Variable pitch mounting for aircraft gas turbine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016167798-A1
Application number	US-201414568555-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 12, 2014
Priority date	Dec 12, 2014
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Aircraft engine mounted to aircraft pylon with variable pitch mounting system includes variable length actuator disposed between engine and pylon for pitching engine relative to pylon. Spaced apart pylon front and rear mounts may pivotably mount front and rear stationary engine components of engine to front and rear mount positions on pylon. Front and rear linkages may vertically suspend engine from pylon with pivotable links disposed between pylon front and rear mounts and front and rear stationary engine components. One or more thrust links may be pivotably joined at link rear ends to pylon rear mount and at link forward ends to front support frame. Alternative mounting system may include support structure cantilevered off pylon for pivotably supporting engine and actuator substantially horizontally disposed between engine and pylon. Incidence angle between engine centerline axis and air streamlines may be adjusted by changing length of actuator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An assembly comprising:
an aircraft engine having an engine centerline axis, the aircraft engine pivotably mounted to an aircraft pylon by a variable pitch mounting system for mounting the aircraft engine to the pylon at a variable tilt or pitch angle, and a variable length actuator operably disposed between the engine and the pylon for pitching or pivoting the entire engine and the entire engine centerline axis relative to the pylon.

2 . The assembly as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:
the aircraft engine being an aircraft gas turbine engine,
the variable pitch mounting system including axially spaced apart pylon front and rear mounts pivotably connecting or mounting front and rear stationary engine components of the engine to front and rear mount positions respectively on the pylon and which permit limited axial movement of the engine relative to the pylon,
front and rear linkages vertically suspending the engine from the pylon with pivotable links disposed between the pylon front and rear mounts and the front and rear stationary engine components respectively, and
the variable length actuator operably disposed in and for varying a vertical length of one of the front and rear linkages.

3 . The assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein the front and rear stationary engine components are axially spaced apart stationary front and rear support frames of the engine.

4 . The assembly as claimed in claim 3 further comprising one or more thrust links pivotably joined at link rear ends to the pylon rear mount and pivotably joined at link forward ends to the front support frame.

5 . The assembly as claimed in claim 2 further comprising:
the aircraft gas turbine engine being an unducted or open-rotor counter-rotatable front fan high bypass ratio gas turbine engine including a fan section forward of the pylon,
the fan section including counter-rotatable first and second fan blade rows, and
the front and rear stationary engine components being axially spaced apart stationary front and rear support frames of the engine.

6 . The assembly as claimed in claim 5 further comprising the variable length actuator being operably disposed in the rear linkage for varying the vertical length of the rear linkage.

7 . The assembly as claimed in claim 6 further comprising one or more thrust links pivotably joined at link rear ends to the pylon rear mount and pivotably joined at link forward ends to the front support frame.

8 . The assembly as claimed in claim 2 further comprising:
the aircraft gas turbine engine being a ducted gas turbine engine including a fan section forward of the pylon,
the fan section including one or more fan blade rows surrounded by a fan casing, and
the front and rear stationary engine components being axially spaced apart stationary front and rear support frames of the engine.

9 . The assembly as claimed in claim 8 further comprising the variable length actuator being operably disposed in the rear linkage for varying the vertical length of the rear linkage.

10 . The assembly as claimed in claim 9 further comprising one or more thrust links pivotably joined at link rear ends to the pylon rear mount and pivotably joined at link forward ends to the front support frame.

11 . The assembly as claimed in claim 8 further comprising the variable length actuator being operably disposed in the front linkage for varying the vertical length of the front linkage.

12 . The assembly as claimed in claim 11 further comprising one or more thrust links pivotably joined at link rear ends to the pylon rear mount and pivotably joined at link forward ends to the front support frame.

13 . The assembly as claimed in claim 2 further comprising:
the aircraft gas turbine engine being an unducted or open-rotor single front fan high bypass ratio gas turbine engine including a fan section forward of the pylon,
the fan section including only a single row of fan blades, and
the front and rear stationary engine components being axially spaced apart stationary front and rear support frames of the engine.

14 . The assembly as claimed in claim 13 further comprising the variable length actuator being operably disposed in the rear linkage for varying the vertical length of the rear linkage and one or more thrust links pivotably joined at link rear ends to the pylon rear mount and pivotably joined at link forward ends to the front support frame.

15 . The assembly as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a four bar linkage connecting the engine to the pylon and allowing limited axial movement of the engine relative to the pylon and four bars of the four bar linkage including one of the front and rear linkages, the one or more thrust links, the engine, and the pylon.

16 . The assembly as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:
the variable pitch mounting system including a support structure cantilevered off the pylon pivotably supporting the engine,
the variable length actuator substantially horizontally disposed between the engine and the pylon, and
the variable pitch mounting system operably disposed for pitching or pivoting the entire engine and the entire engine centerline axis relative to the pylon by extending and retracting the variable length actuator substantially axially with respect to the pylon.

17 . The assembly as claimed in claim 16 further comprising:
the support structure including a support frame cantilevered off and connected to the pylon by laterally or circumferentially spaced apart first and second aft sets of structural struts,
laterally or circumferentially spaced apart first and second forward sets of structural struts pivotably connecting the engine to the support frame,
laterally or circumferentially spaced apart first and second forward sets of structural struts fixedly connected at strut aft ends to the support frame and pivotably connected at strut forward ends to laterally or circumferentially spaced apart first and second pivotable points respectively on the engine,
the variable length actuator being pivotably connected at actuator aft ends to the support frame and pivotably connected at actuator forward ends to second points on the engine, and
the first and second points being radially spaced apart with respect to the engine centerline axis.

18 . The assembly as claimed in claim 17 further comprising:
the aircraft gas turbine engine being a ducted gas turbine engine including a fan section forward of the pylon, and
the fan section including one or more fan blade rows surrounded by a fan casing.

19 . The assembly as claimed in claim 17 further comprising the aircraft gas turbine engine being an unducted or open-rotor counter-rotatable front fan high bypass ratio gas turbine engine including a fan section forward of the pylon or the aircraft gas turbine engine being an unducted or open-rotor single fan rotor aircraft gas turbine engine and the fan section a having a single row of fan blades.

20 . A method of pitching an aircraft gas turbine engine pivotably mounted to an aircraft pylon by changing a length of a variable length actuator disposed between the aircraft gas turbine engine and the pylon and changing or adjusting an incidence angle between an engine centerline axis and incoming air streamlines while maintaining the engine centerline axis straight.

21 . The method as claimed in claim 20 wherein the pitching includes setting a pitch angle measured between the engine centerline axis an

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Prentice Ian Francis

Classifications

• B64D27/406 Primary

  Suspension arrangements specially adapted for supporting thrust loads, e.g. thrust links · CPC title

• B64D27/26 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64D2027/266

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64C19/00

  Aircraft control not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64D27/10 Primary

  of gas-turbine type  (jet aircraft B64D27/16) · CPC title