Air intake protection device and aircraft engine

Abstract

An air intake protection device is used to be arranged on a mounting casing, the mounting casing includes an outer ring, an inner ring and a plurality of support plates, the two ends of the plurality of support plates are respectively fixedly connected to the outer ring and the inner ring, and a plurality of air intakes are formed between the plurality of support plates, the outer ring and the inner ring, the air intake protection device includes a protective layer component and a control system, the protective layer component is arranged at the air intake, the control system generates electromagnetic force after power is turned on, wherein the protective layer component can move from a retracted state to an open state, the protective layer component covers the air intake in the open state, and opens the air intake in the retracted state, and the movement of the protective layer component between the retracted state and the open state is controlled by electromagnetic force. The use of the air intake protection device can improve the safety of the engine when encountering extreme hail weather. An aircraft engine is also provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of aeroengines, and in particular to an air intake protection device of an aeroengine. Background Art

[0002] Aircraft engines often encounter extreme hail weather during their service. Generally, under the centrifugal effect of the fan, some hail will be thrown away from the core flow passage. However, when the aircraft is flying at a high speed, the engine speed is low, and when encountering high-concentration hail, the fan's throwing-off effect is no longer obvious, and a large amount of hail is sucked into the engine's core flow passage, which may cause the following hazards:

[0003] 1. Hail particles entering the high-pressure compressor will collide violently with the engine blades, causing mechanical damage to the blades;

[0004] 2. During the melting process of hail, ice may accumulate between the boost stage and the high-pressure compressor. The shedding of these ice blocks will also cause mechanical damage to the high-pressure blades.

[0005] 3. Hail inhalation can also cause the engine to lose its ability to work, such as surge, stall, unacceptable power or thrust loss, and flameout.

[0006] At present, the world's major aviation turbofan engine suppliers have not taken effective hardware equipment to avoid the harm caused by hail inhalation. In order to avoid the above-mentioned hail inhalation hazards, it is necessary to design an intake protection device with simple structure and strong feasibility to improve the safety of the engine when encountering extreme hail weather. Summary of the invention

[0007] One object of the present invention is to provide an air intake protection device capable of improving the safety of an engine when encountering extreme hail weather.

[0008] The above-mentioned air intake protection device is used to be arranged on an installation casing, and the installation casing includes an outer ring, an inner ring and a plurality of support plates, the two ends of the plurality of support plates are respectively fixedly connected to the outer ring and the inner ring, and a plurality of air intakes are formed between the plurality of support plates, the outer ring and the inner ring, and the air intake protection device includes: a protection layer assembly, which is arranged at the air intake; a control system, which generates electromagnetic force after power is turned on; wherein, the protection layer assembly can move from a retracted state to an open state, the protection layer assembly covers the air intake in the open state, and opens the air intake in the retracted state, and the movement of the protection layer assembly between the retracted state and the open state is controlled by the electromagnetic force.

[0009] In one or more embodiments, the protective layer assembly includes a skeleton and a protective layer, wherein two ends of the skeleton are movably connected to the outer ring and the inner ring respectively, and two sides of the protective layer are connected to the skeleton and the support plate respectively; wherein the protective layer assembly is movable along the circumference of the mounting casing to move from the retracted state to the open state.

[0010] In one or more embodiments, the air intake protection device includes: slide grooves respectively provided in the outer ring and the inner ring; movable parts are provided at both ends of the frame, and the movable parts are movable in the slide grooves.

[0011] In one or more embodiments, the control system includes an electromagnet, and the air intake protection device includes fixed parts arranged at both ends of the support plate. The electromagnet is set as one of the fixed part and the movable part, and the electromagnet generates electromagnetic attraction or repulsion on the other of the fixed part and the movable part when energized.

[0012] In one or more embodiments, the electromagnet generates electromagnetic attraction on the other party after being energized to keep the protective layer assembly in the retracted state; wherein the air intake protection device also includes a spring, and the spring is arranged in the slide grooves of the inner ring and the outer ring, and the ends of the spring are respectively connected to the movable part and the fixed part.

[0013] In one or more embodiments, an insulating block is further included. In the retracted state, the insulating block is arranged on a side of the fixed part away from the movable part, or the insulating block is arranged on a side of the movable part away from the fixed part.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, the protective layer is a foldable mesh structure.

[0015] In one or more embodiments, the inner ring has an inner ring sliding groove, the outer ring has an outer ring sliding groove, and the inner ring sliding groove and the outer ring sliding groove are located at the same engine axis position.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, the control system synchronously adjusts a plurality of the protective layer assemblies.

