Aircraft with a protective shield against an engine blade release

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016362167-A1
Application number	US-201615182672-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 15, 2016
Priority date	Jun 15, 2015
Publication date	Dec 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An internal shield inside the rear fuselage of an aircraft having a propulsion system formed by two engines mounted on each side of it. The internal shield is located in a suitable place inside the rear fuselage for covering the possible trajectories of fragments detached from one of the engines in a failure event that would impact critical elements of the opposite engine. The internal shield comprises an ensemble of fluid containers belonging to aircraft sub-systems, such as, particularly, the potable water and waste water sub-systems, with enough fluid for providing the energy absorption capability required for stopping the fragments. An aircraft having the internal shield is also disclosed.

First claim

1 . An internal shield positioned inside the rear fuselage of an aircraft having a propulsion system formed by two engines mounted on each side of the aircraft opposite one another; the rear fuselage having a vertical symmetry plane; the rear fuselage being made of a composite material; the internal shield comprising:
an ensemble of fluid containers being located inside the rear fuselage in a suitable place for covering possible trajectories of fragments detached from one of the engines in a failure event that would impact critical elements of the opposite engine;
the fluid containers belonging to aircraft sub-systems with sufficient fluid capacity for providing an energy absorption capability required for stopping said fragments.

2 . The internal shield according to claim 1 , wherein said fluid containers belong to at least one of the potable water or the waste water sub-systems of the aircraft.

3 . The internal shield according to claim 2 , wherein said fluid containers are arranged staggered in a first column of potable water containers and in a second column of waste water containers.

4 . The internal shield according to claim 3 , wherein said potable water and waste water containers are covered by Kevlar skins in their outer lateral sides.

5 . The internal shield according to claim 3 , wherein said containers each have a cylindrical shape, each cylinder having a longitudinal axis parallel to the vertical symmetry plane.

6 . The internal shield according to claim 3 , wherein the first column of potable water containers and the second column of waste water containers are located at opposite sides of the vertical symmetry plane.

7 . The internal shield according to claim 1 , wherein said fluid containers belong to the fuel sub-system of the aircraft.

8 . The internal shield according to claim 1 , further comprising two Kevlar layers, one at each lateral side of the ensemble of fluid containers.

9 . An aircraft comprising:
a propulsion system formed by two engines mounted on each side of its rear fuselage;
the rear fuselage having a vertical symmetry plane;
the rear fuselage being made of a composite material;
an internal shield located inside the rear fuselage in a suitable place for covering all possible trajectories of fragments detached from one of said engines in a failure event that would impact the critical elements of the opposite engine;
the internal shield comprising an ensemble of fluid containers belonging to aircraft sub-systems with sufficient fluid capacity for providing an energy absorption capability required for stopping said fragments.

10 . Aircraft according to claim 9 , wherein said fluid containers belong to at least one of the potable water or waste water sub-systems.

11 . The aircraft according to claim 10 , wherein:
the ensemble of fluid containers comprises potable water containers and waste water containers arranged staggered in, respectively, a first and a second column; the potable water and waste water sub-systems are arranged so that the internal shield always contains, globally, the same volume of liquid distributed whether in the first column or in the second column in a manner that a fragment detached from one of said engines would be stopped by at least one of a potable water container or a waste water container partially or totally filled with, respectively, potable water or waste water.

12 . The aircraft according to claim 11 , wherein said potable water and waste water containers are covered by a Kevlar skin in their outer lateral sides.

13 . The aircraft according to claim 11 , wherein said containers have a cylindrical shape.

14 . The aircraft according to claim 11 , wherein the first and second columns of, respectively, potable water containers and waste water containers are located at opposite sides of the vertical symmetry plane.

15 . The aircraft according to claim 9 , wherein said fluid containers belong to the fuel subsystem of the aircraft.

16 . The aircraft according to claim 9 , wherein the internal shield further comprises two Kevlar layers on their sides facing the engines.

17 . The aircraft according to claim 9 , wherein said two engines are engines with unducted propeller blades, turbofan engines, or propfan engines mounted on the rear fuselage by means of pylons.

18 . The aircraft according to claim 9 , wherein said two engines are turbofan engines attached directly to the rear fuselage.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sl
• Airbus Operations Sas

Inventors

• Toral Vazquez Javier
• Martino Gonzalez Esteban
• Folch Cortes Diego
• Goya Abaurrea Pablo
• Votsios Vasilis
• Fouinnetau Michel
• Roumegas Sylvain
• Brochard Wolfgang

Classifications

• B64C2001/0072

  from composite materials · CPC title

• B64D45/00

  Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64C7/00 Primary

  Structures or fairings not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64D37/04

  Arrangement thereof in or on aircraft · CPC title

• B64D27/14

  within, or attached to, fuselages · CPC title