Aircraft engine mount

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9701412-B2
Application number	US-201414474760-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2014
Priority date	Sep 9, 2013
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

An engine mount, for mounting the casing of an aircraft engine to the fuselage or wing of an aircraft, e.g. via a pylon, including first and second links having connector formations for connection to respective mounting and support formations on the engine casing and aircraft mounting structure. Each of the first and second links is typically connected by a pin between the mounting and support formations. Each link has a further connector formation arranged such that the connector formation of the first link is offset from the connector formation of the second link. The connector formations are joined by an intermediate link. The mount allows lateral forces and torque to be resolved in such a way as to substantially avoid lateral displacement of the engine away from a central plane. The intermediate link may also provide a failsafe catcher arrangement in the event that the first or second link fail.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An engine mounting assembly, for securing an aircraft engine to an aircraft, the assembly comprising:
first and second spaced support formations on an engine support structure of the engine;
first and second corresponding mounting formations on a mounting structure of the aircraft; and
first and second links, the first link extending between the first support formation and the first mounting formation, and the second link extending between the second support formation and the second mounting formation, the first link having a first connection formation and the second link having a second connection formation, the first and second connection formations being shaped to depend towards a region between the first and second mounting formations,
wherein the first and second connection formations are offset, spaced from the engine by different distances along a direction perpendicular to a rotation axis of the engine, and connected by an intermediate link, wherein the second link is connected to a first part of the intermediate link, and the mounting structure of the aircraft is connected to a second part of the intermediate link.

2. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the connection formations are aligned with a central plane of the engine.

3. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first connection formation comprises a first arm and the second connection formation comprises a second arm, wherein the first arm extends beneath the second arm or vice versa.

4. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second mounting formations are located to each side of a primary axis or central plane of the engine and substantially equally spaced therefrom.

5. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second links each have a mounting formation connector and a support formation connector, each of the first and second links extending in a first direction between the support connector and the mounting connector and in a second direction between the mounting connector and the connection formation.

6. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the distance between the mounting connector and the connection formation for the first and/or second link is greater than the distance between the support connector and the mounting connector.

7. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the first direction is angularly offset from a central plane of the engine by between 15° and 35°.

8. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second links each comprise a rigid elbow formation.

9. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first and/or second links are attached to any or any combination of the support formations, mounting formations and/or intermediate link by a pin.

10. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the first and/or second links are attached to the intermediate link by a pin joint having one or more profiled surface so as to be tolerant to a rotational misalignment about an axis that is offset from a primary engine axis.

11. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate link provides a failsafe catcher link arranged to be selectively engaged in the force path between (i) the mounting structure of the aircraft and (ii), the engine support structure so as to bear at least a component of the engine weight in the event that the first or second link fails.

12. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate link extends between (i) the mounting structure of the aircraft and (ii) the engine support structure.

13. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein an intermediate mounting formation is provided between the first and second mounting formations and an intermediate support formation is provided between the first and second support formations, the intermediate link being attached between the intermediate mounting and support formations.

14. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 13 wherein the connection formations of the first and second links are connected to a respective one of the intermediate mounting and support formations.

15. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the intermediate support and/or mounting formation is attached to the intermediate link by a pin, wherein said intermediate support and/or mounting formation comprises an oversized aperture for receiving the pin so as to provide a clearance about the pin.

16. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate link is angled relative to an adjacent portion of the first and second links by an angle of greater than 45°.

17. The engine mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting structure of the aircraft comprises a pylon and the engine support structure comprises an engine casing.

18. A link assembly for mounting an aircraft engine to an aircraft, the link assembly comprising:
a first link having a first support formation connector for attachment to a first support formation on the engine and a first mounting formation connector for attachment to a first mounting formation on the aircraft;
a second link having a second support formation connector for attachment to a second support formation on the engine and a second mounting formation connector for attachment to a second mounting formation on the aircraft;
each of said links having a connection formation spaced from the support formation and mounting formation connectors, said links being shaped such that, when connected to the respective first and second support and mounting formations the connection formations are of and spaced from the engine by different distances along a direction perpendicular to a rotation axis of the engine,
wherein the assembly further comprises an intermediate link arranged to be connected between the connection formations of the first and second links.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Stretton Richard Geoffrey
• Udall Kenneth Franklin

Classifications

• B64D27/404 Primary

  Suspension arrangements specially adapted for supporting vertical loads · CPC title

• B64D27/26 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64D2027/266

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64D2027/262

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic