Variable fuselage fuel tank structure of high-speed aircraft

Abstract

A variable fuselage fuel tank structure of a high-speed aircraft comprises a fuselage fixing structure, an external flexible heat insulation skin and an internal skin bearing framework. The machine body fixing structure comprises a lower wall plate and an upper wall plate; the edges of the lower wall plate and the upper wall plate are connected, and the upper wall plate is provided with a fuel circulating hole; the outer flexible heat insulation skin is connected with the edge of the upper wall plate; the external flexible heat-insulating skin comprises a flexible fabric heat-proof outer layer and a microporous aerogel heat-insulating inner layer; the inner skin bearing framework is connected to the inner side of the outer flexible heat insulation skin and comprises reinforcing longitudinal beams, elastic elements and high-temperature-resistant rubber. The longitudinal beams are connected to the inner side of the outer flexible heat insulation skin in the longitudinal direction. A plurality of groups of elastic elements are respectively connected between two adjacent longitudinal beams, are distributed along the longitudinal direction, and are connected to the inner side of the external flexible heat insulation skin; and the high-temperature-resistant rubber is filled between the longitudinal beam and the elastic element, is filled in the elastic element and is adhered to the inner side of the external flexible heat-insulating skin.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the technical field of variable fuselage fuel tank structure design for high-speed aircraft, specifically relating to a variable fuselage fuel tank structure for high-speed aircraft. Background Technology

[0002] High-speed aircraft have a high fuel efficiency, requiring larger fuselage fuel tank space to meet the needs of long range. On the other hand, during high-speed flight, the fuselage cross-sectional area needs to be reduced to decrease aerodynamic drag and meet aerodynamic performance requirements. To address this, the fuselage fuel tank of high-speed aircraft is designed as a deformable structure, reducing the fuselage cross-sectional area as fuel is consumed, thus ensuring range while also considering aerodynamic drag during high-speed flight.

[0003] Currently, the variable fuselage fuel tank structure of high-speed aircraft adopts either rigid deformation or flexible skin design. Among them, rigid deformation design is difficult to achieve distributed, seamless, and smooth continuous deformation, which means that the aerodynamic shape of high-speed aircraft cannot change continuously, resulting in poor drag reduction effect. Flexible skin design has low out-of-plane load bearing capacity and cannot withstand high temperatures, making it difficult to adapt to harsh aerodynamic and thermodynamic environments.

[0004] This application is made in view of the aforementioned technical deficiencies. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to address the problem that the fuselage fuel tank space of high-speed aircraft is difficult to continuously and flexibly deform under harsh thermal environments, and to provide a variable fuselage fuel tank structure for high-speed aircraft, so as to achieve continuous changes in fuselage shape and effectively reduce high-speed aerodynamic drag.

[0006] The technical solution of this application is:

[0007] A variable fuselage fuel tank structure for a high-speed aircraft includes a fixed fuselage structure, an external flexible heat-insulating skin, and an internal skin load-bearing frame.

[0008] The fuselage fixing structure includes a lower wall panel and an upper wall panel;

[0009] The lower and upper wall panels are connected at their edges, forming an internal fixed fuel tank space. The upper wall panel has fuel flow holes.

[0010] The outer flexible thermal insulation skin is connected to the edge of the upper wall panel, forming an external variable fuel tank space with the upper and lower wall panels;

[0011] The external flexible thermal insulation skin includes a flexible fabric thermal insulation outer layer and a microporous aerogel thermal insulation inner layer, wherein the flexible fabric thermal insulation outer layer is bonded to the outside of the microporous aerogel thermal insulation inner layer.

[0012] The inner skin load-bearing frame is connected to the inner side of the outer flexible thermal insulation skin, including reinforcing longitudinal beams, elastic elements, and high-temperature resistant rubber;

[0013] There are multiple longitudinal beams, which are connected longitudinally to the inside of the external flexible thermal insulation skin;

[0014] There are multiple sets of elastic elements, which are connected between two adjacent longitudinal beams, distributed along the longitudinal direction, and connected to the inside of the outer flexible thermal insulation skin;

[0015] High-temperature resistant rubber is filled between the longitudinal beams and elastic elements, as well as inside the elastic elements, and bonded to the inside of the outer flexible thermal insulation skin.

