Turboprop

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10518869-B2
Application number	US-201615547118-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2016
Priority date	Jan 29, 2015
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

A turboprop including a propeller including a blade extending in a direction, which also includes a root, a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a wing tip, and an inner air stream channel, wherein the inner air stream channel includes an inlet located at the root of the blade and an outlet leading to the trailing edge of the blade transversely directed in relation to the main elongation direction, such that an inner stream of air flowing in the inner air stream channel by entering via the inlet adjacent to the root of the blade is discharged via the outlet adjacent to the trailing edge of the blade by forming a stream of blown air that moves away from the trailing edge in a direction which is transverse to the main elongation direction and which has a component in the direction of a skeleton line of the blade at the trailing edge.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A turboprop comprising:
an air inlet which extends along a directional axis and which is formed so that an operating air flow enters into the turboprop;
a propeller which rotates around an axis of rotation and which is located upstream of the air inlet with respect to the operating air flow; and
a blade which, when said propeller is rotated around the axis of rotation, creates a wake which perturbs the operating air flow at the air inlet, said blade extending along a main elongation direction, said blade comprising
a root,
a leading edge,
a trailing edge,
a wing tip, and
an inner air flow channel which comprises an inlet which is located at the root of the blade and an outlet which leads to the trailing edge of the blade and which is directed transversely to the main elongation direction,
said blade periodically rotating to a position wherein said outlet directly faces the air inlet and wherein a direction of extension of said outlet has a primary component along the directional axis of the air inlet, so that an inner air flow which circulates in the inner air flow channel while entering through the inlet in a vicinity of the root of the blade is exhausted via the outlet in a vicinity of the trailing edge of the blade while forming a blown air flow which moves away from the trailing edge in a direction which is transverse to the main elongation direction so that the blown air flow is exhausted at the trailing edge of the blade so as to reduce the wake of the blade at the air inlet.

2. The turboprop according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet leading to the trailing edge is located solely between 0% and 25% of a height of the blade.

3. The turboprop according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet of the inner air flow channel is directed in a direction inclined with respect to a skeleton line of the blade.

4. The turboprop according to claim 1 , wherein the inner air flow channel of the blade also leads to the wing tip of the blade, so that a portion of the inner air flow circulating in the inner air flow channel is exhausted via the wing tip of the blade through a wing-tip outlet extending in the main elongation direction.

5. The turboprop according to claim 1 , wherein a platform of the root comprises a scoop, said scoop being composed of one or more holes made in the platform, so that an external air flow can penetrate into said holes and said scoop is connected to the inlet of the inner air flow channel of the blade, so that an external air flow may penetrate into the scoop, circulate in the inner air flow channel while forming the inner air flow, and be exhausted via an outlet end while forming the blown air flow.

6. The turboprop according to claim 1 , wherein the inner air flow channel comprises several outlets distributed along the main elongation direction over a zone of the trailing edge, the outlets being regularly spaced away from one another.

7. The turboprop according to claim 1 , wherein the blade is composed of a composite material comprising a fiber reinforcement.

8. The turboprop according to claim 1 , wherein the propeller comprises a spinner which comprises a nose.

9. The turboprop according to claim 8 , wherein the propeller comprises:
an air bleed opening located on the nose of the spinner;
a spinner channel which connects the air bleed opening to the inlet of the inner air flow channel of the blade, so that an external air flow can penetrate into the bleed air opening, circulate in the spinner channel and the inner air flow channel, while forming the inner air flow, and be exhausted via the outlet at the trailing edge of the blade while forming the blown air flow.

10. The turboprop according to claim 1 , wherein the blown air flow is free of air bled from a compressor of the turboprop.

11. The turboprop according to claim 8 , wherein a platform of the root comprises a scoop, said scoop being composed of one or more holes made in the platform, so that an external air flow can penetrate into said holes and said scoop is connected to the inlet of the inner air flow channel of the blade, so that an external air flow may penetrate into the scoop, circulate in the inner air flow channel while forming the inner air flow, and be exhausted via an outlet end while forming the blown air flow, wherein the platform forms a pivot with the spinner of the propeller around a pitch axis.

12. The turboprop according to claim 11 , wherein the inlet of the in air flow channel is directed along the pitch axis of the platform of the root.

13. The turboprop according to claim 6 , wherein the outlets have a circular shape.

Assignees

• Safran Aircraft Engines

Inventors

• Foresto Paul Antoine
• Binder Anthony
• Couilleaux Alexandre Gerard Francois
• Jodet Norman Bruno Andre

Classifications

• B64C11/24 Primary

  Hollow blades · CPC title

• F01D5/18

  Hollow blades, {i.e. blades with cooling or heating channels or cavities (structure of hollow blades in general F01D5/147)}; Heating, heat-insulating or cooling means on blades · CPC title

• F05D2240/304

  related to the trailing edge of a rotor blade · CPC title

• B64D33/02

  of combustion air intakes · CPC title

• F02C7/04

  Air intakes for gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants · CPC title