Jet noise suppressor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10927792-B2
Application number	US-201816015285-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2018
Priority date	Jun 22, 2018
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

A jet noise suppressor and an airplane are provided. The jet noise suppressor includes a nozzle with a front end, a back end, an interior surface, and an exterior surface, a plurality of struts, and a plurality of vents. Each strut includes a base and a distal end with the base of each strut coupled to the interior surface of the nozzle, and each vent corresponds to a respective strut and is formed within the interior surface of the nozzle between the front end of the nozzle and the base of the respective strut.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A jet noise suppressor, comprising:
a nozzle comprising a front end, a back end, an interior surface, and an exterior surface;
a plurality of struts, each strut comprising a base and a distal end, with the base of each strut coupled to the interior surface of the nozzle; and
a plurality of vents, each vent corresponding to a respective strut and formed within the interior surface of the nozzle between the front end of the nozzle and the base of the respective strut, wherein each vent comprises an inlet formed in the front end of the nozzle within the interior surface of the nozzle.

2. The jet noise suppressor of claim 1 , wherein each vent extends through the respective strut from the base of the respective strut to the distal end of the respective strut.

3. The jet noise suppressor of claim 2 , wherein:
each vent comprises an outlet; and
the outlet of each vent is formed within the distal end of the respective strut.

4. The jet noise suppressor of claim 3 , wherein the nozzle is configured to receive a tailhook of an aircraft.

5. The jet noise suppressor of claim 1 , wherein the distal end of each strut is freestanding such that each strut is only coupled to the nozzle, directly or indirectly, at the base of each strut with the interior surface of the nozzle.

6. The jet noise suppressor of claim 5 , wherein each strut comprises a swept shape.

7. The jet noise suppressor of claim 6 , wherein:
a leading surface of each strut comprises a convex shape; and
a trailing surface of each strut comprises a concave shape.

8. The jet noise suppressor of claim 1 , wherein:
the interior surface of the nozzle comprises a concave shape; and
the exterior surface of the nozzle comprises a convex shape.

9. The jet noise suppressor of claim 1 , further comprising a coupling member to removably couple the nozzle to a jet engine or a fuselage of an aircraft.

10. The jet noise suppressor of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle comprises a first nozzle, the jet noise suppressor further comprising a second nozzle with the first nozzle, and each of the first nozzle and the second nozzle are configured to be coaxially aligned with a respective jet engine of a pair of jet engines of an aircraft.

11. The jet noise suppressor of claim 1 , wherein, when the nozzle is aligned coaxially with a jet engine:
an open area between the front end of the nozzle and the jet engine is configured to receive a first airflow passage through the nozzle that exits the back end of the nozzle; and
the plurality of vents are configured to receive a second airflow passage that mixes with the first airflow passage and exits the back end of the nozzle.

12. The jet noise suppressor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of struts are equally spaced apart from each other about an axis of the nozzle.

13. A jet noise suppressor, comprising:
a nozzle comprising a front end, a back end, an interior surface, and an exterior surface;
a plurality of struts, each strut comprising a base and a distal end, with the base of each strut coupled to the interior surface of the nozzle and the distal end of each strut freestanding such that each strut is only coupled to the nozzle, directly or indirectly, at the base of each strut with the interior surface of the nozzle; and
a plurality of vents each having an inlet formed within the interior surface of the nozzle, each vent corresponding to a respective strut and extending through the respective strut.

14. The jet noise suppressor of claim 13 , wherein each inlet is formed at the front end of the nozzle.

15. The jet noise suppressor of claim 14 , wherein each vent extends through the respective strut from the base to the distal end of the respective strut.

16. The jet noise suppressor of claim 13 , wherein:
a leading surface of each strut comprises a convex shape; and
a trailing surface of each strut comprises a concave shape.

17. An aircraft, comprising:
a jet engine comprising a back end configured to generate an exhaust flow passage to propel the aircraft;
a jet noise suppressor, comprising:
a nozzle comprising a front end, a back end, an interior surface, and an exterior surface;
a plurality of struts, each strut comprising a base and a distal end, with the base of each strut coupled to the interior surface of the nozzle; and
a plurality of vents, each vent having an inlet formed within the interior surface of the nozzle at the front end of the nozzle and corresponding to a respective strut and formed within the interior surface of the nozzle between the front end of the nozzle and the base of the respective strut; and
a coupling member to removably couple the nozzle to the jet engine or a fuselage of the aircraft.

18. The aircraft of claim 17 , wherein the distal end of each strut is freestanding.

19. The aircraft of claim 17 , wherein the jet engine comprises a first jet engine and the nozzle comprises a first nozzle, the aircraft further comprising a second jet engine and the jet noise suppressor further comprising a second nozzle coupled to the first nozzle, the first nozzle coaxially aligned with the first jet engine and the second nozzle coaxially aligned with the second jet engine.

20. The aircraft of claim 19 , wherein jet noise suppressor further comprises a divider positioned between the first nozzle and the second nozzle.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Shen Hao
• Lakebrink Matthew T
• Garrett Timothy M

Classifications

• F02K1/46 Primary

  Nozzles having means for adding air to the jet or for augmenting the mixing region between the jet and the ambient air, e.g. for silencing (F02K1/28, F02K1/36, F02K1/38 take precedence) · CPC title

• B64D33/06 Primary

  Silencing exhaust or propulsion jets · CPC title

• F05D2250/711

  convex · CPC title

• F02K1/52

  Nozzles specially constructed for positioning adjacent to another nozzle or to a fixed member, e.g. fairing · CPC title

• F05D2260/96

  Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise · CPC title