Adjustable air intake device and aero-engine comprising such adjustable air intake device

Abstract

The utility model provides an adjustable air inlet device which is used for air entraining of an outer culvert of an engine, the adjustable air inlet device comprises a fixed structural member forming an air inlet, the adjustable air inlet device further comprises an air inlet adjusting assembly, the air inlet adjusting assembly comprises a movable part and an actuating part, and the actuating part is connected with the movable part. The driving component is used for driving the movable component to move relative to the fixed structural component so as to adjust the opening area of the air inlet. The utility model aims to adjust the opening area of an air inlet, reduce overflow resistance, reduce flow loss and improve efficiency, and also aims to save downstream space without arranging a downstream valve, thereby being beneficial to design and arrangement of a downstream pipeline. The utility model further provides an aero-engine comprising the adjustable air inlet device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of an air intake device for an aircraft engine, and more specifically to an adjustable air intake device and an aircraft engine comprising the adjustable air intake device. Background Art

[0002] An aircraft engine is a highly complex and sophisticated machine. As the heart of an aircraft, it provides power for the aircraft to fly. With the development of technology, turbofan engines have gradually become mainstream and are currently the most commonly used engines for civil airliners. The air intake of a turbofan engine is located at the front end of the engine and is circular or oblate. After the air enters the air intake duct from the outside, part of it will enter the low-pressure compressor, which is the inner duct. The other part of the air enters the outer duct without passing through the compressor or combustion chamber. In the prior art, a fixed structure of the outer duct air inlet is usually used, and the air intake opening area is fixed. It has been found that the existing outer duct air intake device has the following deficiencies.

[0003] In order to ensure the maximum air bleed capacity, the existing engine duct intake needs to reserve a larger intake opening area. The problem with this design is that the larger intake opening area will increase the duct overflow resistance when the duct flow is not at the maximum flow rate, such as under the condition of small flow rate ducting, and the duct flow loss is high, affecting the efficiency.

[0004] In addition, in the prior art, a straight pipe combined with a tapered elbow is usually used to connect to the valve downstream of the air inlet, and the air intake flow is adjusted by the downstream valve. Such a downstream valve will occupy the space downstream of the air inlet, which limits the design of the downstream pipeline of the air inlet, increases the resistance in the downstream pipeline, and is not conducive to the installation and layout of the pipeline.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for an adjustable air intake device that can solve at least one of the above-mentioned deficiencies. Utility Model Content

[0006] In order to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art, the utility model proposes an adjustable air intake device, the purpose of which is to reduce overflow resistance, reduce flow loss and improve efficiency by adjusting the opening area of ​​the air intake. Another purpose of the adjustable air intake device of the utility model is to save downstream space without arranging downstream valves, thereby facilitating the design and layout of downstream pipelines. The utility model also proposes an aircraft engine including such an adjustable air intake device.

[0007] Therefore, the utility model proposes an adjustable air intake device, which is used for external air ducting of the engine, and the adjustable air intake device includes a fixed structural member, which forms an air inlet, and the adjustable air intake device also includes an air inlet adjustment component, which includes a movable part that can move relative to the fixed structural member; and an actuating part, which is connected to the movable part and is used to drive the movable part to adjust the opening area of ​​the air inlet.

[0008] According to the above technical scheme, the adjustable air intake device of the utility model can achieve the following beneficial effects: through the air intake adjustment component, the opening area of ​​the air intake can be adjusted, the overflow resistance can be reduced, the flow loss can be reduced, the efficiency can be improved, and there is no need to arrange a downstream valve, which is beneficial to the design and layout of the downstream pipeline.

[0009] In an embodiment of the utility model, the movable component includes a movable lip, and the actuating component is configured to move the movable lip between a first position and a second position. When the movable lip is located at the first position, the air inlet is fully opened, when the movable lip is located at the second position, the air inlet is fully closed, and when the movable lip is located at an intermediate position between the first position and the second position, the air inlet is partially opened.

[0010] According to the above technical scheme, the adjustable air intake device of the utility model can achieve the following beneficial effects: by moving the movable lip between the first position and the second position through the actuating component, the opening area of ​​the air intake port can be adjusted to reduce the overflow resistance, and there is no need to arrange a downstream valve, which is beneficial to the design and layout of the downstream pipeline.

