Aircraft with on-wing engine position

Abstract

The invention discloses an aircraft with an on-wing engine position. The aircraft comprises a fuselage, a right wing and a left wing connected to the fuselage, a strut connected to and extending outwardly from the underside of the wings, and an engine mounted on the strut. The strut is configured to position the engine in an on-wing position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of aircraft, and more particularly to an aircraft design having struts that secure engines to the underside of a wing and position the engines above the wing. Background Art

[0002] Many aircraft feature low-wing designs, with wings positioned below the fuselage. Engines are mounted and positioned on the underside of the wings to provide propulsion. One problem with low-wing aircraft is the relatively low vertical clearance between the engine and the ground. Open-rotor aircraft present a particular problem due to their relatively large vertical clearance requirements. This low ground clearance issue has been addressed in various ways, but each approach has drawbacks.

[0003] One way to address low clearance is to raise the engine positioning. However, the extent to which the engine can be raised is limited by the ability to maintain conventional strut architecture. This change would also likely require larger wing fairings, which increases drag and significantly reduces aircraft performance. Another way to address low clearance is to increase the gear height. However, this would have a significant impact on the aircraft architecture, wing platform, and potentially tail size.

[0004] Some aircraft are equipped with turbofan engines for propulsion. These engines are mounted to the wings via struts and positioned below them. This underwing location directs the exhaust generated by the turbofan's fan under the wings. The heated exhaust requires shielding located on the underside of the wings. Furthermore, design changes can significantly impact various aspects of the aircraft's architecture. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One aspect relates to an aircraft including a fuselage, right and left wings connected to the fuselage, struts connected to and extending outward from undersides of the wings, and engines mounted on the struts, wherein the struts position the engines in an over-wing position.

[0006] On the other hand, the engine is mounted to the top of the strut.

[0007] In another aspect, the centerline of each engine is positioned vertically above the wing.

[0008] On the other hand, the top side of the wing is clean since there are no performance-degrading structures.

[0009] The engine, on the other hand, is an open rotor engine.

[0010] In another aspect, the strut includes spars spaced along a length of the strut, a bulkhead positioned along the length and aligned transversely to the spars, and a link connected to the wing.

[0011] In another aspect, each strut includes at least two spars.

[0012] In another aspect, the aircraft includes a low-wing design in which the wings are positioned below the fuselage.

[0013] In another aspect, the aircraft is transonic.

[0014] One aspect relates to an aircraft that includes: a fuselage; a right wing and a left wing, both the right wing and the left wing being coupled to the fuselage and each having a top side and a bottom side; a first strut mounted to the right wing away from the top side; a second strut mounted to the left wing away from the top side; a first engine mounted to the first strut and positioned above the right wing; and a second engine mounted to the second strut and positioned above the left wing.

[0015] In another aspect, the aircraft is a low-wing aircraft.

[0016] In another aspect, the aircraft is transonic.

[0017] In another aspect, the first engine vertically overlaps the right wing and the second engine vertically overlaps the left wing.

[0018] In another aspect, both the first strut and the second strut include structural members of the same configuration.

[0019] In another aspect, both the first engine and the second engine are open rotor engines.

[0020] In another aspect, the first strut is positioned away from the top side of the right wing and the second strut is positioned away from the top side of the left wing.

[0021] In another aspect, both the first strut and the second strut include kinks.

[0022] One aspect relates to a method of mounting an engine to a wing of a low-wing aircraft. The method includes: connecting a first end of a strut to the bottom side of the wing, where the strut is positioned away from the top side of the wing; and mounting an engine to a second end of the strut, where a centerline of the engine is positioned vertically above the wing.

[0023] In another aspect, the method further includes mounting the engine to the top of the strut.

[0024] In another aspect, the method further includes positioning a rotor of the engine in front of a leading edge of the wing.

[0025] The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed can be implemented independently in various aspects or can be combined in other aspects, and further details thereof can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0026] Figure 1 is an isometric view of an aircraft with an over-wing architecture, where the engine is located above the wing.

[0027] Figure 2 is a schematic view of a strut that connects the engine to the wing and positions the engine above the wing.

[0028] Figure 3 is a schematic view of a first strut that is mounted to the underside of the wing and configured to position the engine above the wing.

[0029] Figure 4 is a schematic view of a second strut that is mounted to the underside of the wing and configured to position the engine above the wing.

[0030] Figure 5 is a schematic view of a third strut that is mounted to the underside of the wing and configured to position the engine above the wing.

[0031] Figure 6 is a schematic view of a fourth strut that is mounted to the underside of the wing and configured to position the engine above the wing.

[0032] Figure 7 is a schematic view of a fifth strut that is mounted to the underside of the wing and configured to position the engine above the wing.

