Non-axisymmetric fixed or variable fan nozzle for boundary layer ingestion propulsion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9909530-B2
Application number	US-201414295566-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2014
Priority date	Aug 5, 2013
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

A fan section for an engine has a fan which rotates about an axis, the fan has an inlet for ingesting ambient air, and a non-axisymmetric nozzle for providing the fan with non-uniform back pressure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fan section for an aircraft engine comprising:
a fan which rotates around a longitudinal rotational axis of said aircraft engine;
said fan having an inlet for ingesting ambient air, said inlet being formed by a fan nacelle surrounding at least a portion of said fan and said inlet being formed by a surface of a fuselage surrounding a remaining portion of said fan;
a core exhaust nozzle coaxial with said longitudinal rotational axis, said core exhaust nozzle located downstream of said fan;
a core nacelle extending along and around said longitudinal rotational axis from said fan to said core exhaust nozzle; and
a non-axisymmetric fan nozzle of the fan nacelle, said non-axisymmetric fan nozzle configured to produce a non-uniform back pressure for the fan, wherein said non-axisymmetric fan nozzle has a first fan nozzle area at a first portion of said non-axisymmetric fan nozzle and a second fan nozzle area at a second portion of said non-axisymmetric fan nozzle, said first fan nozzle area being less than said second fan nozzle area and configured such that said first fan nozzle area and said second fan nozzle area are non-axisymmetric with respect to said longitudinal rotational axis wherein said first fan nozzle area is formed by at least one first flap having a first camber from a first flap leading edge to a first flap trailing edge which curves toward said longitudinal rotational axis and wherein said second fan nozzle area is formed by at least one second flap having a second camber from a second flap leading edge to a second flap trailing edge which curves away from said longitudinal rotational axis,
wherein said core exhaust nozzle is located downstream of both said first flap trailing edge and said second flap trailing edge, said first fan nozzle area is defined between said at least one first flap and a top surface of said core nacelle, and said second fan nozzle area is defined between said at least one second flap and a bottom surface of said core nacelle.

2. The fan section of claim 1 , wherein said at least one first flap comprises a plurality of circumferential flaps and wherein said at least one second flap comprises a plurality of circumferential flaps.

3. The fan section of claim 1 , wherein each one of said at least one first flap is attached to a rear portion of said fan nacelle and each one of said at least one second flap is attached to a rear portion of the surface of the fuselage.

4. The fan section of claim 1 , wherein the first portion is a top portion of said non-axisymmetric fan nozzle and the second portion is a bottom portion of said non-axisymmetric fan nozzle.

5. The fan section of claim 2 , wherein the first portion is a top portion of said non-axisymmetric fan nozzle and the second portion is a bottom portion of said non-axisymmetric fan nozzle.

6. An aircraft comprising the fan section of claim 1 .

7. An aircraft comprising the fan section of claim 1 , wherein the surface of the fuselage is adjacent to, or part of, a tail section of the fuselage of the aircraft.

8. The fan section of claim 1 , wherein said first fan nozzle area has a first radial distance from said longitudinal rotational axis to said first flap trailing edge and said second fan nozzle area having a second radial distance from said longitudinal rotational axis to said second flap trailing edge, wherein said first radial distance is less than said second radial distance.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Tillman Thomas G
• Lord Wesley K

Classifications

• F02K1/12

  by means of pivoted flaps · CPC title

• F05D2250/73

  asymmetric · CPC title

• F02K3/06

  with front fan · CPC title

• F02K1/52 Primary

  Nozzles specially constructed for positioning adjacent to another nozzle or to a fixed member, e.g. fairing · CPC title

• F02K1/002 Primary

  with means to modify the direction of thrust vector (F02K1/54 takes precedence; thrust vectoring of rockets F02K9/80) · CPC title