Stowable Wing Aircraft with Fuselage-Mounted Engines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tiltrotor aircraft with a single main engine within the fuselage face issues of lack of engine redundancy, limited fuselage interior space, and difficulty in maintenance due to the size and weight of conventional engines, which affect the aircraft's center of gravity and require laborious redesigns during certification.
Innovation Solution
The aircraft design features dual fuselage-mounted engines located beneath the wing, with a drive system that includes a combining gearbox and mid-wing gearbox, allowing one or both engines to power the cross-wing driveshaft, and enabling the engines to be externally mounted for improved access and fuselage space, while allowing for engine redundancy and adjustable center of gravity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single main engine is mounted within the fuselage, then rotor pylon and nacelle configuration is simplified and space constraints are reduced, but engine redundancy is lost and maintenance access becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the engine system into multiple separate engines (typically two) mounted on the fuselage, rather than using a single engine. This segmentation provides redundancy while simplifying the rotor pylon configuration, as each engine can independently drive its own rotor system without requiring complex shared mechanical linkages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from mounting engines within the fuselage interior to mounting them on the exterior fuselage surface. This dimensional change from internal to external mounting improves maintenance access and engine redundancy while maintaining streamlined aerodynamics and reducing internal space constraints.
2Volume of moving object
If a single main engine is mounted within the fuselage, then space constraints are reduced, but maintenance access becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves engine mounting from the internal three-dimensional space to the external surface of the fuselage. This allows engines to be positioned in accessible locations on the fuselage exterior, dramatically improving maintenance access while preserving all fuselage interior space for other purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The engines are extracted from the fuselage interior and mounted on the exterior surface. This extraction eliminates the conflict between engine access requirements and fuselage interior space utilization, allowing both goals to be achieved simultaneously.
3Power
If conventional combustion engines are used, then power is sufficient, but center of gravity adjustment becomes laborious and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the engine mounting positions adjustable rather than fixed, allowing the center of gravity to be dynamically repositioned by moving engines along the fuselage. This dynamic adjustability eliminates the need for laborious redesigns during certification while maintaining sufficient power output.
Solution Approach 2:
The engine mounting system is designed to serve multiple functions: providing sufficient power, allowing center of gravity adjustment, and facilitating easy reconfiguration. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate redesign processes during certification.
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment of the present invention provides an aircraft that includes a fuselage and a rotatable wing disposed above the fuselage. At least one cross-wing driveshaft is disposed within the wing and is driven in rotation by a drive system connected to first and second engines that are located at respective sides of the fuselage beneath the wing. The drive system is so configured that one or both of the first engine and the second engine can drive the at least one cross-wing driveshaft in the event of failure of an engine.