[0033] Figure 8 is a schematic view of a front view of a high-wing aircraft with an over-wing architecture that positions the engine above the wing.

[0034] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a method for installing an engine to an aircraft. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0035] Figure 1 An aircraft 100 is shown, which generally includes a fuselage 101, a right wing and a left wing 102, and a tail wing 103. The aircraft 100 has a low-wing design, where the wings 102 are positioned below the fuselage 101 in the vertical direction. An engine 50 is mounted to each wing 102 via a strut 20. The strut 20 extends outwardly from the underside of the wing 102. The engine 50 is mounted to the strut 20. The strut 20 is configured to position the engine 50 above the wing (i.e., an over-wing architecture).

[0036] Figure 2FIG. 0 is a schematic view showing a strut 20 that mounts and positions an engine 50 on a wing 102. The strut 20 is mounted to the underside 105 of the wing 102. This positioning is away from the top side 104 such that the top side 104 remains free of any structures (such as fairings) that could cause a degradation in aircraft performance (such as an increase in drag). The top sides 104 of the wing 102 are clean as they remain free of structures that could cause performance degradation.

[0037] The over-wing architecture positions the engine 50 relative to the wing 102 to locate the centerline CL of the engine 50 vertically above the wing 102. In some examples as Figure 2 shown, the entire engine 50 is positioned vertically above the wing 102. In other examples, the engine 50 is vertically overlapped with the wing 102 partially. The strut 20 is also configured to position the engine 50 horizontally in front of the leading edge 106 of the wing 102. In some examples, the entire engine 50 is positioned horizontally in front of the leading edge 106 of the wing 102. In other examples as Figure 2 shown, the engine 50 is horizontally overlapped with the wing 102, where a first portion of the engine 50 is positioned in front of the leading edge 106 and a second portion is horizontally overlapped with the wing 102.

[0038] The strut 20 includes a structural member 21, which is a load-bearing structure to support the engine 50 and connect the engine 50 to the wing 102. The number and configuration of the structural members 21 can vary according to the engine 50 and wing configuration. A mounting structure including one or more mounts 23 connects the strut 20 to the underside 105 of the wing 102. In some examples, the strut 20 also includes a fairing 22, which produces a smooth profile to reduce drag.

[0039] The over-wing architecture maintains a conventional strut architecture that connects the engine 50 to the wing 102. This architecture includes discrete interfaces on the front spar of the wing 102 to react to roll and yaw loads in the wing 102, and discrete link interfaces with the wing 102 that react to pitch loads. The strut loft is incorporated into the wing lower surface and does not include over-wing fairings. This design implements a conventional strut architecture and maintains a clean upper wing skin surface for aircraft performance. This design does not require special provisions for unique engine types, but provides a common platform for a variety of different engine types. This design enables the use of a conventional strut architecture for different engines 50, including but not limited to ducted high bypass fan engines, open rotor engines, ducted engines, and open fan engines, while maintaining the static of the aircraft architecture.

[0040] Figure 3Schematically shows a strut 20 mounted to the wing 102 at a point leaving the top side 104. The strut 20 is mounted with mountings 23a, 23b, which include strut-to-wing linkages. The strut 20 includes three spars 24a, 24b, 24c, which are spaced along the length and extend between the wing 102 and the engine 50. The partitions 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d are spaced along the length and interconnect the spars 24. The engine 50 is mounted to the top of the strut 20 for an over-wing architecture. The structural member 21 is configured in various ways to control the vertical height of the engine 50 relative to the wing 102.

[0041] In some examples as Figure 3 shown, the engine 50 is mounted to the top of the strut 20. This positioning of the engine 50 relative to the strut 20 enables the engine 50 to be positioned in the vertical space above the wing 102. In other examples, the engine 50 is mounted to the lateral side or other part of the strut 20. This still provides an over-wing position of the engine 50 relative to the wing 102.

[0042] Figure 4 Another strut 20 with a three-spar configuration is shown, which has spars 24a, 24b, 24c and partitions 25a - 25e. Figure 4 The strut 20 of Figure 3 enables the engine 50 to be positioned vertically above the wing 102 further than

[0043] Figure 5 A strut 20 with a two-spar configuration is shown. The spars 24a, 24b are spaced along the length. The mountings 23a, 23b, which include strut-to-wing linkages, connect the strut 20 to the wing 102 at a point leaving the top side 104. Figure 6 Another two-spar configuration is shown, where the strut is kinked to raise the vertical height of the engine 50 relative to the wing 102. The kinked spars 24a, 24b include a pair of substantially straight portions with intermediate elbows. The partitions 25a - 25d are spaced along the length of the spars 24a, 24b. In some examples, the kinked design enables the engine 50 to be positioned vertically above the wing 102 at a greater distance than a non-kinked design.

