Integrated Front Engine Mounting for Aircraft Ground Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing front engine mountings in aircraft are inadequate for accommodating larger fan engines, leading to reduced clearance between the nacelle and the ground, necessitating a new arrangement to reduce the overall height and improve engine positioning.
Innovation Solution
A front engine mounting system integrating the reactor mast and front engine attachment, featuring a vertical median plane with a male clevis, connecting rods, and a cylindrical stud, allowing for reduced vertical footprint and improved force transmission through ball and spigot joints, with fail-safe mechanisms for secondary force paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the fan size is increased to improve engine performance, then engine performance is improved, but the distance between the nacelle and the ground is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the reactor mast and front engine attachment into a single integrated structure. The reactor mast directly forms the front attachment point, eliminating the need for a separate front mounting structure. This integration reduces the overall vertical height of the engine assembly, allowing larger fan engines to be installed while maintaining adequate ground clearance.
2Reliability
If a separate front engine attachment structure is used, then engine attachment functionality is provided, but the overall height is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The reactor mast is designed to directly incorporate the front engine attachment functionality. The mast extends forward and directly connects to the engine's front casing, eliminating the need for additional attachment structures. This merging of functions reduces vertical height while maintaining attachment reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The reactor mast serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for the engine, acts as the front attachment point, and enables both vertical and lateral positioning. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated attachment components, thereby reducing overall height.
3Length of moving object
If the reactor mast and front engine attachment are integrated, then the vertical footprint is reduced, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
While integration reduces vertical footprint, the patent manages structural complexity through careful design of the integrated mast-attachment interface. The mast incorporates attachment features directly into its structure, and ball joints provide simple spherical connections that accommodate multiple degrees of freedom without requiring complex mechanical assemblies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs ball joints at critical connection points, which provide dynamic adaptability. These spherical joints automatically adjust to misalignments and accommodate thermal expansion and contraction, reducing the need for precision machining and complex adjustment mechanisms, thereby managing structural complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a front engine mounting system (150) for an engine (102) comprising a jet pylon (104) with a nose cone (110) having a male clevis (111) and a cylindrical stud, two connecting rods (162a-b) fixed to the engine (102) by a second ball joint about a second axis (12), a first shaft (165) providing a first ball joint connection of the connecting rods (162a-b) with the male clevis (111) about a first axis (10), where the first axis (10) and the second axis (12) are in the same vertical plane, and where the cylindrical stud is mounted to move via an annular linear connection relative to the front casing (103). Such a front engine mounting system has a reduced vertical footprint because the front engine mounting is integrated into the jet pylon.