[0011] In an embodiment of the utility model, the movable lip includes an outer guide surface, an inner guide surface and a leading edge rotation axis. The leading edge rotation axis includes two parts that can pivot relative to each other, which are respectively connected to the leading edge of the outer guide surface and the leading edge of the inner guide surface, so that the inner guide surface can pivot relative to the leading edge rotation axis.

[0012] According to the above technical solution, the adjustable air intake device of the utility model can achieve the following beneficial effects: through the combination of the outer guide surface and the inner guide surface, the air intake flow loss can be improved and the resistance can be reduced.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present utility model, a slide groove is provided at the rear of the fixed structure, and the outer guide surface is partially arranged in the slide groove at the rear of the fixed structure.

[0014] According to the above technical solution, the adjustable air intake device of the utility model can achieve the following beneficial effects: by arranging the outer guide surface in the slide groove, the movement of the movable lip can be improved, making the structure more compact.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present utility model, the actuating component includes a fixed end and an actuating end, the fixed end is connected to the rear portion of the fixed structure, and the actuating end is connected to the outer guide surface.

[0016] According to the above technical solution, the adjustable air intake device of the utility model can achieve the following beneficial effects: the actuation of the movable lip by the actuating component is achieved through the connection between the actuating component and the rear portion of the fixed structure and the outer guide surface.

[0017] In an embodiment of the utility model, when the movable lip is in the first position, the distance between the leading edge of the outer guide surface and the front portion of the fixed structure is the largest, and when the movable lip is in the second position, a contact seal is formed between the leading edge of the outer guide surface and the front portion of the fixed structure.

[0018] According to the above technical scheme, the adjustable air intake device of the utility model can achieve the following beneficial effects: by moving the leading edge of the outer guide surface away from or contacting the front part of the fixed structure, the actuating component can actuate the movable lip, thereby adjusting the opening area of ​​the air intake port.

[0019] In an embodiment of the utility model, the movable lip further comprises a positioning spring, one end of the positioning spring is connected to the outer flow guide surface, and the other end is connected to the inner flow guide surface, and the positioning spring is pre-compressed.

[0020] According to the above technical solution, the adjustable air intake device of the utility model can achieve the following beneficial effects: through the pre-compressed positioning spring, the inner guide surface can be pressed against the rear of the fixed structure.

[0021] In an embodiment of the utility model, the movable lip also includes a return spring, one end of which is arranged on the fixed structure, and the other end is arranged on the outer guide surface. The return spring is configured to keep the movable lip in the first position when the movable part does not apply external force to the movable lip.

[0022] According to the above technical solution, the adjustable air intake device of the utility model can achieve the following beneficial effects: through the return spring, the movable lip can be maintained in the first position when the actuating component does not apply external force to the movable lip, for example, when the actuating component does not receive power or when the actuating component fails, thereby improving safety.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the return spring is integrated with the actuating component.

[0024] According to the above technical solution, the adjustable air intake device of the utility model can achieve the following beneficial effects: through the integrated design of the return spring and the actuating component, the structure can be made more compact.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the leading edge of the outer guide surface is configured to be convex.

[0026] According to the above technical solution, the adjustable air intake device of the utility model can achieve the following beneficial effects: by constructing the leading edge into an outwardly convex configuration, the air intake flow loss at the air inlet can be improved and the resistance can be reduced.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the contact seal between the leading edge and the front portion of the fixed structure is a graphite seal or a brush seal.

[0028] According to the above technical solution, the adjustable air intake device of the utility model can achieve the following beneficial effects: through the graphite seal or brush seal design, the seal between the movable lip and the front part of the fixed structure can be improved.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the section of the outer guide surface in contact with the chute is coated with a wear-resistant coating.

[0030] According to the above technical solution, the adjustable air intake device of the utility model can achieve the following beneficial effects: by coating a wear-resistant coating on the section of the outer guide surface in contact with the slide groove, the service life of the outer guide surface can be extended.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, the actuating component includes a displacement sensor and / or a locking mechanism.

[0032] According to the above technical solution, the adjustable air intake device of the utility model can achieve the following beneficial effects: the actuation of the movable lip by the actuating component can be effectively controlled through the displacement sensor and / or the locking mechanism.

[0033] The utility model also provides an aircraft engine, which comprises the adjustable air intake device according to any of the above embodiments.

[0034] According to the above technical scheme, the adjustable air intake device of the utility model can achieve the following beneficial effects: through the air intake adjustment component, the opening area of ​​the air intake can be adjusted, the overflow resistance can be reduced, the flow loss can be reduced, the efficiency can be improved, and there is no need to arrange a downstream valve, which is beneficial to the design and layout of the downstream pipeline.