[0016] According to at least one embodiment of this application, in the above-described high-speed aircraft variable fuselage fuel tank structure, the fuselage fixed structure further includes a central support longitudinal wall, an auxiliary support longitudinal wall, and a transverse support partition.

[0017] The central support longitudinal wall is longitudinally supported between the lower and upper wall panels;

[0018] There are two auxiliary support longitudinal walls, which are longitudinally supported between the lower wall panel and the upper wall panel, and distributed on both sides of the central support longitudinal wall;

[0019] There are multiple transverse support partitions, which are distributed intersecting with the central support longitudinal wall and the auxiliary support longitudinal wall between the lower and upper walls of the transverse support;

[0020] Fuel flow holes can be designed on the central support longitudinal wall, auxiliary support longitudinal wall, and transverse support partition.

[0021] According to at least one embodiment of this application, in the above-described high-speed aircraft variable fuselage fuel tank structure, the middle part of the external flexible heat insulation skin is longitudinally connected to the middle part of the upper wall panel, dividing the external variable fuel tank space into two parts longitudinally.

[0022] According to at least one embodiment of this application, in the above-described high-speed aircraft variable fuselage fuel tank structure, the elastic element in the inner skin support frame is made of shape memory alloy and is elliptical or rhomboid in shape, and is regulated by electric heating.

[0023] According to at least one embodiment of this application, the above-described high-speed aircraft variable fuselage fuel tank structure further includes a flexible deformable support truss.

[0024] There are two sets of flexible deformable support trusses, which are set in the two external variant tank spaces. They are supported laterally on the inner side of the inner skin load-bearing frame and connected at the root to the middle part of the upper wall panel and the longitudinal edge.

[0025] The flexible deformable support truss includes multiple triangular units that are hinged in sequence. Each triangular unit includes a support rod, an electric telescopic rod, and a support truss. The support truss is rectangular, with its top edge connected to the inner side of the inner skin load-bearing frame. One end of the support rod is hinged to the top edge of the support truss. One end of the electric telescopic rod is hinged to the bottom edge of the support truss, and the other end is hinged to the other end of the support rod.

[0026] In adjacent triangular units, one end of the support rod and the electric telescopic rod in the rear triangular unit are hinged to each other on the bottom edge of the support truss in the front triangular unit.

[0027] According to at least one embodiment of this application, in the above-mentioned high-speed aircraft variable fuselage fuel tank structure, the triangular unit of the flexible deformable support truss has two sets of support rods and electric telescopic rods, which are distributed on both sides of the support truss.

[0028] This application has at least the following beneficial technical effects:

[0029] A variable fuselage fuel tank structure for high-speed aircraft is provided. The deformable skin adopts a multi-layer design, with an outer flexible heat-insulating skin for heat insulation and an inner skin load-bearing frame for support. The superelasticity of shape memory alloy is utilized to achieve large deformation and high load-bearing capacity. The flexible deformable support truss is used for traction and coordinated deformation. After the outer flexible heat-insulating skin has deformed, it can provide support for the outer flexible heat-insulating skin and transfer the load to the fixed fuselage structure, which then bears the load. This achieves flexible load-bearing capacity, continuous deformation, and high temperature resistance. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of the variable fuselage fuel tank structure of a high-speed aircraft provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a partial schematic diagram of the variable fuselage fuel tank structure of a high-speed aircraft provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between the external flexible thermal insulation skin and the internal skin load-bearing frame provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0033] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible deformable support truss provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0034] in:

[0035] 1-Fixed fuselage structure; 2-External flexible thermal insulation skin; 3-Internal skin load-bearing frame; 4-Flexible deformable support truss;

[0036] 11-Lower wall panel; 12-Upper wall panel; 13-Central support longitudinal wall; 14-Auxiliary support longitudinal wall; 15-Transverse support partition;

[0037] 21- Flexible fabric heat-insulating outer layer; 22- Microporous aerogel heat-insulating inner layer;

[0038] 31-Reinforcing longitudinal beam; 32-Elastic element; 33-High temperature resistant rubber;

[0039] 41-Support rod; 42-Electric telescopic rod; 43-Support truss.

