Aircraft Surface Cooler Assembly for Thermal Growth and Low Weight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft engine heat exchangers face space and weight constraints due to limited space, and they must withstand harsh thermal environments while allowing for thermal growth to prevent high cycle fatigue from engine vibrations, requiring a mounting system that balances ease of mounting and stability.
Innovation Solution
The development of a surface cooler assembly with a body having fluid passages and fins, featuring a unitarily formed manifold and mounting bosses, and utilizing laser metal deposition for additive manufacturing to create a compact, lightweight design that accommodates thermal expansion and eliminates the need for welding, allowing for efficient heat dissipation and ease of assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If traditional heat exchanger designs are used, then heat dissipation function is provided, but space and weight constraints are not satisfied
Solution Approach 1:
The manifold is unitarily formed with the heat exchanger body as an integrated component, eliminating separate manifold parts and reducing overall weight while maintaining heat dissipation functionality through the integrated fluid distribution system
Solution Approach 2:
Fins are selectively positioned on specific portions of the heat exchanger body to optimize heat dissipation in critical areas, providing targeted thermal management that improves efficiency without adding uniform weight across the entire structure
2Stability of the object's composition
If rigid mounting systems are used to ensure stability, then structural stability is improved, but thermal growth accommodation is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system incorporates dynamic characteristics that allow controlled movement and adjustment, enabling the heat exchanger to accommodate thermal expansion and contraction while maintaining stable operation through flexible mounting mechanisms
3Manufacturing precision
If complex assembly procedures are used to ensure proper installation, then assembly precision is improved, but ease of assembly deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The unitary formation of the manifold with the heat exchanger body eliminates the need for separate manifold assembly, reducing the number of components and assembly steps while maintaining precise fluid distribution through the integrated design
Solution Approach 2:
The manifold is pre-formed as an integral part of the heat exchanger body during manufacturing, establishing precise fluid passages and connections before field installation, which simplifies on-site assembly while ensuring manufacturing precision
4Strength
If welding is used to join components, then structural strength is improved, but weld-drop-through issues and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The manifold and heat exchanger body are formed as a single unitary structure, eliminating the need for welding or other joining processes between these components, which simplifies manufacturing while maintaining structural integrity through the integrated design
Solution Approach 2:
The welding process is extracted and eliminated from the manufacturing process by adopting a unitary formation approach, removing the associated complications of weld-drop-through issues and manufacturing complexity while maintaining component strength
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 provides efficient cooling, reduces weight and size, minimizes weld-drop-through issues, and enables easier assembly and repair, while maintaining structural stability and heat transfer efficiency, even in high-pressure environments.
Implementation Method 1
a surface cooler configured to be operably coupled to an aircraft fan casing... efficient heat dissipation
Implementation Method 2
a set of fluid passages internal to the body... redirect a flow to another of the set of fluid passages
Implementation Method 3
a set of fins located on at least a portion of the second surface of the body... heat transfer efficiency
Implementation Method 4
a set of fins located on at least a portion of the second surface of the body... heat dissipation
Implementation Method 5
depositing metal includes laser metal deposition on at least one of a scratch, gouge, or foreign object damage portion
Implementation Method 6
laser metal deposition... depositing metal includes laser metal deposition
Data Source
AI summary
A surface cooler configured to be operably coupled to an aircraft fan casing and having a first surface configured to confront a peripheral wall of an aircraft fan casing and a second surface opposite the first surface, a set of fluid passages internal to the body and a set of fins located on at least a portion of the second surface of the body.