Aircraft Engine Strut Stiffening Protrusions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stress concentrations occur at the intersections of struts and walls in aircraft engines, leading to potential structural weaknesses and durability issues, particularly where struts meet the inner and outer walls, which existing designs fail to adequately address without increasing weight or affecting airflow.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of protrusions extending from the baseline surface of the opposed side of the walls, which increase the thickness locally at specific locations where stress concentrations are high, such as where the leading and trailing edges of the struts meet the gaspath side of the walls, while maintaining a minimal impact on airflow and weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the wall thickness is increased at the strut-wall intersection locations, then the stress concentration is reduced and structural strength is improved, but the weight of the engine components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adding protrusions only at specific locations where stress concentrations occur (at the strut-wall intersections), rather than uniformly increasing the wall thickness throughout the entire component. This localized reinforcement strengthens the critical areas while maintaining the lightweight design in non-critical regions.
2Reliability
If the wall thickness is increased to reduce stress concentration, then the durability of the engine components is improved, but the airflow characteristics may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusions are positioned locally at the strut-wall intersections where stress concentrations occur, rather than uniformly thickening the walls. This localized approach reinforces durability at critical stress points while minimizing interference with the overall airflow paths through the engine components.
3Weight of moving object
If conventional designs are used without additional reinforcement, then the weight is minimized, but stress concentrations lead to potential structural weaknesses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by adding protrusions only at specific locations where stress concentrations occur (at the strut-wall intersections), rather than uniformly increasing the wall thickness throughout the entire component. This localized reinforcement strengthens the critical areas while maintaining the lightweight design in non-critical regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The protrusions are designed into the wall structure in advance during manufacturing, proactively addressing stress concentration issues before they lead to structural failure. This preliminary reinforcement prevents structural weaknesses from developing under operational loads.
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft engine, comprising: a first wall and a second wall defining a gaspath between the first wall and the second wall, the gaspath extending around a central axis, each of the first wall and the second wall having a gaspath side facing the gaspath and an opposed side facing away from the gaspath; struts circumferentially distributed around the central axis, the struts extending across the gaspath, a strut of the struts having an airfoil including a leading edge, a trailing edge, a first end secured to the first wall, and a second end secured to the second wall; and protrusions extending from a baseline surface of the opposed side of the first wall, the protrusions increasing a thickness of the first wall, a protrusion of the protrusions overlapping a location where the leading edge or the trailing edge meets the gaspath side of the first wall.