Blocker Door Configuration for a Thrust Reverser of a Turbofan Engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016245232-A1
Application number	US-201514626889-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 19, 2015
Priority date	Feb 19, 2015
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A thrust reverser for a turbofan engine having a bypass air flowpath is provided. The thrust reverser includes a plurality of blocker doors pivotally attached to a structure, and disposed circumferentially around a bypass air flow path, each blocker door having a forward edge, and aft edge, and two lateral edges joining the forward and aft edges, the two lateral edges and the forward and aft edges defining a perimeter of each blocker door. The thrust reverser is operable to be disposed in a stowed configuration wherein the plurality of blocker doors do not impede air flowing within the bypass air flowpath, and in a deployed configuration wherein the plurality of blocker doors reside in and substantially block the bypass air flowpath. In the stowed configuration the lateral edges of adjacent blocker doors are contiguous to one another.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A thrust reverser for a turbofan engine having a bypass air flowpath, which engine has a rotational axis, the thrust reverser comprising:
a first structure; a second structure; wherein the second structure is operable to be translated by an actuator relative to the first structure between a stowed position and a deployed position; and a plurality of blocker doors pivotally attached to the first structure, and are disposed circumferentially around the bypass air flow path, each blocker door having a forward edge, and aft edge, and two lateral edges joining the forward and aft edges, the two lateral edges and the forward and aft edges defining a perimeter of the blocker door; and a plurality of individual linkages, each linkage connecting a respective one of the plurality of blocker doors to the second structure; wherein the thrust reverser is operable to be disposed in a stowed configuration wherein the plurality of blocker doors reside outside of the bypass air flowpath, and in a deployed configuration wherein the plurality of blocker doors reside in and substantially block, the bypass air flowpath; and wherein in the stowed configuration the lateral edges of adjacent blocker doors are contiguous one another.

2 . The thrust reverser of claim 1 , wherein in the deployed configuration, each blocker door at least partially overlaps with an adjacent blocker door.

3 . The thrust reverser of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of blocker doors includes a plurality of forward blocker doors and a plurality of aft blocker doors, and in the deployed configuration each lateral edge of each forward blocker door is forward of and at least partially overlaps the respective lateral edge of the adjacent aft blocker door.

4 . The thrust reverser of claim 3 , wherein each forward blocker door is attached to the first structure along a forward hinge line, which forward hinge line extends circumferentially at a first axial position, and each aft blocker door is pivotally attached to the first structure along an aft hinge line, which aft hinge line extends circumferentially at a second axial position, and wherein the forward hinge line is axially displaced from the aft hinge line by a distance.

5 . The thrust reverser of claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of blocker doors has a first width extending along the forward edge of the blocker door, a second width extending along the aft edge of the blocker door, and the first and second widths substantially equal one another.

6 . The thrust reverser of claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of blocker doors has a substantially rectangular shape.

7 . The thrust reverser of claim 1 , wherein each blocker door is pivotally attached proximate the forward edge to the second structure, and each blocker door is attached to pivot about a blocker door axis that is skewed by an angle from a plane normal to the axis of the engine.

8 . The thrust reverser of claim 7 , wherein the angle of each blocker door axis is in the range of about three to seven degrees from the plane normal to the axis of the engine.

9 . The thrust reverser of claim 7 , wherein the angles of the blocker door axes equal one another.

10 . The thrust reverser of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the blocker door axes is at a dissimilar angle relative to the angle of the remaining blocker door axes.

11 . A thrust reverser for a turbofan engine having a bypass air flowpath, which engine has a rotational axis, the thrust reverser comprising:
a plurality of blocker doors pivotally attached to a structure, and disposed circumferentially around a bypass air flow path, each blocker door having a forward edge, and aft edge, and two lateral edges joining the forward and aft edges, the two lateral edges and the forward and of edges defining a perimeter of each blocker door; and wherein the thrust reverser is operable to be disposed in a stowed configuration wherein the plurality of blocker doors do not impede air flowing within the bypass air flowpath, and in a deployed configuration wherein the plurality of blocker doors reside in and substantially block the bypass air flowpath; and wherein in the stowed configuration the lateral edges of adjacent blocker doors are contiguous to one another.

12 . The thrust reverser of claim 11 , wherein in the deployed configuration, each blocker door at least partially overlaps with an adjacent blocker door.

13 . The thrust reverser of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of blocker doors includes a plurality of forward blocker doors and a plurality of aft blocker doors, and in the deployed configuration each lateral edge of each forward blocker door is forward of and at least partially overlaps the respective lateral edge of the adjacent aft blocker door.

14 . The thrust reverser of claim 13 , wherein each forward blocker door is attached to the structure along a forward hinge line, which forward hinge line extends circumferentially at a first axial position, and each aft blocker door is pivotally attached to the structure along an aft hinge line, which aft hinge line extends circumferentially at a second axial position, and wherein the forward hinge line is axially displaced from the aft hinge line by a distance.

15 . The thrust reverser of claim 11 , wherein each blocker door is pivotally attached proximate the forward edge to the structure, and each blocker door is attached to pivot about a blocker door axis that is skewed by an angle from a plane normal to the axis of the engine.

Assignees

• Rohr Inc

Inventors

• Mackay Thomas E
• Jacobson Dan
• Aten Michael

Classifications

• F02K1/72 Primary

  the aft end of the fan housing being movable to uncover openings in the fan housing for the reversed flow · CPC title

• F02K1/766 Primary

  with blocking systems or locking devices; Arrangement of locking devices for thrust reversers · CPC title