The present invention relates to the field of aircraft turbomachines, and is more particularly concerned with an air intake of an aircraft turbomachine nacelle.
In a known manner, with reference to
As illustrated in
In a known manner, the nacelle 105 comprises an air intake 106 extending upstream of the fan 104, thereby separating the incoming air flow F into an internal air flow Fint that is guided towards the fan 104 and an external air flow Fext that is guided externally to the nacelle 105. The air intake 106 comprises an upstream part 107, known to the person skilled in the art as a “lip”, and a downstream part 108. In the example of
Still with reference to
In a known manner, during the flight of an aircraft, ice is likely to accumulate at the lip 107 due to temperature and pressure conditions, until it forms blocks of ice that are caused to be detached from the lip 107 and to be ingested by the turbomachine 100. Such ingestions have to be avoided in order to improve the life time of the turbomachine 100 and to reduce malfunctions.
To avoid ice accumulation, a pneumatic de-icing device is known in prior art comprising a conduit for injecting a flow of pressurized hot air into the annular cavity 113 of the lip 107 for heating the walls 110, 111, 112. The flow of pressurized hot air is generally taken from the compressor 101 of the turbomachine 100. Such a de-icing device is described in particular in patent application WO2010012899.
To ensure discharge of the injected hot air flow from the annular cavity 113, it is known from patent applications EP0922842A1 and US2014263837 to provide a discharge conduit connected to the annular cavity 113 and opening into the external wall 115 of the downstream part 108 of the air intake 106 so that the hot air is expelled outwardly of the nacelle 105. With reference to
Such a discharge conduit 200 has the drawback of having a substantial mass in order to withstand significant mechanical forces during the flight of the aircraft, in particular, due to thermal expansion.
In practice, in order to allow a robust and rigid connection, it is known to equip the ends of the discharge conduit 200 with titanium plates which are respectively attached at the internal partition wall 109 and the downstream external wall 115. Seals are also traditionally added to the attachment interface to ensure sealing. The addition of plates and seals is further detrimental to the mass of such a discharge conduit 200.
Incidentally, a method for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic conduit by means of a silicone mandrel is known from patent application US2017/191585A1.
The invention thus aims at enabling simple and efficient discharge of the hot air flow injected by the de-icing device into the annular cavity, by means of a system that can withstand mechanical forces and has a reduced mass.
The invention relates to an air intake of an aircraft turbomachine nacelle extending longitudinally along an axis X in which an air flow circulates from upstream to downstream, said air intake comprising a lip extending upstream, a downstream part and an internal partition wall separating the lip and the downstream part, said lip comprising an internal wall facing the axis X an external wall opposite to the internal wall and an upstream wall connecting the internal wall and the external wall and delimiting with the internal partition wall an annular cavity, said downstream part comprising a downstream internal wall and a downstream external wall as an extension of the internal wall and the external wall of said lip respectively, and delimiting between them an internal volume, said air intake comprising:
i. a de-icing device comprising at least one conduit for injecting a flow of hot air into the annular cavity of the lip,
ii. at least one passage opening formed in the internal wall
iii. at least one outlet opening formed in the downstream external wall of the downstream wall, and
iv. at least one discharge conduit, mounted in the internal volume of the downstream part, configured to conduct the flow of hot air from the passage opening of the internal partition wall to the outlet opening of the downstream external wall so as to discharge the flow of hot air outwardly of the air intake, the discharge conduit comprising a first end connected to the internal partition wall, a second end connected to the downstream external wall of the downstream portion and a main body extending between the first end and the second end.
The invention is remarkable in that the main body of the discharge conduit comprises at least one flexible portion. By virtue of the invention, the discharge conduit is able to withstand mechanical forces involved in the air intake as well as stresses generated by thermal expansion of the materials. The flexible portion of the main body can in fact be slightly deformed to respond to said forces and stresses involved in the air intake. The flexible portion advantageously allows vibrations between the ends of the discharge conduit to be attenuated. In addition, such a discharge conduit has a reduced mass in comparison with a titanium tube according to prior art. The mass is further reduced by the fact that such a discharge conduit does not require additional reinforcements at the first end and second end, unlike prior art. The assembly is further simplified due to the flexible portion which offers greater assembly tolerances.
Preferentially, the air intake comprises a single discharge conduit, sufficient to discharge the hot air flow present in the annular cavity.
According to one aspect of the invention, the flexible portion of the main body comprises at least one elastomer, preferably silicone. Such a material is able to deform and withstand high temperatures of the hot air flow, up to 300° C.
