Funnel-Shaped Lower Firewall for Rotary Wing Aircraft Engine Deck
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rotary wing aircraft engine decks face challenges with weight efficiency and robustness due to the use of stiffened titanium panels, which are heavy and prone to fatigue, while composite materials lack fire resistance and thermal stability, leading to increased weight and potential mechanical deterioration.
Innovation Solution
A rotary wing aircraft design featuring a funnel-shaped lower firewall that separates fire protection and thermal stability functions from the primary load-carrying duties, using composite materials for the engine deck skin and a secondary thin barrier structure for fire protection, with integrated drainage points to reduce the number of drainage points and pipes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If stiffened titanium panels are used for the engine deck, then fire protection and thermal stability are ensured, but weight increases and fatigue resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The engine deck structure is segmented into two distinct functional layers: a primary load-carrying skin made of composite material and a separate secondary firewall barrier made of fire-resistant material. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized for its specific function, with the composite skin providing structural strength and the firewall providing fire protection, eliminating the need for heavy titanium panels that attempted to fulfill both functions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials for the primary engine deck skin to replace traditional titanium panels. These composite materials provide adequate structural strength and fatigue resistance while significantly reducing weight. The composite skin works in conjunction with a separate firewall barrier to achieve both weight reduction and fire protection objectives.
2Weight of moving object
If composite materials are used for the engine deck skin, then weight efficiency improves, but fire resistance and thermal stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The engine deck is divided into two functional zones: the primary skin made of lightweight composite material for load carrying, and a secondary firewall barrier made of fire-resistant material positioned between the engine and the primary skin. This segmentation allows the composite material to be used without compromising fire resistance, as the firewall barrier provides the necessary thermal protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary firewall barrier acts as an intermediary layer between the engine (heat source) and the composite primary skin. This intermediate firewall barrier protects the composite material from direct thermal exposure and fire, enabling the use of lightweight composites while maintaining fire resistance requirements.
3Reliability
If multiple drainage points and pipes are installed, then drainage effectiveness improves, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple drainage points in the engine deck are merged into a single centralized drainage outlet. The firewall barrier is designed with internal channels or pathways that collect fluid from multiple locations and channel them to one common drainage point, eliminating the need for multiple separate pipes and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining effective drainage coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The firewall barrier incorporates thin-walled structures with integrated drainage pathways that can flexibly channel fluids from multiple sources to a single outlet. This approach reduces the number of rigid pipe connections required while maintaining drainage effectiveness through the flexible internal geometry of the barrier structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A rotary wing aircraft with a fuselage that comprises an upper primary skin and an aircraft upper deck arranged above the fuselage, wherein the aircraft upper deck comprises a firewall arrangement that defines a fire proof separation at least between at least one aircraft engine and an aircraft interior region, wherein the firewall arrangement comprises at least one funnel-shaped lower firewall that is arranged between the at least one aircraft engine and the upper primary skin of the fuselage, wherein the at least one funnel-shaped lower firewall converges from an outer perimeter to at least one inner collecting point, and wherein the outer perimeter is spaced apart from the upper primary skin of the fuselage.