[0040] To better illustrate this embodiment, some content in the accompanying drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced. They are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0041] To make the technical solution and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solution of this application will be described in a clearer and more complete manner below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only some embodiments of this application, and are only used to explain this application, not to limit this application. It should be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts related to this application are shown in the accompanying drawings, and other related parts can be referred to the general design.

[0042] Furthermore, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this application description shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. The word "comprising" as used in this application description indicates that the concept preceding the word encompasses the concepts listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other related concepts.

[0043] Furthermore, the terms indicating location used in the description of this application are only used to indicate relative directions or positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, its relative positional relationship may also change accordingly. It should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, terms such as "installation" and "connection" used in the description of this application should be interpreted broadly. For example, a connection can be a fixed connection or a detachable connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand its specific meaning in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0044] A variable fuselage fuel tank structure for a high-speed aircraft includes a fixed fuselage structure 1, an external flexible thermal insulation skin 2, an internal skin load-bearing frame 3, and a flexible deformable support truss 4, such as... Figure 1 As shown.

[0045] The fuselage fixing structure 1 includes a lower wall panel 11, an upper wall panel 12, a central supporting longitudinal wall 13, an auxiliary supporting longitudinal wall 14, and a transverse supporting partition 15, such as Figure 2 As shown.

[0046] The lower wall panel 11 and the upper wall panel 12 are connected at their edges, forming an internal fixed fuel tank space. The upper wall panel 12 has fuel flow holes. The external profiles of the lower wall panel 11 and the upper wall panel 12 are designed according to the configuration required for high-speed flight of the aircraft.

[0047] The central support longitudinal wall 13 is longitudinally supported between the lower wall panel 11 and the upper wall panel 12.

[0048] There are two auxiliary support longitudinal walls 14, which are longitudinally supported between the lower wall panel 11 and the upper wall panel 12, and distributed on both sides of the central support longitudinal wall 13.

[0049] There are multiple transverse support partitions 15, which are distributed intersecting with the central support longitudinal wall 13 and the auxiliary support longitudinal wall 14 between the lower wall panel 11 and the upper wall panel 12 of the transverse support.

[0050] Fuel flow holes can be designed on the central support longitudinal wall 13, the auxiliary support longitudinal wall 14, and the transverse support partition 15.

[0051] The outer flexible thermal insulation skin 2 is connected to the upper wall panel 12 at the edge, forming an external variable fuel tank space with the upper and lower wall panels 11. The middle part of the outer flexible thermal insulation skin 2 is longitudinally connected to the middle part of the upper wall panel 12, dividing the external variable fuel tank space into two parts longitudinally.

[0052] The external flexible thermal insulation skin 2 includes a flexible fabric thermal insulation outer layer 21 and a microporous aerogel thermal insulation inner layer 22, wherein the flexible fabric thermal insulation outer layer 21 is bonded to the outside of the microporous aerogel thermal insulation inner layer 22, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the external flexible thermal insulation skin 2 is used to insulate the aircraft from external aerodynamic heat, and its thickness can be designed according to the external aerodynamic heat of the aircraft.

[0053] The inner skin support frame 3 is connected to the inner side of the outer flexible heat insulation skin 2, including reinforcing longitudinal beams 31, elastic elements 32, and high-temperature resistant rubber 33.

[0054] There are multiple longitudinal beams 31, which are connected longitudinally to the inside of the outer flexible thermal insulation skin 2.

[0055] There are multiple sets of elastic elements 32, which are respectively connected between two adjacent longitudinal beams 31, distributed along the longitudinal direction, and connected to the inner side of the outer flexible thermal insulation skin 2.

[0056] The elastic element 32 can be designed in an elliptical shape or other suitable shape, such as a rhombus. It can be made of shape memory alloy and can be designed with corresponding electrical circuits to adjust its temperature by electric heating, so as to adjust the deformed shape and have strong rigidity after adjustment.

[0057] High-temperature resistant rubber 33 is filled between the longitudinal beam 31 and the elastic element 32, and is also filled inside the elastic element 32 and bonded to the inner side of the outer flexible heat insulation skin 2.