[0044] Figure 7 Includes a strut 20, which includes an extended strut box 60 mounted to the lower side 105 of the wing 102. One example includes a two-spar design as Figure 7 shown, but the strut 20 can include spars 24 and partitions 25 in various configurations and extend from the strut box 60.

[0045] In as Figure 1In some of the examples shown, the over-wing architecture is used with a low-wing aircraft 100. In one specific example, the over-wing architecture provides vertical space for an open rotor engine used with the low-wing aircraft 100.

[0046] In other examples, schematically shown as Figure 8 , the over-wing architecture is used with a high-wing aircraft 100. The high-wing aircraft 100 includes a wing 102 mounted above a fuselage 101. The design includes a strut 20 extending outward from a lower side 105 of the wing 102. An engine 50 is mounted to the strut 20 and positioned vertically above the wing 102. This design results in the top side 104 of the wing 102 being free of any structures (i.e., clean) that could cause a degradation in aircraft performance.

[0047] The over-wing architecture can be used with a plurality of different engines 50. Examples include, but are not limited to, ducted high bypass fan engines, open rotor engines, ducted engines, and open fan engines. In some examples, the engine 50 provides a transonic speed in the range of 0.6 Mach to 1.0 Mach. In one specific example, the aircraft 100 has a Mach number of approximately 1.0.

[0048] Figure 9 A method of mounting an engine 50 to an aircraft 100 is shown. The method includes connecting a first end of the strut 20 to the lower side of the wing (block 200). The strut 20 is positioned away from the top side 104 of the wing 102. The method further includes mounting the engine 50 to a second end of the strut 20, wherein a centerline of the engine 50 is positioned vertically above the wing 102 (block 202). The order of the method can vary in some examples where the strut 20 is mounted to the wing 102 before mounting the engine 50. Other examples include attaching the engine 50 to the strut 20 before connecting the strut 20 to the wing 102.

[0049] The over-wing architecture provides various benefits. The over-wing architecture enables the use of a conventional strut architecture. The over-wing architecture does not require an over-wing fairing that could increase drag and significantly degrade aircraft performance.

[0050] The over-wing architecture provides significant variability in the position of the engine 50 relative to the wing 102. The over-wing architecture supports multiple types of engines 50 on the same aircraft 100 and is independent of the engine type.

[0051] Another advantage of the over-wing architecture is that it positions the engine 50 above the wing 102, which improves the thermal environment. The hot exhaust moves away from the wing 102 rather than being directed to the lower side 105 of the wing 102. In some examples, the over-wing architecture eliminates the need for a heat shield on the lower side 105 of the wing 102. The over-wing architecture also eliminates the thermal exposure of flaps located on the trailing edge of the wing 102.

[0052] The over-wing architecture improves safety. The engine 50 is positioned vertically higher relative to the ground, thereby reducing the chance of human contact with the engine. In some examples of engines with open rotors or exposed blades, the increased vertical position reduces the chance of contact with the rotor / blades.

[0053] The over-wing architecture also provides enhanced fire safety. The fuel discharge pipe on the engine is positioned on the lower part of the engine and below the heat source in the engine. In the case where the engine 50 detaches from the wing 102, the likelihood of a fire is less because the fuel will move away from the heat source.

[0054] In some examples with a ducted fan engine 50, the engine nacelle includes only a single bifurcation because the engine 50 is mounted to the top of the strut 20. This provides better aerodynamic performance.

[0055] The over-wing architecture increases the maximum lift on the wing. This provides better weight performance for takeoff and landing speeds.

[0056] The over-wing architecture is capable of improving reverse thrust efficiency. The over-wing architecture has more area available for reverse fan flow of a ducted turbofan engine, less brake wear, reduced landing area length requirements, and a more compact nacelle.

[0057] The over-wing architecture can be used on an aircraft 100 that provides various functions. The aircraft 100 is configured to transport cargo and / or passengers. In some examples, the aircraft 100 is a large commercial aircraft, and its fuselage 101 includes an upper cabin area configured to accommodate passengers and a lower cargo hold configured to store cargo. In other examples, the fuselage 101 is configured to store cargo.

[0058] In addition, the present application includes embodiments according to the following examples:

[0059] 1. An aircraft, the aircraft comprising:

[0060] A fuselage;

[0061] A right wing and a left wing, the right wing and the left wing being coupled to the fuselage;

[0062] Struts, the struts being connected to the lower side of the wing and extending outward from the lower side of the wing;

[0063] An engine, the engine being mounted to the strut; and

[0064] Wherein the strut positions the engine in an over-wing position.

[0065] 2. The aircraft according to Example 1, wherein the engine is mounted to the top of the strut.

[0066] 3. The aircraft according to Example 1, wherein the centerline of each of the engines is vertically positioned above the wing.