Preferably, the elastomer is reinforced with fibers, preferably glass or carbon fibers, to increase mechanical strength of the discharge conduit without impacting its mass.
According to a first aspect of the invention, the main body comprises a downstream portion and an upstream portion, the downstream portion being the flexible portion. Preferably, the main body comprises only a downstream portion and an upstream portion. Advantageously, the downstream portion, connected to the downstream external wall, is the portion where most of the mechanical forces are exerted. The flexible nature of the downstream portion thus makes it possible to respond to most of the forces exerted on the discharge conduit.
Preferably, the upstream portion of the main body is rigid in order to provide the discharge conduit with greater mechanical strength. Preferably, the upstream portion has a smaller cross-sectional area than the downstream portion. A reinforced upstream portion allows for reduced deformation for a small cross-sectional area.
According to a preferred aspect, the downstream portion and the upstream portion are sealingly connected, preferably by screwing, so as to ensure proper discharge of the hot air flow outwardly of the air intake.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the main body comprises only a flexible portion, which reduces the mass and gives the discharge conduit a greater distortion capacity.
According to another aspect of the invention, the first end of the discharge conduit is in the form of a first, preferably metallic, plate preferably comprising a titanium alloy. Preferably, the second end of the discharge conduit is in the form of a second, preferably metallic, plate preferably comprising a titanium alloy. Such ends allow for both sealed and rigid attachment to the internal partition wall and the downstream external wall of the downstream part.
Preferably, the flexible portion comprises a ribbed external wall.
The invention also relates to an aircraft turbomachine extending longitudinally along an axis X in which an air flow circulates from upstream to downstream, said turbomachine comprising a nacelle comprising an air intake as previously described.
The invention further relates to a method for discharging the hot air flow injected by the de-icing device into the annular cavity of the lip of the air intake, as previously described, wherein the discharge conduit conveys the hot air flow from the passage opening of the internal partition wall to the outlet opening of the downstream external wall, so as to discharge the hot air flow outwardly of the air intake.
The invention will be better understood from the following description, which is given by way of example only, and refers to the appended drawings, which are given as non-limiting examples, in which identical references are given to similar objects and in which:
It should be noted that the figures set out the invention in detail for implementing the invention, said figures of course being capable of serving to better define the invention where appropriate.
The invention, set forth hereinafter with reference to
As previously described, with reference to
As illustrated in
Still with reference to
As illustrated in
The injection conduit 4 for a hot air flow Fac of the de-icing device is mounted in the annular cavity 24. In the example of
As illustrated in
With reference to
Still with reference to
As illustrated in
In this example, the air intake 1 has a single passage opening 51 and a single outlet opening 34, with the discharge conduit 6 configured to fluidly communicate the single passage opening 51 of the internal wall 5 and the single outlet opening 34. Of course, a discharge conduit 6 may fluidly communicate one or more passage openings 51 of the internal wall 5 and one or more outlet openings 34 of the downstream external wall 32 depending on the configurations. Preferably, the air intake 1 comprises a single discharge conduit 6, sufficient to discharge the hot air flow Fac. However, it goes without saying that the air intake 1 could comprise several discharge conduits 6 at different angular positions about the axis X, each providing fluid communication between one or more passage openings 51 and one or more outlet openings 34.
With reference to
In this example, the main body 61 has a substantially increasing cross-section from upstream to downstream in order to facilitate discharge.
According to the invention, the main body 61 of the discharge conduit 6 has at least one flexible portion 60, 62 as illustrated in
Preferably, the flexible portion 60, 62 of the main body 61 comprises an elastomer, for example silicone, having good flexibility and resisting high temperatures observed in the air intake 1. Preferably, the elastomer is reinforced by fibers, to increase the mechanical strength of the discharge conduit 6, the fibers being preferably glass fibers or carbon fibers.
Also preferably, as illustrated in
Advantageously, such a discharge conduit 6 is capable of absorbing mechanical forces involved in the air intake 1 and of compensating for thermal expansion of the materials of the air intake 1, by undergoing a mechanical deformation D. Such a discharge conduit 6 thus has a more durable mechanical strength in comparison with the titanium bent tube of prior art. In particular, mechanical stresses exerted at the ends 7, 8, 9 are significantly reduced. Furthermore, the discharge conduit 6 has a very low mass in comparison with the titanium bent tube of prior art, which is an important advantage for an aeronautical application. Such a discharge conduit 6 has a better resistance to mechanical vibrations and is easier to assemble.