[0035] It should be understood that the above utility model content is provided to introduce a selection of concepts further described in the detailed description in a simplified form. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is solely defined by the appended claims. In addition, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that address any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Further features and exemplary embodiments and advantages of the present invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be appreciated that this embodiment is not exhaustive of the full scope of the present invention. It will be further appreciated that some or all of the features described below may also be combined in other ways, including:

[0037] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an adjustable air intake device according to an embodiment of the utility model, wherein the movable lip is in a first position.

[0038] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view of an adjustable air intake device according to an embodiment of the utility model, wherein the movable lip is in a first position, and the second position of the movable lip is schematically shown by a dotted line.

[0039] Reference numerals list

[0040] 100 Adjustable air intake

[0041] 1. Fixing structural parts

[0042] 11 Front of fixed structure

[0043] 12 Rear of fixed structure

[0044] 12a Chute

[0045] 13 Air Inlet

[0046] 2 Air inlet adjustment assembly

[0047] 20 Removable lip

[0048] 21 Leading edge shaft

[0049] 22 External guide surface

[0050] 22a External guide surface front edge

[0051] 23 Inner guide surface

[0052] 23a Front edge of inner guide surface

[0053] 3 Actuating parts

[0054] 4 Positioning spring

[0055] 5 Return spring DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] The present invention is described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described. Obviously, all features disclosed in this specification, or steps in all methods or processes disclosed, except mutually exclusive features and / or steps, can be combined in any way. Any feature disclosed in this specification, unless otherwise described, can be replaced by other alternative features that are equivalent or have similar purposes, that is, unless otherwise described, each feature is just an example of a series of equivalent or similar features. The technical solution of the present invention is described in many aspects in combination with the figures and embodiments below.

[0057] The adjustable air intake device according to the utility model can be used for the external bleed air of an aircraft engine, and can also be used in other fields where an air intake device is required.

[0058] In this document, the terms "front", "rear", "forward", "backward", "outer", "inner", etc. are only used to illustrate the relative positions or relative movements of various elements.

[0059] In this document, serial numbers "first", "second", etc. do not represent order (for example, do not imply a precedence relationship unless explicitly stated) or priority or importance. The above serial numbers are only used to indicate that they are different and independent devices, elements, positions or steps.

[0060] Figure 1 and 2 1 is a cross-sectional view of an adjustable air intake device 100 according to an embodiment of the utility model. This article proposes an adjustable air intake device 100 as shown in the figure, which can be used for engine external bleed air. The adjustable air intake device 100 includes a fixed structure 1, and the fixed structure 1 forms an air intake 13. In the cross-sectional view, the air intake 13 is formed between the front part 11 and the rear part 12 of the fixed structure 1. The shape of the air intake 13 is preferably rectangular, but it can also be a shape such as a circle, an ellipse, or other polygons.

[0061] The adjustable air intake device 100 further includes an air intake adjustment component 2, which is used to adjust the opening area of ​​the air intake 13, reduce overflow resistance, reduce flow loss, and improve efficiency. The air intake adjustment component 2 includes a movable component, which can move relative to the fixed structure 1. The movable component includes a movable lip 20 configured to move between a first position and a second position. When the movable lip 20 is as shown in FIG. Figure 1 When the movable lip 20 is in the first position (see FIG. 2 ), the air inlet 13 is fully opened, that is, the opening area of ​​the air inlet 13 is the largest, and the adjustable air inlet device 100 is in the maximum flow air induction state. Figure 2When the movable lip 20 is in the middle position between the first position and the second position, the air inlet 13 is partially opened, and the adjustable air inlet device 100 is in a non-maximum flow air inlet state.

[0062] The air inlet adjustment assembly 2 also includes an actuating component 3, which is connected to the movable component and is used to drive the movable component to adjust the opening area of ​​the air inlet 13. The actuating component 3 includes a fixed end and an actuating end, the fixed end of the actuating component 3 is connected to the fixed structure 1, and the actuating end thereof is connected to the movable lip 20. When it is necessary to adjust the opening area of ​​the air inlet 13, instructions and power can be sent to the actuating component 3. When the actuating component 3 receives the instructions and power, the movable lip 20 can be moved to the desired position and maintained at the desired position. Preferably, the actuating component 3 is a linear push rod, but it can also be other types of actuators. More preferably, the actuating component 3 includes a position sensor and / or a locking mechanism (not shown). The position sensor can feedback the position of the actuating component 3 and the movable lip 20 to facilitate control of its movement. The locking mechanism can provide a locking function under necessary conditions to improve safety. Preferably, the locking mechanism allows manual locking so that the air inlet 13 can still meet the minimum operating requirements of some scenarios when the function fails. The position sensor and / or the locking mechanism may be formed integrally with the actuating component 3 .

