Asymmetric Aircraft Configuration with Boundary Layer Ingestion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft designs that incorporate boundary layer ingestion (BLI) engines to increase propulsion efficiency often compromise operational safety and cost-effectiveness, particularly when additional engines are installed symmetrically, which can lead to increased risk and higher operational costs.
Innovation Solution
An asymmetric aircraft configuration with a conventional engine mounted on a larger wing and a BLI engine at the rear end, featuring a T-tail configuration and an asymmetric main landing gear assembly, which ingests fuselage boundary layer air to produce thrust with reduced power consumption while maintaining a two-engine setup for cost efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a symmetric aircraft configuration with two BLI engines is used, then propulsion efficiency is improved, but the risk of simultaneous engine failure increases and operational cost rises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning one engine conventionally under the wing and the other BLI engine at the rear fuselage, creating an asymmetric configuration that maintains propulsion efficiency while reducing the risk of simultaneous engine failure compared to symmetric arrangements
2Productivity
If additional BLI engines are installed to increase propulsion efficiency, then propulsive performance is improved, but operational cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric configuration with one conventional engine and one BLI engine provides a balanced approach, achieving propulsion efficiency improvements without the excessive costs associated with multiple BLI engines, thereby maintaining cost-effectiveness
3Productivity
If a BLI engine is installed at the rear end of the fuselage, then propulsion efficiency is improved by ingesting boundary layer air, but the aircraft configuration becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an asymmetric configuration where one engine remains conventional while the other is positioned at the rear fuselage as a BLI engine, achieving propulsion efficiency gains with manageable complexity through asymmetric rather than fully symmetric redesign
Solution Approach 2:
The aircraft propulsion system is segmented into two distinct engine configurations - one conventional engine under the wing and one BLI engine at the rear fuselage - allowing each engine type to be optimized independently while maintaining overall system efficiency
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances propulsive efficiency by utilizing slow air from the fuselage boundary layer, reducing power requirements and maintaining cost-effectiveness, thereby addressing the safety and economic concerns associated with symmetric BLI engine installations.
Implementation Method 1
a second engine designed as a boundary layer ingestion (BLI) engine installed at the rear end of the aircraft... ingest the slow air in the fuselage boundary layer into the fan of an engine
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~5
Figure 6
AI summary
The invention refers to an asymmetric aircraft configuration having a first (3', 3") and a second wing (4), the first wing (3', 3") having a span larger than the second wing (4); a first engine (1) mounted on the first wing (3', 3"), and a second engine (2) mounted on the rear end of the aircraft with its centerline (12) aligned with the aircraft longitudinal axis, the rear end of the aircraft having a T tail (14), and the second engine (1) designed to ingest and consume air forming a boundary layer during the flight; and a main landing gear assembly comprising a first landing gear (8) attached to the first wing (3', 3"), and a second landing gear (9) attached to an area of the fuselage close to the second wing (4).