rigid structure,
said rigid structure being free of articulation of the wing.

2. The propulsive wing according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one gas generator and the fans each comprise a casing supported by the rigid structure by a suspension device that connects the casings directly and individually to said rigid structure.

3. The propulsive wing according to claim 1 , wherein the rigid structure comprises at least two profiled members to which members for suspending the fans and the at least one gas generator are fixed.

4. The propulsive wing according to claim 1 ,
wherein the propulsive wing comprises fuel tanks that are arranged on either side of the propulsion assembly, and
shielding means that extend in a direction substantially transverse to the wing span direction of the wing and are arranged to protect the fuel tanks in the event of the accidental ejection of an element of the propulsion assembly.

5. The propulsive wing according to claim 4 , wherein the shielding means comprise at least two shielding plates that are each fixed to an end of the first part or of the second part of a spar, between the propulsion assembly and the protected fuel tank.

6. The propulsive wing according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of the shielding plates connects an upstream spar to a downstream spar and functions as a rib stiffening the wing.

7. The propulsive wing according to claim 4 , wherein the fuel tanks on either side of the propulsion assembly are interconnected by fuel lines that are each arranged between a profiled member of the rigid structure and an outer skin of the wing,
each fuel line protected by the profiled member in the event of the accidental ejection of an element of the propulsion assembly.

8. The propulsive wing according to claim 1 , wherein the fans are offset axially relative to one another, so that the distance between an air inlet of a fan and the leading edge of the wing is substantially the same for all the fans.

9. The propulsive wing according to claim 2 , wherein the propulsive wing comprises a lower structure that is pivotably connected to at least one of the at least two structural spars and forms a part of the surface of a lower surface of the wing.

10. The propulsive wing according to claim 1 , wherein the propulsion assembly comprises two fans that are driven by a gas generator arranged between said two fans.

11. The propulsive wing according to claim 8 , wherein axes of the fans and axes of each gas generator extend in a same plane,
a space arranged between an outer casing of a gas generator and an outer casing of an adjacent fan, and
in that the upper rigid structure has at least one arm that extends into said space in order to support at least one locking device and an articulation device of the lower structure.

12. The propulsive wing according to claim 4 ,
wherein the shielding means are arranged to protect the fuel tanks in the event of the rupture of a gas generator turbine disc.

13. A propulsive wing of an aircraft, comprising at least two structural spars, upstream and downstream, that extend in a wing span direction of the wing, and a propulsion assembly comprising
at least one gas generator, and
at least a first fan and a second fan, each first and second fan being driven by said gas generator,
said gas generator extending along an axis that is remote from the axis of rotation of at least one of said first and second fan, and
at least one of the at least two structural spars comprises a first part and a second part that are separated by the propulsion assembly in the wing span direction of the wing, the first and second parts of at least one of the at least two structural spars being interconnected by a rigid structure that is shaped so as to extend at least in part around said fans,
said rigid structure being an insert added between said first and second part of the at least one of the at least two structural spars along the wing span direction,
the gas generator being supported directly and individually by the rigid structure,
and each of the two fans being supported directly and individually by the rigid structure.

14. A propulsive wing of an aircraft, comprising at least two structural spars, upstream and downstream, that extend in a wing span direction of the wing, and a propulsion assembly comprising
at least one gas generator, and
at least a first fan and a second fan, each first and second fan being driven by said gas generator,
said gas generator extending along an axis that is remote from the axis of rotation of at least one of said first and second fan, and
at least one of the at least two structural spars comprises a first part and a second part that are separated by the propulsion assembly in the wing span direction of the wing, the first and second parts of at least one of the at least two structural spars being interconnected by a rigid structure that is shaped so as to extend at least in part around said fans,
said rigid structure having a first end fixed to one end of the first part on one side of the propulsion assembly and a second end fixed to one end of the second part to another side of the propulsion assembly,
the gas generator being supported directly and individually by the rigid structure,
and each of the two fans being supported directly and individually by the rigid structure.

Assignees

• Safran Aircraft Engines

Inventors

• Beutin Bruno Albert

Classifications

• B64D27/18 Primary

  within, or attached to, wings · CPC title

• B64C3/34

  Tanks constructed integrally with wings, e.g. for fuel or water · CPC title

• B64C3/32

  specially adapted for mounting power plant · CPC title

• Y02T50/40

  Weight reduction · CPC title