[0063] Regarding the movable lip 20, more specifically, it includes a leading edge rotation shaft 21, an outer guide surface 22, and an inner guide surface 23. The leading edge rotation shaft 21 includes two parts that can pivot relative to each other, one part is connected to the leading edge 22a of the outer guide surface 22, and the other part is connected to the leading edge 23a of the inner guide surface 23, so that the inner guide surface 23 can pivot relative to the leading edge rotation shaft 21. The outer guide surface 22 and the inner guide surface 23 do not interfere with each other during the movement of the movable lip 20.

[0064] The outer guide surface 22 of the movable lip 20 is partially arranged in the slide groove 12a provided in the fixed structure 1, preferably partially arranged in the slide groove 12a provided in the rear part 12 of the fixed structure 1. Preferably, the section of the outer guide surface 22 in contact with the slide groove 12a is coated with a wear-resistant coating to extend its service life. The size and shape of the outer guide surface 22 are configured so that when the movable lip 20 is in the second position, the outer guide surface 22 is sufficient to completely close the air inlet 13. Preferably, the leading edge 22a of the outer guide surface 22 is configured as a convex configuration as shown in the figure, that is, the leading edge 22a of the outer guide surface 22 does not completely fit with the leading edge rotation axis 21, but protrudes away from the leading edge rotation axis 21 toward the front part 11 of the fixed structure 1. The convex configuration is preferably an elliptical arc, and the outer guide surface 22 is connected to the leading edge rotation axis 21 at one end of the ellipse, and abuts and / or connects to the inner guide surface 23 at the other end of the ellipse. The advantage of such an outward convex configuration is that when the air inlet 13 is opened, the flow loss of the intake air flow can be improved, the resistance can be reduced, and the air induction efficiency can be improved. Alternatively, the leading edge 22a of the outer guide surface 22 can also be configured to completely fit with the leading edge rotation axis 21.

[0065] Specifically, the actuating end of the actuating component 3 is fixed to the inner side of the outer guide surface 22, and the fixed end thereof is fixed to the inner side of the fixed structure 1. When the actuating component 3 receives the command and the power, the actuating component 3 applies an external force to the outer guide surface 22 to move it, thereby moving the movable lip 20 between the first position and the second position. When the movable lip 20 is in the first position, the distance between the front edge 22a of the outer guide surface 22 and the front portion 11 of the fixed structure 1 is the largest, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 When the movable lip 20 is in the second position, a contact seal is formed between the leading edge 22a of the outer guide surface 22 and the front portion 11 of the fixed structure 1. Preferably, the contact seal is in the form of a graphite seal or a brush seal, but may also be other forms of contact seals.

[0066] The front edge 23a of the inner guide surface 23 is connected to the front edge rotation shaft 21. As shown in the figure, as the movable lip 20 moves, the inner guide surface 23 pivots relative to the front edge rotation shaft 21 and always remains against the fixed structure 1. The size and shape of the inner guide surface 23 are configured so that when the movable lip 20 is in the second position, the inner guide surface 23 will not fall out of the fixed structure 1.

[0067] In order to ensure that the inner flow guide surface 23 abuts against the fixed structure 1, a positioning member may also be provided. Preferably, the positioning member is a positioning spring 4, one end of which is connected to the inner side of the outer flow guide surface 22, and the other end is connected to the inner side of the inner flow guide surface 23. The positioning spring 4 is pre-compressed and is configured to apply a thrust to the inner flow guide surface 23 to keep the inner flow guide surface 23 against the fixed structure 1. In this way, by combining the outer flow guide surface 22 and the inner flow guide surface 23, and / or by further adjusting the angle and material of the inner flow guide surface 23, the flow loss of the intake airflow in the air inlet 13 can be improved and the resistance can be reduced.