[0067] 4. The aircraft according to Example 1, wherein the top side of the wing is clean due to no structure that causes performance degradation.

[0068] 5. The aircraft according to Example 1, wherein the engine is an open rotor engine.

[0069] 6. The aircraft according to Example 1, wherein the strut includes:

[0070] spar, the spar being spaced along the length of the strut;

[0071] rib, the rib being positioned along the length and aligned transversely to the spar; and

[0072] link connected to the wing.

[0073] 7. The aircraft according to Example 6, wherein each of the struts includes at least two spars.

[0074] 8. The aircraft according to Example 1, wherein the aircraft includes a low wing design, wherein the wing is positioned below the fuselage.

[0075] 9. The aircraft according to Example 1, wherein the aircraft is transonic.

[0076] 10. An aircraft, the aircraft comprising:

[0077] fuselage;

[0078] right wing and left wing, the right wing and the left wing are both coupled to the fuselage, the right wing and the left wing both include a top side and a bottom side;

[0079] a first strut mounted to the right wing away from the top side;

[0080] a second strut mounted to the left wing away from the top side;

[0081] a first engine, the first engine is mounted to the first strut and positioned above the right wing; and

[0082] a second engine, the second engine is mounted to the second strut and positioned above the left wing.

[0083] 11. The aircraft according to Example 10, wherein the aircraft is a low-wing aircraft.

[0084] 12. The aircraft according to Example 10, wherein the aircraft is transonic.

[0085] 13. The aircraft according to Example 10, wherein the first engine vertically overlaps with the right wing, and the second engine vertically overlaps with the left wing.

[0086] 14. The aircraft according to Example 10, wherein both the first strut and the second strut include structural members of the same configuration.

[0087] 15. The aircraft according to Example 10, wherein both the first engine and the second engine are open rotor engines.

[0088] 16. The aircraft according to Example 10, wherein the first strut is positioned away from the top side of the right wing, and the second strut is positioned away from the top side of the left wing.

[0089] 17. The aircraft according to Example 10, wherein both the first strut and the second strut include a kink.

[0090] 18. A method of mounting an engine to a wing of a low-wing aircraft, the method comprising:

[0091] connecting a first end of a strut to the underside of the wing, wherein the strut is positioned away from the top side of the wing; and

[0092] mounting the engine to a second end of the strut, wherein a centerline of the engine is positioned vertically above the wing.

[0093] 19. The method according to Example 18, the method further comprising mounting the engine to the top of the strut.

[0094] 20. The method according to Example 18, the method further comprising positioning a rotor of the engine in front of a leading edge of the wing.

[0095] The term "substantially" with respect to a quantity or measured value means that the characteristic, parameter, or value need not be precisely achieved. Instead, deviations or variations, including for example tolerances, measurement errors, measurement precision limitations, and other factors known to those skilled in the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect of the intended characteristic.

[0096] Without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention, the present invention may be implemented in other ways different from those specifically described herein. This embodiment is considered illustrative rather than restrictive in all respects, and all changes falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the appended claims are intended to be included therein.

Claims

1. An aircraft, the aircraft comprising: A fuselage; A right wing and a left wing, the right wing and the left wing being coupled to the fuselage; Struts, the struts being connected to the lower side of the wings and extending outwardly from the lower side of the wings; Engines, the engines being mounted to the struts; And Wherein the struts position the engines in a wing-mounted position.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein, The engines are mounted to the tops of the struts.

3. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein, The top sides of the wings are clean as there is no structure that causes performance degradation.

4. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein, The struts comprise: Beams, the beams being spaced along the length of the struts; Bulkheads, the bulkheads being positioned along the length and aligned transversely to the beams; and Links connected to the wings.

5. The aircraft according to claim 4, wherein, Each of the struts comprises at least two beams.

6. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein, The aircraft comprises a low-wing design, wherein the wings are positioned below the fuselage.

7. An aircraft, the aircraft comprising: A fuselage; A right wing and a left wing, both the right wing and the left wing being coupled to the fuselage, both the right wing and the left wing comprising a top side and a bottom side; A first strut mounted to the right wing away from the top side; A second strut mounted to the left wing away from the top side; A first engine, the first engine being mounted to the first strut and positioned above the right wing; And A second engine, the second engine being mounted to the second strut and positioned above the left wing.

8. The aircraft according to claim 7, wherein, The first strut and the second strut both comprise structural members of the same construction.

9. The aircraft according to claim 7, wherein, The first strut and the second strut both comprise kinks.

10. A method of mounting an engine to a wing of a low-wing aircraft, the method comprising: Connecting a first end of a strut to the lower side of the wing, wherein the strut is positioned away from the top side of the wing; and Mounting the engine to a second end of the strut, wherein a centerline of the engine is positioned vertically above the wing.

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