Variable inlet guard screen for an inlet of an aircraft engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12486798-B2
Application number	US-202318481737-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2023
Priority date	Oct 5, 2023
Publication date	Dec 2, 2025
Grant date	Dec 2, 2025

Abstract

A system for an aircraft includes an aircraft engine having a central axis with a flowpath projecting into the aircraft engine from an airflow inlet. An inlet plenum at the airflow inlet extends between a front wall and a rear wall along the central axis. An inlet guard is arranged at the airflow inlet and extends across the flowpath. The inlet guard includes a first screen extending circumferentially about the central axis and axially from the front wall to the rear wall, and a second screen radially outward of the first screen and axially overlapping the first screen. An actuator is operable to move the first screen and the second screen relative to one another in one or more of a radial, axial and circumferential direction to shed ice from the inlet guard.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A system for an aircraft, comprising:
an aircraft engine having a central axis with a flowpath projecting into the aircraft engine from an airflow inlet; an inlet plenum at the airflow inlet extending between a front wall and a rear wall along the central axis; an inlet guard arranged at the airflow inlet and extending across the flowpath, the inlet guard including a first screen extending circumferentially about the central axis and axially from the front wall to the rear wall, and a second screen radially outward of the first screen and axially overlapping the first screen; and an actuator operable to move the first screen and the second screen relative to one another in a radial direction to shed ice from the inlet guard; wherein a radial distance between the first screen and the second screen is minimized in a non-icing condition.

2 . The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein a plurality of perforations project through the inlet guard and are formed by the first screen and the second screen, and the actuator is further operable to move the first screen and the second screen relative to one another in one or more of an axial direction and a circumferential direction to change a geometry of the plurality of perforations.

3 . The system as defined in claim 2 , wherein a cross-sectional area through each of the plurality of perforations is maximized in the non-icing condition.

4 . The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the actuator is operable to periodically move the first screen and the second screen relative to one another in the radial direction.

5 . The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first screen has a first screen axial width L1 extending from the front wall to the rear wall and the second screen is spaced apart from the front wall or the rear wall by an axial width L3, and wherein:

0
≤

L
⁢
3
/
L
⁢
1

≤

0.8
.

6 . The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first screen has a first screen axial width L1 extending from the first wall to the rear wall and the second screen has a second screen axial width L2, and wherein:

0.2
≤

L
⁢
2
/
L
⁢
1

≤

1
.

7 . The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the second screen is formed of an arcuate segment with an angle between 20 and 360 degrees about the central axis.

8 . The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the actuator is operable to move the second screen relative to the first screen.

9 . A system for an aircraft, comprising:
an aircraft engine having a central axis including a compressor section, a flowpath projecting into the aircraft engine from an airflow inlet and through the compressor section; an inlet plenum at the airflow inlet, extending between a front wall and a rear wall along the central axis; an inlet guard extending laterally across the flowpath upstream of the compressor section, the inlet guard including a first screen extending circumferentially about the central axis and axially from the front wall to the rear wall, and a second screen disposed radially outward of the first screen, the first screen and the second screen disposed in axially overlapping relationship; and an actuator configured, subsequently to an accumulation of ice on the inlet guard, to move the first screen and the second screen relative to one another in one or more of a radial, axial and circumferential direction to shed ice from the inlet guard; wherein the first screen has a first screen axial width L1 extending from the front wall to the rear wall and the second screen has a second screen axial width L2, wherein:

0.2
≤

L
⁢
2
/
L
⁢
1

<
1

;

wherein a plurality of perforations project through the inlet guard and are formed by the first screen and the second screen, and the actuator is further configured, as the ice accumulates on the inlet guard, to move the first screen and the second screen relative to one another in one or more of the axial direction and the circumferential direction to change a geometry of the plurality of perforations and
wherein across-sectional area through each of the plurality of perforations is maximized in a non-icing condition.

10 . The system as defined in claim 9 , wherein the actuator is configured to periodically move the first screen and the second screen relative to one another in one or more of the axial and the circumferential direction.

11 . The system as defined in claim 9 , wherein the second screen is spaced apart from the front wall or the rear wall by an axial width L3, and wherein:

0
≤

L
⁢
3
/
L
⁢
1

≤

0.8
.

12 . The system as defined in claim 9 , wherein the second screen is formed of an arcuate segment with an angle between 20 and 360 degrees about the central axis.

13 . The system as defined in claim 9 , wherein the actuator is operably connected to the second screen to move the second screen relative to the first screen.

14 . A system for an aircraft, comprising:
an aircraft engine having a central axis with a flowpath projecting into the aircraft engine from an airflow inlet; an inlet guard configured to reduce ingestion of foreign objects debris by the aircraft engine through the airflow inlet, the inlet guard comprising a first screen extending circumferentially about the central axis and a second screen circumferentially adjacent the first screen about the central axis and radially outward of the first screen, the first screen and the second screen each including screen elements arranged into a mesh; and an actuator operably connected to the inlet guard and configured to manipulate the inlet guard to engage the screen elements of the first screen with the screen elements of the second screen to shed accumulated ice from the inlet guard; wherein the actuator is configured for moving the first screen and the second screen relative to one another in a radial direction.

Assignees

• Pratt & Whitney Canada

Inventors

• Marrano Roberto
• Cunningham Mark
• Akcayoz Eray
• Brette Corentin

Classifications

• B64D2033/0233

  comprising de-icing means · CPC title

• B64D2033/022

  comprising bird or foreign object protections · CPC title

• B64D33/02

  of combustion air intakes · CPC title

• F05D2260/607

  Preventing clogging or obstruction of flow paths by dirt, dust, or foreign particles · CPC title

• F02C7/042

  having variable geometry · CPC title