[0017] The above-mentioned air intake protection device adopts electromagnetic force control to form a protective layer. When encountering extreme hail weather, the hail and the fallen internal ice are filtered so that they cannot directly enter the high-pressure compressor flow path, thereby avoiding mechanical damage to the engine blades, surge, stall, unacceptable power or thrust loss and flameout and other abnormal situations, thereby improving the safety of the engine and reducing maintenance costs.

[0018] Another object of the present invention is to provide an aircraft engine that can improve the safety of the engine when encountering extreme hail weather.

[0019] The above-mentioned aircraft engine includes the above-mentioned air intake protection device.

[0020] The above-mentioned aircraft engine adopts an air intake protection device in the form of a protective layer controlled by electromagnetic force. When encountering extreme hail weather, the hail and the fallen internal ice are filtered so that they cannot directly enter the high-pressure compressor flow path, thereby avoiding mechanical damage to the engine blades, surge, stall, unacceptable power or thrust loss, and flameout and other abnormal situations, thereby improving the safety of the engine and reducing maintenance costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The above and other features, properties and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent through the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments, in which:

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an air intake protection device in a closed state according to an embodiment.

[0023] Figure 2 It is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of an air intake protection device according to an embodiment.

[0024] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an air intake protection device in an open state according to an embodiment.

[0025] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a control system according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The present invention is further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and drawings. More details are described in the following description to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention, but the present invention can obviously be implemented in a variety of other ways different from the description. Those skilled in the art can make similar generalizations and deductions based on actual application situations without violating the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should not be limited by the content of this specific embodiment. It should be noted that these and other subsequent drawings are only examples, which are not drawn according to the conditions of equal proportions, and should not be used as a limitation on the protection scope of the actual requirements of the present invention.

[0027] The turbofan engine includes a fan, a boost stage, a high-pressure compressor, a combustion chamber, a high-pressure turbine, a low-pressure turbine and a nozzle, wherein there is a front bearing casing between the boost stage and the high-pressure compressor, and the front bearing casing includes a plurality of front bearing casing support plates evenly arranged along the circumferential direction A. The mounting casing 1 is located at the inlet end of the high-pressure compressor, that is, the outlet end of the front bearing casing, and the mounting casing 1 includes a plurality of support plates 13. In a specific embodiment, the support plates 13 of the mounting casing 1 are consistent with the circumferential position of the front bearing casing support plates, so that the installation of the mounting casing 1 will not change the effective aerodynamic flow area of ​​the engine and will not block the main flow channel.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the mounting casing 1 includes an outer ring 11 and an inner ring 12 , and two ends 13 a and 13 b of a support plate 13 are fixedly connected to the outer ring 11 and the inner ring 12 respectively, and a plurality of air inlets 10 are formed between the outer ring 11 , the inner ring 12 and the support plate 13 of the mounting casing 1 .

[0029] like Figure 2 As shown, the air intake protection device is arranged on the mounting casing 1, and includes a plurality of protection layer components 2, and the protection layer components 2 are arranged at the air intake 10. Figure 4 As shown, the air intake protection device further comprises a control system 3, which can generate electromagnetic force after being energized.

[0030] The protective layer assembly 2 can move from a retracted state to an open state. Figure 1 In the stowed state shown in FIG, the protective layer assembly 2 opens the air inlet 10 to allow air flow from the outside to enter the installation casing through the air inlet 10. Figure 3 In the open state shown in the figure, the protective layer assembly 2 covers the air inlet 10, so that when encountering extreme weather, hail and other foreign objects that want to enter the installation casing will be blocked by the protective layer assembly 2, thereby preventing foreign objects from entering the casing and damaging the internal structure of the casing.

[0031] The movement of the protective layer assembly 2 between the retracted state and the open state is controlled by the electromagnetic force generated by the control system 3 after being powered on, so that in normal weather, the protective layer assembly 2 is in the retracted state, which will not affect the normal flow of the core engine flow channel and affect the engine operation. In extreme weather, such as hail weather, the protective layer assembly 2 is opened and quickly forms a uniform filtering protective layer to prevent the inhalation of hail and detached internal ice. In this way, the protective layer assembly 2 is only opened in extreme weather, which can minimize the disturbance of the flow field.

[0032] Although one embodiment of the protective layer assembly is described above, in other embodiments of the protective layer assembly, the protective layer assembly may have more details in many aspects relative to the above embodiment, and at least a part of these details may have various changes. At least a part of these details and changes are described below with some embodiments.

