Passive Suction Profile Body for Aircraft Fuselage Drag Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft designs require constant energy supply for active suction of turbulent boundary layers, reducing overall efficiency due to drag caused by airflow deflections at high speeds.
Innovation Solution
An aircraft fuselage with a perforated outer skin and a suction profile body that generates a pressure sink to achieve passive suction of air from turbulent boundary layers, utilizing a suction opening at the location of lowest pressure for efficient airflow and reduced drag, potentially aided by an air conveying device during low-speed phases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If active suction is used to remove turbulent boundary layers, then drag is reduced, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The suction system operates periodically rather than continuously. The control unit activates suction only when turbulent boundary layers are detected or expected to form, based on flight conditions such as speed and altitude. This periodic operation maintains drag reduction benefits while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous suction operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the aircraft's existing air conditioning system and airflow to provide suction functionality. By utilizing the already-present suction connections and air circulation infrastructure, the system achieves boundary layer removal without requiring dedicated high-energy suction devices, thereby reducing overall energy consumption.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If suction openings are added to the fuselage, then boundary layer removal is enabled, but aerodynamic efficiency deteriorates due to additional drag
Solution Approach 1:
Suction openings are strategically positioned only at specific locations where turbulent boundary layers form, such as near the nose and along the fuselage. The openings are not distributed uniformly but concentrated in regions where they are most effective, minimizing their overall impact on aerodynamic efficiency while maximizing boundary layer removal capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a limited number of suction openings rather than covering the entire fuselage surface. This partial action approach removes turbulent boundary layers at critical locations without creating excessive drag from numerous openings, achieving the necessary flow control with minimal aerodynamic penalty.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If a double-walled structure with suction chambers is used, then suction capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The aircraft's air conditioning system serves multiple functions: it provides cabin climate control and simultaneously acts as the suction system for boundary layer removal. The existing air circulation fans, ducts, and controls are repurposed to create suction at the fuselage openings, eliminating the need for separate suction chambers and reducing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and utilizes the suction capability already present in the air conditioning system, separating this function from the need for dedicated suction infrastructure. By taking out the suction function from a separate system and integrating it with the existing air conditioning infrastructure, the design avoids the complexity of double-walled structures while maintaining effective boundary layer removal.
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
The solution enables passive suction of air from turbulent boundary layers, reducing drag and energy consumption, particularly during cruising phases, while maintaining aerodynamic efficiency and minimizing additional drag.
Implementation Method 1
The suction profile body is arranged on the outer skin, forms a local bulge on the outer skin, and further comprises a suction opening that is arranged at a location at which there is the lowest pressure in an airflow during flight
Implementation Method 2
Active removal by suction of the boundary layer requires a constant supply of energy
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft having an aircraft fuselage that has an outer skin includes an air sucking fuselage component with an outer surface that is perforated at least in some regions, and a suction profile body. The suction profile body is arranged on the outer skin, forms a local bulge in the outer skin, and further includes a suction opening that is arranged at a location at which there is the lowest pressure, for example at a position furthest away from the outer skin. The suction opening is connected to a suction connection of the air sucking fuselage component. In this way laminarization of the flow at the air sucking fuselage component may take place without the use of active air conveying devices.