Aircraft Engine Rotating Member Ice Shedding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Aircraft engines face issues with unpredictable ice buildup on rotating components, leading to unbalanced engine components and undesirable vibrations due to the unpredictable release of ice masses under varying conditions.

Innovation Solution

The engine design incorporates rotating members with ice-accumulating and shadow surfaces, flanges that create ice-capturing volumes, and centrifugal forces to incrementally capture and shed ice, ensuring controlled ice shedding and reduced vibrations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If ice is allowed to accumulate on rotating components, then ice mass increases which affects system dynamics, but unpredictable ice release causes unbalanced components and vibrations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveengine operation stabilityVSAvoidvibrations from unpredictable ice release

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful unpredictable ice shedding into a beneficial controlled process by using the centrifugal force generated during normal engine operation to systematically remove ice at optimal moments, transforming the problem of ice accumulation into a controlled shedding mechanism that actually protects the engine from vibration damage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention employs dynamic ice shedding by allowing ice to accumulate during normal operation and then utilizing the rotating centrifugal force to periodically shed the ice in a controlled manner, creating a dynamic balance between ice accumulation and removal that maintains engine stability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Quantity of substance

If ice is shed unpredictably at varying masses, then ice mass is reduced, but engine component balance is disrupted causing vibrations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveice mass reductionVSAvoidengine component balance

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The unpredictable harmful ice shedding is converted into a beneficial controlled process where centrifugal force during normal rotation systematically removes ice at optimal moments, transforming random vibration-causing events into a protective mechanism that maintains engine balance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Object-generated harmful factors

If flanges with ice-capturing volumes are added to control ice shedding, then ice shedding becomes controlled and vibrations are reduced, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevibration controlVSAvoidengine structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-generated harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The engine components are segmented with specific ice-accumulating surfaces and shadow surfaces separated by flanges, creating distinct functional zones that control where ice forms and how it is shed, allowing systematic management of ice without requiring complex external systems

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The rotating engine components serve multiple functions: they perform their primary propulsion function while simultaneously acting as ice collection surfaces, ice transport mechanisms via centrifugal force, and controlled ice shedding devices, eliminating the need for separate dedicated ice removal systems

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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 solution allows for controlled ice shedding, minimizing vibrations and maintaining engine balance by leveraging centrifugal forces to overcome adhesive forces and shed ice at predetermined times, thus addressing the unpredictability of ice release and its impact on engine dynamics.

Implementation Method 1

a first predetermined mass of ice is captured within the ice capturing volume and the predetermined mass of ice is subjected to a centrifugal force when the member is rotated about the rotational axis at the first angular velocity

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCentrifugal force: Centrifugal Force

Implementation Method 2

The shear stress overcomes an adhesive force of the mass of ice, and the ice is shed from the ice-accumulating surface

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectShear stress: Shear Stress

Data Source

PatentUS11492923B2Ice shedding aircraft engine

Publication Date: 2022.11.08 GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE CORP

AI summary

According to the present teachings, an aircraft engine configured to controllably shed ice during icing conditions is presented. The engine has a member operating at a first angular velocity having a surface divided into a first ice accumulating surface configured to collect ice, and a first shadow surface configured to resist the collection of ice. A first flange is disposed between the first ice accumulating surface and the first shadow surface.