[0033] See also Figure 2 In one embodiment of the protective layer assembly, each protective layer assembly 2 includes a skeleton 25 and a protective layer 27, one side 27a of the protective layer 27 is connected to the skeleton 25, and the other side 27b is connected to the support plate 13, and the two ends 25a and 25b of the skeleton 25 are respectively movably connected to the outer ring 11 and the inner ring 12, and the skeleton 25 is movable along the circumferential direction A of the mounting casing 1, so that when the skeleton 25 moves, the protective layer assembly 2 can be opened or retracted along the circumferential direction A of the mounting casing 1, and the protective layer assembly 2 covers the air inlet 10 when in the open state, and opens the air inlet 10 when in the retracted state.

[0034] Of course, in some other Figure 2 In the different embodiments shown, the skeleton is configured to be retractable, and its two ends are movably connected to two adjacent support plates respectively, so that when the skeleton moves, the protective layer can be opened or retracted along the radial direction of the casing.

[0035] In one embodiment, the air intake protection device further includes slide grooves provided in the outer ring 11 and the inner ring 12 of the casing 1. Specifically, the inner ring 12 is provided with an inner ring slide groove 26, and the outer ring 11 is provided with an outer ring slide groove 21. Both ends 25a and 25b of the skeleton 25 are provided with movable parts 24, and the movable parts 24 can move in the inner ring slide groove 26 and the outer ring slide groove 21, so that the skeleton 25 can move along the circumferential direction A. Figure 2 In one embodiment shown, the movable part 24 is slidably matched with the inner ring groove 26 and the outer ring groove 21. Specifically, the movable part 24 is a slider, which is fixedly connected to the two ends 25a, 25b of the skeleton 25 by welding or other connection methods. The slider can slide in the inner ring groove 26 and the outer ring groove 21 to realize the movement of the skeleton 25 in the circumferential direction A.

[0036] In another embodiment different from that shown in the figure, slide grooves are provided on the skeleton 25 and the support plate 13, movable parts and fixed parts are provided in the skeleton slide grooves, and movable parts and fixed parts are provided in the support plate slide grooves. The movable parts can move relative to the fixed parts in the skeleton slide grooves and the support plate slide grooves, so that the protective layer assembly 2 can be opened or retracted along the radial direction of the installation casing 1, and the protective layer assembly 2 covers the air inlet 10 when in the open state and opens the air inlet 10 when in the retracted state.

[0037] Optionally, in one embodiment, the inner ring slide groove 26 and the outer ring slide groove 21 are located at the same position on the engine axis, so that the skeleton 25 connected to the inner ring slide groove 26 and the outer ring slide groove 21 has a relatively short length to achieve weight reduction of the entire engine. In other embodiments, the inner ring slide groove 26 and the outer ring slide groove 21 may not be located at the same position on the engine axis.

[0038] In a specific embodiment, the control system includes an electromagnet, and the air intake protection device includes a fixed part 22 at the two ends 13a and 13b of the support plate 13. The electromagnet is set to one of the fixed part 22 and the movable part 24. When the electromagnet is energized, it generates an electromagnetic attraction or repulsion force on the other of the fixed part 22 and the movable part 24, so that the electromagnetic force generated by the control system 3 after being energized controls the movement of the protective layer assembly 2 between the retracted state and the open state.

[0039] Furthermore, in Figure 2 In the embodiment shown in , the fixed part 22 is set as an electromagnet, and the movable part 24 is a metal block that can be attracted by electromagnetic force. After the fixed part 22 is energized, it can generate electromagnetic attraction to the movable part 24 to keep the protective layer assembly 2 in the retracted state. Among them, the air intake protection device also includes a spring 23, and the spring 23 is arranged in the inner ring slide groove 26 and the outer ring slide groove 21, and the two ends of the spring 23 are respectively connected to the movable part 24 and the fixed part 22. When the fixed part 22 is energized, it can generate magnetic force, thereby attracting the movable part 24, so that the protective layer assembly 2 overcomes the elastic force of the spring 23 and remains in the retracted state, and the spring 23 is elastically compressed. When encountering extreme weather, such as hail weather, the fixed part 22 is de-energized, so that the fixed part 22 no longer attracts the movable part 24 magnetically, the spring 23 elastically opens, and the movable part 24 is pushed during the elastic opening process of the spring 23, and moves along the circumferential direction A, so that the protective layer 27 is unfolded to a fully open state.

