Fuselage for an aircraft with fuselage-integrated tailplane

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11772809-B2
Application number	US-202117535995-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2021
Priority date	Nov 27, 2021
Publication date	Oct 3, 2023
Grant date	Oct 3, 2023

Abstract

A fuselage for an aircraft. The fuselage has a control element with an integrated engine outlet. The control element is integrated at a rear end of the fuselage, so that the control element terminates flush with an outer skin of the fuselage in a circumferential direction of the fuselage. An outer wall of the control element surrounds the engine outlet wherein the engine outlet is directed towards an open rear side of the control element. The control element is connected to the fuselage such that the control element jointly the engine outlet is pivotable about a rotation axis with respect to the fuselage. The rotation axis runs transversely to a longitudinal direction of the fuselage and the control element functions as a tailplane when pivoting about the rotation axis.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuselage for an aircraft, the fuselage comprising:
a shell surface; and
a control element with an integrated engine outlet;
wherein the control element is integrated at a rear end of the fuselage and is a rearward extension of the fuselage in a longitudinal direction of the fuselage, so that the control element terminates flush with an outer skin of the fuselage in a circumferential direction of the fuselage;
wherein an outer wall of the control element surrounds the engine outlet, such that the engine outlet is directed towards an open rear side of the control element;
wherein the fuselage transitions into the control element at a transition point, the fuselage and the control element having similar cross-sections at the transition point and, at the transition point, the width and height of the control element correspond to the width and height, respectively, of the fuselage;
wherein the control element is connected to the fuselage such that the control element is pivotable together with the engine outlet about a rotation axis with respect to the fuselage;
wherein the rotation axis runs transversely to the longitudinal direction of the fuselage and the control element functions as a tailplane when pivoting about the rotation axis;
wherein the shell surface is static with respect to the fuselage and does not pivot about the rotation axis;
wherein the control element is configured to be moved upwardly, from an initial state, to an upward state and moved downwardly, from the initial state, to a downward state;
wherein the control element includes an upper control surface and a lower control surface;
wherein, when the control element is moved to the upward state, the upper control surface is configured to slide under the shell surface and the lower control surface is covered by the shell surface;
wherein, when the control element is moved to the downward state, the lower control surface is configured to slide under the shell surface and the upper control surface is covered by the shell surface;
wherein the engine outlet has a convergent nozzle portion and a divergent nozzle portion arranged therebehind in the longitudinal direction;
wherein the divergent nozzle portion has two control blades; and
wherein adjusting of the two control blades of the divergent nozzle portion in the same direction generates a moment about a vertical axis of the aircraft resulting in a yaw movement of the aircraft.

2. The fuselage according to claim 1 , wherein the engine outlet is a thrust vectoring nozzle.

3. The fuselage according to claim 1 , wherein the convergent nozzle portion has two control blades which are adjustable relative to each other so that a cross-section of the convergent nozzle portion is variable.

4. The fuselage according to claim 1 , wherein: the two control blades of the divergent nozzle portion are adjustable relative to each other, so that a cross-section of the divergent nozzle portion is variable; or the two control blades of the divergent nozzle portion are adjustable jointly, so that a cross-section of the divergent nozzle portion remains same and an outlet direction of the engine outlet is changed.

5. The fuselage according to claim 4 , wherein the cross-section of the convergent nozzle portion is variable independently of the cross-section of the divergent nozzle portion.

6. The fuselage according to claim 4 , wherein the two control blades of the divergent nozzle portion are angled and each of the two control blades of the divergent nozzle portion meets the outer wall of the control element at an angle different from 90°.

7. The fuselage according to claim 4 , wherein a rear edge of the two control blades of the divergent nozzle portion is serrated.

8. The fuselage according to claim 4 , wherein:
the control element has a lateral nozzle cover on both sides; and
each lateral nozzle cover is connected to a respective one of the two control blades of the divergent nozzle portion and is entrained by the respective one of the two control blades of the divergent nozzle portion when the respective one of the two control blades of the divergent nozzle portion moves.

9. The fuselage according to claim 1 , wherein the engine outlet is double-walled, at least in portions, so that a cooling flow can be guided through the double-walled portion.

Assignees

• Airbus Defence & Space Gmbh

Inventors

• Stangl Wolfgang
• Osterhuber Robert
• Ernstberger Philipp

Classifications

• B64D33/04 Primary

  of exhaust outlets or jet pipes · CPC title

• B64C1/16 Primary

  specially adapted for mounting power plant · CPC title

• B64D27/20

  within, or attached to, fuselages · CPC title

• B64D29/04

  associated with fuselages · CPC title

• F02K1/002

  with means to modify the direction of thrust vector (F02K1/54 takes precedence; thrust vectoring of rockets F02K9/80) · CPC title