A fully flexible main body 61 according to a first embodiment of the invention (
According to the first embodiment of the invention, with reference to
In the example of
Preferably, the first plate 70 and/or the second plate 80 are flattened in such a way as to cooperate in a form-fitting manner with the internal partition wall 5 and/or the downstream external wall 32, which improves sealing.
Preferably, the first plate 70 and/or the second plate 80 are metallic so as to have sufficient mechanical strength. In this example, the plates 70, 80 comprise a titanium alloy. Advantageously, such plates 70, 80 are sufficient to ensure strength of the discharge conduit 6. The addition of reinforcements and/or seals is not necessary unlike prior art, which further reduces the mass of the discharge conduit 6. Thus, the discharge conduit 6 comprises a main body 61 connected to a first rigid plate 70 and a second rigid plate 80, which are preferably metallic. This provides a compromise between flexibility and rigidity, with the flexible portion 60 attenuating vibrations between the ends of the discharge conduit 6.
According to the second embodiment of the invention, with reference to
Advantageously, the downstream portion 62 compensates for the mechanical forces present in the air intake 1 while the upstream portion 63 has greater mechanical strength. Increased mechanical strength upstream is advantageous given that the cross-section of the discharge conduit 6 is smaller upstream. In addition, the overall size is more restrained upstream and increased mechanical strength reduces any undesirable clearance of the discharge conduit. In addition, the downstream portion of the discharge conduit 6 corresponds to the zone most prone to mechanical failure under mechanical stresses. The use of a flexible downstream portion 62 enables risk of rupture to be reduced.
The second embodiment thus advantageously combines the advantages of a rigid tube and a flexible discharge conduit 6.
As in the first embodiment, the first end 9 and the second end 8 of the discharge conduit 6 are in the form of plates 90, 80, referred to as “first plate 90” and “second plate 80” respectively. However, as illustrated in
Still with reference to
According to a third embodiment not represented, the upstream portion 63 and the downstream portion 62 could be flexible and connected together in a modular fashion. According to a fourth embodiment of the invention not represented, the upstream portion 63 is flexible while the downstream portion 62 is rigid. Reinforcements and/or a seal are then preferably added to the second end 8 but would no longer be required on the first end 9. According to a fifth embodiment of the invention not represented, the main body 61 could comprise more than two different portions. In particular, the main body 61 could comprise alternating rigid and flexible portions.
A method for discharging the hot air flow Fac injected through the injection conduit 4 into the annular cavity 24, by means of the previously described discharge conduit 6, is described below. With reference to
By virtue of the invention described above, the hot air flow Fac injected into the annular cavity 24 of the lip 2 can be discharged in a simple and convenient manner by means of a discharge conduit 6 with reduced mass. The flexible nature of the discharge conduit 6 also allows mechanical forces in the air intake 1 to be absorbed, as well as compensating for thermal expansion of the materials due to the temperature conditions in the air intake 1 during flight, making the discharge conduit 6 more efficient and durable. Assembly is further simplified due to the flexible portion 60, 62 which provides greater assembly tolerances.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1909254 | Aug 2019 | FR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP2020/072483 | 8/11/2020 | WO |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2021/032534 | 2/25/2021 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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20070130912 | Kraft | Jun 2007 | A1 |
20090108134 | Thodiyil | Apr 2009 | A1 |
20090194633 | De Souza | Aug 2009 | A1 |
20100252685 | Porte | Oct 2010 | A1 |
20140263837 | Sternberger | Sep 2014 | A1 |
20170122204 | Versaevel | May 2017 | A1 |
20170191585 | Maben | Jul 2017 | A1 |
20190263529 | Edwards | Aug 2019 | A1 |
20200025072 | Mackin | Jan 2020 | A1 |
20200108942 | Laly | Apr 2020 | A1 |
20200141317 | Kroeger | May 2020 | A1 |
20210024220 | Burton | Jan 2021 | A1 |
20210324799 | Suzuki | Oct 2021 | A1 |
20220186665 | Corbin | Jun 2022 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
0918149 | May 1999 | EP |
0922842 | Jun 1999 | EP |
H01237294 | Sep 1989 | JP |
Entry |
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Search Report from the French Intellectual Property Office on corresponding FR application (FR1909254) dated Feb. 11, 2020. |
International Search Report and Written Opinion on corresponding PCT application (PCT/EP2020/072483) from International Searching Authority (EPO) dated Oct. 22, 2020. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20220267019 A1 | Aug 2022 | US |