[0040] Furthermore, in a specific embodiment, in each protective layer assembly 2, when the protective net assembly 2 is in the folded state, the fixed part 22 is an electromagnet, and an insulating block 28 is provided on the side of the fixed part 22 away from the movable part 24, so that the fixed part 22 and the movable parts 24 of the adjacent protective layer assembly 2 are magnetically isolated, and the electromagnetic force is only generated on the movable parts 24 in the same group of protective layer assemblies 2, and no interference is caused to the adjacent protective layer assemblies.

[0041] In some other embodiments different from those shown in the figure, the movable part 24 is an electromagnet, the fixed part 22 is a metal part that can be attracted by electromagnetic force, and in each protective layer assembly 2, an insulating block 28 is provided on the side of the movable part 24 away from the fixed part 22, so that the movable part 24 is magnetically isolated from the fixed part 22 of the adjacent protective layer assembly 2.

[0042] In another embodiment, when the protective layer assembly is in the retracted state, the skeleton 25 is connected to the bracket on one side, and a fixing part is provided on the bracket on the other side. The movable part is a metal block that can be attracted by electromagnetic force, and the fixing part on the bracket on the other side is an electromagnet. In the retracted state, the fixing part is not energized to generate magnetism, and the movable part is not attracted to the fixing part. When the fixing part is energized to generate magnetism, the movable part is attracted by the fixing part and moves along the circumferential direction A, so that the protective layer 27 is unfolded to a fully open state. It can be understood that in this embodiment, the magnetic insulation block can be reasonably configured to prevent the attraction between adjacent metal blocks and electromagnets. In a variation of this embodiment, the metal block can also be a fixing part, and the movable part is configured as an electromagnet.

[0043] In one embodiment, if Figure 2 As shown, the protective layer 27 is a foldable mesh structure, which is unfolded or folded with the movement of the frame 25. In other embodiments, the protective layer 27 can be other structures or shapes with filtering functions, such as a plurality of foldable sheet structures, with air inlets or air holes formed between the plurality of sheet structures.

[0044] In other embodiments, the movable part 24 and the inner ring slide groove 26 and the outer ring slide groove 21 may be matched in other ways, such as rolling, to achieve the opening and folding of the protective layer assembly 2.

[0045] like Figure 4 As shown, the control system 3 is composed of a power supply 31, a switch 33 and an electromagnet (i.e., the fixed part 22 or the movable part 24 in one or more embodiments described above) to form a control loop, and the control system 3 also includes a control unit, which controls the opening and closing of the control system 3 through the switch 33. When the control system 3 is turned on, the power supply 31 provides current to make the electromagnet generate electromagnetic force to control the movement of the protective layer assembly 2 between the retracted state and the opened state.

[0046] In one embodiment, the protective layer 27 is retracted by turning on the control system 3, so that the electromagnet generates electromagnetic force, thereby attracting the movable part 24, so that it overcomes the elastic force of the spring 23 and is retracted, thereby realizing the retraction of the protective layer 27. Of course, in some other suitable embodiments, the protective layer 27 can be retracted manually after the aircraft lands.

[0047] In one embodiment, the control system 3 adopts a joint control method to synchronously adjust multiple protective layer components 2. This control method can avoid inconsistent opening actions of the protective layer components 2 at multiple air inlets 10, affecting the flow of the main channel, causing intake distortion, affecting engine performance, and can simplify the control system 3. In another embodiment, multiple protective layer components 2 can also be adjusted separately.

[0048] In the air intake protection device in one or more embodiments as described above, each protective layer assembly 2 has a separate control system 3 to adjust its position, thereby protecting the high-pressure compressor in extreme weather conditions. The air intake protection device has two states:

[0049] Under normal weather conditions, the switch 33 is in the on state, the control system 3 is turned on, the fixed part 22 generates electromagnetic force, attracting the movable part 24 to move along the inner ring groove 26 and the outer ring groove 21, and the frame 25 drives the protective layer 27 to be completely folded and recovered, and finally forms Figure 1 The air intake guard is shown in the closed position;

[0050] In the case of extreme hail weather, the switch 33 is in the off state, the control system 3 is closed, the fixed part 22 loses the electromagnetic force, and the movable part 24 is ejected along the inner ring slide groove 26 and the outer ring slide groove 21 by the force of the spring 23. The protective layer 27 is fully opened by the frame 25 to form a filter covering the air inlet 10, so that hail and fallen internal ice cannot enter the high-pressure compressor, and finally form Figure 3 The air intake guard is shown in the open position.