[0068] The air inlet adjustment assembly 2 may further include a return member for ensuring that the movable lip 20 returns to its original position when necessary. Preferably, the return member is a return spring 5, one end of which is arranged inside the fixed structure 1, and the other end of which is arranged inside the outer guide surface 22. The return spring 5 is configured to keep the movable lip 20 in the first position when the actuating component 3 does not apply an external force to the movable lip 20, for example, when the actuating component 3 is in an inactive state due to receiving instructions and power or when the actuating component 3 fails to function. More preferably, the return spring 5 can be integrally constructed with the actuating component 3 to increase compactness.

[0069] The actuating component 3 is controlled by an aircraft or engine control system. For different types of actuating components 3 , the power source is preferably an engine source, an aircraft power source or a hydraulic source.

[0070] Therefore, the adjustable air intake device 100 according to the embodiment of the utility model has the following advantages: 1. The opening area of ​​the air intake 13 can be adjusted by the air intake adjustment component 2, so that the overflow resistance of the culvert is reduced when the air flow is not at the maximum flow rate, such as under the condition of small flow rate air intake, and the culvert flow loss is reduced to improve efficiency. 2. The opening area of ​​the air intake 13 can be adjusted by the air intake adjustment component 2, so there is no need to arrange a downstream valve, saving space downstream of the air intake, which is beneficial to the design and layout of the downstream pipeline. For example, the downstream pipeline can use the saved space to optimize its design and layout, thereby reducing the resistance of the intake air flow in the pipeline.

[0071] In this document, the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variation thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, structure or device that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, structure or device. In the absence of more restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "includes..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, structure or device that includes the elements.

[0072] The description of the utility model is given for the purpose of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the utility model to the disclosed form. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiments are selected and described to better illustrate the principles and practical applications of the utility model and to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the utility model and design various embodiments with various modifications suitable for specific uses.

Claims

1. An adjustable air intake device, the adjustable air intake device is used for engine external ducting, and the adjustable air intake device comprises a fixed structure, the fixed structure is formed with an air intake port, characterized in that: The adjustable air intake device further comprises an air intake adjustment component, and the air intake adjustment component comprises: a movable component, the movable component being movable relative to the fixed structure; and An actuating component is connected to the movable component and is used to drive the movable component to adjust the opening area of ​​the air inlet.

2. The adjustable air intake device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The movable component includes a movable lip, and the actuating component is configured to move the movable lip between a first position and a second position. When the movable lip is located at the first position, the air inlet is fully opened, when the movable lip is located at the second position, the air inlet is fully closed, and when the movable lip is located at an intermediate position between the first position and the second position, the air inlet is partially opened.

3. The adjustable air intake device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The movable lip includes an outer guide surface, an inner guide surface and a leading edge rotation axis. The leading edge rotation axis includes two parts that can pivot relative to each other and are respectively connected to the leading edge of the outer guide surface and the leading edge of the inner guide surface, so that the inner guide surface can pivot relative to the leading edge rotation axis.

4. The adjustable air intake device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A slide groove is provided at the rear of the fixed structure, and the outer guide surface is partially arranged in the slide groove at the rear of the fixed structure.

5. The adjustable air intake device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The actuating component comprises a fixed end and an actuating end, the fixed end is connected to the rear portion of the fixed structural component, and the actuating end is connected to the outer guide surface.

6. The adjustable air intake device according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the movable lip is in the first position, the distance between the leading edge of the outer guide surface and the front portion of the fixed structure is maximum, and when the movable lip is in the second position, a contact seal is formed between the leading edge of the outer guide surface and the front portion of the fixed structure.

7. The adjustable air intake device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The movable lip further comprises a positioning spring, one end of which is connected to the outer flow guide surface, and the other end of which is connected to the inner flow guide surface, and the positioning spring is pre-compressed.

8. The adjustable air intake device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The movable lip also includes a return spring, one end of which is arranged on the fixed structure, and the other end is arranged on the outer guide surface. The return spring is configured to keep the movable lip in the first position when the actuating component does not apply external force to the movable lip.

9. The adjustable air intake device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The return spring is integral with the actuating member.

10. The adjustable air intake device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The leading edge of the outer guide surface is configured in an outwardly convex configuration.

11. The adjustable air intake device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The contact seal between the leading edge and the front portion of the fixed structure is a graphite seal or a brush seal.

12. The adjustable air intake device according to claim 11, characterized in that: The section of the outer guide surface in contact with the slide groove is coated with a wear-resistant coating.

13. The adjustable air intake device according to claim 12, characterized in that: The actuating component includes a displacement sensor and / or a locking mechanism.

14. An aircraft engine, characterized in that: The aircraft engine comprises an adjustable air intake device according to any one of claims 1-13.

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