[0058] There are two sets of flexible deformable support trusses 4, which are set in the two external variant tank spaces. They are supported laterally on the inner side of the inner skin load-bearing frame 3, and their roots are connected to the middle part of the upper wall panel 12 and the longitudinal edge.

[0059] The flexible deformable support truss 4 includes multiple sequentially hinged triangular units. Each triangular unit includes a support rod 41, an electrically operated telescopic rod 42, and a support truss 43, as shown below. Figure 4 As shown, the support truss 43 is rectangular, with its top edge connected to the inner side of the inner skin load-bearing frame 3; one end of the support rod 41 is hinged to the top edge of the support truss 43; one end of the electric telescopic rod 42 is hinged to the bottom edge of the support truss 43, and the other end is hinged to the other end of the support rod 41.

[0060] There are two sets of support rods 41 and electric telescopic rods 42 in the triangular unit, which are distributed on both sides of the support truss 43.

[0061] In adjacent triangular units, one end of the support rod 41 and the electric telescopic rod 42 in the rear triangular unit are hinged to each other on the bottom edge of the support truss 43 in the front triangular unit. In this way, the extension and retraction of the electric telescopic rod 42 can be controlled to coordinate the deformation with the external flexible thermal insulation skin 2 and the internal skin load-bearing frame 3.

[0062] The variable fuselage fuel tank structure for high-speed aircraft disclosed in the above embodiments, in practical applications, allows for temperature control of the elastic element 32, causing it to deform and controlling the extension of the electrically telescopic rod 42 to support the outer flexible heat-insulating skin 2. This allows fuel to be added to the internal fixed fuel tank space between the lower wall panel 11 and the upper wall panel 12. After the internal fixed fuel tank space is filled, the fuel flows through the flow holes into the external variable fuel tank space between the upper wall panel 12 and the outer flexible heat-insulating skin 2. This enables the aircraft to carry sufficient fuel to meet its range requirements. Fuel consumption begins with a reduction in fuel in the external variable fuel tank space. At this point, the elastic element 32 can be temperature-controlled again to deform it and control the electrically telescopic rod 42 to contract, causing the external flexible heat-insulating skin 2 to adaptively contract. This reduces the cross-sectional area of ​​the fuselage, lowers aerodynamic drag, and meets the aerodynamic performance requirements for high-speed flight. Finally, the external flexible heat-insulating skin 2 adheres to the upper panel 12, forming the configuration required for high-speed flight, thus ensuring range while also meeting the aerodynamic drag requirements for high-speed flight.

[0063] The high-speed aircraft variable fuselage fuel tank structure disclosed in the above embodiments includes a fixed fuselage structure 1, an external flexible heat-insulating skin 2, an internal skin load-bearing frame 3, and a flexible deformable support truss 4. The external flexible heat-insulating skin 2 is made of high-temperature resistant polymer and its thickness can be adjusted according to external aerodynamic heating. It mainly serves as heat insulation and can deform in coordination with the internal variable structure. The internal skin load-bearing frame 3 is composed of shape memory alloy, high-temperature resistant rubber, and related reinforcing frame components. It utilizes the superelasticity of shape memory alloy to achieve large deformation and high load-bearing capacity, and works in conjunction with the internal flexible deformable support truss. 4. Coordinated Deformation: The flexible deformable support truss 4 is mainly used for active deformation driven by the distributed telescopic rods 42, and to pull the inner skin load-bearing frame 3 and the outer flexible thermal insulation skin 2 to deform in a coordinated manner. After deformation, it bears and transmits aerodynamic loads together with the drive mechanism. The flexible deformable support truss 4 only bears local aerodynamic loads and is supported on the fuselage fixed structure 1. The telescopic rods 42 are distributed at each joint node position and are used for the deformation and locking of the flexible deformable support truss 4. The fuselage fixed structure 1 is the main load-bearing structure of the fuselage that is not deformable and is used to support the deformable structure and transmit the load of the whole aircraft.