[0051] In normal weather, the protective layer assembly 2 is in a retracted state, which will not affect the normal flow of the core engine flow channel and affect the engine operation. In extreme hail weather, the protective layer assembly 2 is opened in an emergency manner by ejection: the control system 3 is closed, and the movable part 24 is ejected along the slide groove by the spring 23 to quickly form a uniform filtering protective layer, which minimizes the disturbance of the flow field, can prevent the inhalation of hail and the fallen internal ice, and can also produce uniform flow.

[0052] In the aforementioned embodiment, the shielding layer assembly 2 moves from the retracted state to the opened state by the action of the spring 23, and moves from the opened state to the retracted state by the action of the electromagnetic force.

[0053] In some embodiments, the spring 23 may not be provided, and the shielding layer assembly 2 may be moved from the retracted state to the open state only by the electromagnetic force; or the shielding layer assembly 2 may be moved from the retracted state to the open state by both the spring 23 and the electromagnetic force. The retracting method of the shielding layer assembly 2 includes but is not limited to the following methods: retracting by magnetic force or by manual retracting.

[0054] For example, in another embodiment of the air intake protection device, the power supply 31 provides a bidirectional current, and the control unit can control the current direction so that the fixed part 22 can generate two electromagnetic forces of attraction or repulsion on the movable part 24, so as to drive the skeleton 25 to reciprocate along the circumferential direction A. For example, the movable part 24 can be configured as an electromagnet, and the control unit switches the current direction provided by the power supply 31 so that the fixed part 22 generates an attraction force or a repulsion force on the movable part 24, drives the skeleton 25 to move along the circumferential direction A, drives the protective layer 27 to be folded or unfolded, and completes the switching of the protective layer assembly 2 between the open state and the closed state.

[0055] The above-mentioned air intake protection device has a simple structure, is easy to implement, and is reusable. It adopts electromagnetic force to control the ejection to form a protective layer. When encountering extreme hail weather, the hail and the fallen internal ice are filtered so that they cannot directly enter the high-pressure compressor flow path, thereby avoiding mechanical damage to the engine blades, surge, stall, unacceptable power or thrust loss, and flameout and other abnormal situations, thereby improving the safety of the engine and reducing maintenance costs.

[0056] Although the present invention is disclosed as above with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may make possible changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, any modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments according to the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An air intake protection device, used to be arranged on a mounting casing, the mounting casing comprising an outer ring, an inner ring and a plurality of support plates, the ends of the plurality of support plates are respectively fixedly connected to the outer ring and the inner ring, and a plurality of air intakes are formed between the plurality of support plates, the outer ring and the inner ring, characterized in that: The air intake protection device comprises: A protective layer assembly, arranged at the air inlet; The control system generates electromagnetic force when powered on; The protective layer assembly can be moved from a retracted state to an open state, the protective layer assembly covers the air inlet in the open state, and opens the air inlet in the retracted state, and the movement of the protective layer assembly between the retracted state and the open state is controlled by the electromagnetic force; the protective layer assembly includes a skeleton and a protective layer, the two ends of the skeleton are movably connected to the outer ring and the inner ring respectively, and the two sides of the protective layer are connected to the skeleton and the support plate respectively; Wherein, the protective layer assembly is movable along the circumference of the mounting casing to move from the retracted state to the opened state.

2. The air intake protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air intake protection device comprises: slide grooves respectively provided in the outer ring and the inner ring; Both ends of the frame are provided with movable parts, and the movable parts are movable in the slide groove.

3. The air intake protection device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The control system includes an electromagnet, and the air intake protection device includes fixed parts arranged at both ends of the support plate. The electromagnet is set as one of the fixed part and the movable part. When the electromagnet is energized, it generates electromagnetic attraction or repulsion on the other of the fixed part and the movable part.

4. The air intake protection device according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the electromagnet is energized, it generates an electromagnetic attraction force on the other side to keep the protective layer assembly in the retracted state; Wherein, the air intake protection device also includes a spring, and the spring is arranged in the slide grooves of the inner ring and the outer ring, and the ends of the spring are respectively connected to the movable part and the fixed part.

5. The air intake protection device according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes an insulating block. In the retracted state, the insulating block is arranged on a side of the fixed part away from the movable part, or the insulating block is arranged on a side of the movable part away from the fixed part.

6. The air intake protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protective layer is a foldable mesh structure.

7. The air inlet protection device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inner ring has an inner ring sliding groove, the outer ring has an outer ring sliding groove, and the inner ring sliding groove and the outer ring sliding groove are located at the same engine axis position.

8. The air inlet protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control system synchronously adjusts multiple protective layer components.

9. An aircraft engine comprising the air inlet protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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