Patent Application
20230079530
This application claims the benefit of the French patent application No. 2109500 filed on Sep. 10, 2021, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by way of reference.
The invention relates to the field of the protection of propulsion engines of aircraft.
When an aircraft is parked on the ground, especially if the time spent parked exceeds a few days, it is customary to protect an air inlet and sometimes an air outlet of the engine by means of a protective tarpaulin. This tarpaulin is generally fitted on a nacelle surrounding the engine, more particularly at an air inlet lip of the nacelle. The aim of placing such a tarpaulin is notably to protect the engine and the nacelle from sand, rain, strong wind and intrusions by insects or birds. Such a tarpaulin is generally made of a material corresponding to a plastics material or to a fabric impregnated with plastic, so as to be sealed with respect to water and air.
However, it has been observed that when an aircraft is parked for a prolonged period, for example for a period of several weeks or several months, such a tarpaulin promotes the accumulation of moisture inside the engine and the nacelle, in particular on the lip of the air inlet of the nacelle. In order to avoid any risk of corrosion, it would be desirable to find a solution to this problem of moisture accumulation.
The present invention aims, in particular, to provide a solution to this problem. It relates to a protective tarpaulin for a propulsion engine of an aircraft. This tarpaulin is noteworthy in that it is made of a material having an air permeability index that is sufficiently high to prevent the accumulation of moisture inside the engine or a nacelle surrounding the engine.
Thus, the material of the tarpaulin is what is known as a “breathable” material, thus making it possible to avoid the accumulation of moisture inside the engine and the nacelle.
According to various embodiments, which can be taken in isolation or in combination:
The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description and upon studying the appended figures.
The aircraft 1 shown in
In a first embodiment, the tarpaulin 10 is made of a material corresponding to stretched PTFE (acronym for polytetrafluoroethylene). This material has the property of being “breathable”, that is to say, of allowing moisture present in the engine or in the nacelle to be discharged, due to a sufficiently high air permeability index of the material. Such a material is sold, for example, under the name Gore® or Gore Tex®. This material allows the tarpaulin to fulfil its customary functions, that is to say, of protecting the engine and the nacelle against the ingress of dust, sand, rain, insects, birds, etc. In addition, since the material is breathable, it has the advantage of preventing the accumulation of moisture inside the engine and the nacelle. This material is also pliable and can be easily stretched, and this has the advantage of allowing the edge 14 of the tarpaulin to be readily stretched and pressed against the nacelle 5 when the tarpaulin is fitted on the nacelle.
In a second embodiment, the tarpaulin 10 is made of a material corresponding to a net with a fine mesh, for example less than or equal to 2 mm. In a particular manner, the mesh of the net is less than or equal to 1 mm. This material also allows the tarpaulin to fulfil its customary functions insofar as the mesh of the net is sufficiently fine. In addition, it is breathable since the air is able to pass through the meshes of the net. This makes it possible to prevent the accumulation of moisture inside the engine and the nacelle.
In a third embodiment, as shown in
Although various embodiments have been described for a tarpaulin for an air inlet of the engine assembly 3 plus nacelle 5, this is not limiting of the invention which also applies to a tarpaulin provided so as to be disposed on an air outlet of the engine assembly plus nacelle.
While at least one exemplary embodiment of the present invention(s) is disclosed herein, it should be understood that modifications, substitutions and alternatives may be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. This disclosure is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the exemplary embodiment(s). In addition, in this disclosure, the terms “comprise” or “comprising” do not exclude other elements or steps, the terms “a” or “one” do not exclude a plural number, and the term “or” means either or both. Furthermore, characteristics or steps which have been described may also be used in combination with other characteristics or steps and in any order unless the disclosure or context suggests otherwise. This disclosure hereby incorporates by reference the complete disclosure of any patent or application from which it claims benefit or priority.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2109500 | Sep 2021 | FR | national |