[0064] The technical solution of this application has been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of protection of this application is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the principles of this application, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or substitutions to the relevant technical features, and the technical solutions after these changes or substitutions will all fall within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A variable fuselage fuel tank structure for a high-speed aircraft, characterized in that, It includes a fuselage fixing structure (1), an external flexible heat-insulating skin (2), and an internal skin load-bearing frame (3); The fuselage fixing structure (1) includes a lower wall panel (11) and an upper wall panel (12); The lower wall panel (11) and the upper wall panel (12) are connected at their edges, forming an internal fixed fuel tank space. The upper wall panel (12) has a fuel flow hole. The outer flexible heat insulation skin (2) is connected to the upper wall panel (12) at the edge, and forms an external variant fuel tank space with the upper and lower wall panels (11); The external flexible heat insulation skin (2) includes a flexible fabric heat insulation outer layer (21) and a microporous aerogel heat insulation inner layer (22), wherein the flexible fabric heat insulation outer layer (21) is bonded to the outside of the microporous aerogel heat insulation inner layer (22). The inner skin support frame (3) is connected to the inner side of the outer flexible thermal insulation skin (2), including reinforcing longitudinal beams (31), elastic elements (32), and high-temperature resistant rubber (33); There are multiple longitudinal beams (31), which are connected longitudinally to the inside of the outer flexible thermal insulation skin (2); There are multiple sets of elastic elements (32), which are connected between two adjacent longitudinal beams (31), distributed along the longitudinal direction, and connected to the inside of the outer flexible thermal insulation skin (2); High-temperature resistant rubber (33) is filled between the longitudinal beam (31) and the elastic element (32), and is also filled inside the elastic element (32) and bonded to the inside of the outer flexible thermal insulation skin (2).

2. The high-speed aircraft variable fuselage fuel tank structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fuselage fixing structure (1) also includes a central support longitudinal wall (13), an auxiliary support longitudinal wall (14), and a transverse support partition (15); The central support longitudinal wall (13) is longitudinally supported between the lower wall panel (11) and the upper wall panel (12); There are two auxiliary support longitudinal walls (14), which are longitudinally supported between the lower wall panel (11) and the upper wall panel (12), and distributed on both sides of the central support longitudinal wall (13); There are multiple transverse support partitions (15), which are distributed intersecting with the central support longitudinal wall (13) and the auxiliary support longitudinal wall (14) between the lower wall panel (11) and the upper wall panel (12) of the transverse support; Fuel flow holes can be designed on the central support longitudinal wall (13), auxiliary support longitudinal wall (14), and transverse support partition (15).

3. The high-speed aircraft variable fuselage fuel tank structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The middle part of the external flexible heat insulation skin (2) is longitudinally connected to the middle part of the upper wall panel (12), dividing the external variant tank space into two parts longitudinally.

4. The high-speed aircraft variable fuselage fuel tank structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, In the inner skin support frame (3), the elastic element (32) is made of shape memory alloy and is elliptical or rhomboid in shape, and is regulated by electric heating.

5. The high-speed aircraft variable fuselage fuel tank structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes flexible deformable support trusses (4); There are two sets of flexible deformable support trusses (4), which are set in the two external variant tank spaces, and are supported laterally on the inner side of the inner skin load-bearing frame (3). The root is connected to the middle part of the upper wall panel (12) and the longitudinal edge. The flexible deformable support truss (4) includes multiple triangular units that are hinged in sequence. Each triangular unit includes a support rod (41), an electric telescopic rod (42), and a support truss (43). The support truss (43) is rectangular, and its top edge is connected to the inside of the inner skin load-bearing frame (3). One end of the support rod (41) is hinged to the top edge of the support truss (43). One end of the electric telescopic rod (42) is hinged to the bottom edge of the support truss (43), and the other end is hinged to the other end of the support rod (41). In the adjacent triangular units, the end of the support rod (41) and the electric telescopic rod (42) in the rear triangular unit is hinged to the bottom edge of the support truss (43) in the front triangular unit.

6. The high-speed aircraft variable fuselage fuel tank structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, In the triangular unit of the flexible deformable support truss (4), there are two sets of support rods (41) and electric telescopic rods (42), which are distributed on both sides of the support truss (43).

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