Thrust Reverser Door Pivot Cooling via Secondary Air Bleed
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing door-type thrust reverser devices for aircraft nacelles face structural weakening due to temperature rises at pivot areas, necessitating the use of heavy and expensive materials to maintain rigidity, which increases the mass and manufacturing cost of the nacelle.
Innovation Solution
A device that collects a portion of the secondary air flow and conveys it towards the door pivots to cool adjacent areas, eliminating the need for high-temperature-resistant materials by maintaining pivot cooling regardless of the door's position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If heavy and expensive high-temperature-resistant materials are used for door pivot areas, then structural rigidity and strength are improved, but the mass and manufacturing cost of the nacelle increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary cooling action to the door pivot areas by channeling secondary air flow through cooling passages before the hot primary air flow can cause temperature rise. This preventive cooling allows the use of lighter materials that would otherwise be weakened by thermal exposure, resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces secondary air flow as an intermediary cooling medium between the hot primary air flow and the door pivot areas. This intermediary cold air flow acts as a thermal barrier, protecting the pivot structure from direct thermal exposure and enabling the use of lighter materials while maintaining structural integrity.
2Strength
If heavy and expensive high-temperature-resistant materials are used for door pivot areas, then structural rigidity and strength are improved, but the manufacturing cost of the nacelle increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling passages are designed to deliver preliminary cooling to the door pivot areas, preventing temperature rise that would require expensive high-temperature-resistant materials. This allows the use of conventional, more cost-effective materials while maintaining structural strength, thereby reducing manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
Secondary air flow serves as an intermediary cooling medium that protects the door pivot areas from direct exposure to hot primary air flow. This intermediary protection eliminates the need for expensive high-temperature-resistant materials, reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining structural rigidity.
3Reliability
If the door pivot areas are cooled continuously, then structural integrity is maintained, but the device complexity increases due to additional cooling structure
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the secondary air flow serve multiple functions: it provides cooling to the door pivot areas and simultaneously maintains its flow path through the nacelle. This multi-functionality allows continuous cooling of the pivots without adding separate dedicated cooling systems, thereby maintaining structural integrity while limiting complexity increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling function for the door pivots is merged with the existing secondary air flow path. The cooling passages are integrated into the nacelle structure, combining the cooling function with the existing aerodynamic flow, thus achieving continuous cooling without significantly increasing device complexity.
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
This solution reduces the mass and manufacturing cost of the nacelle by avoiding the use of heavy, expensive materials while maintaining structural integrity through continuous cooling of the pivots.
Implementation Method 1
a device for collecting a portion of the secondary air flow, adapted to collect, when the thrust reverser is being deployed, a portion of the secondary air flow from an air path of the secondary air flow and to convey said collected air flow towards at least one pivot of the door, so as to cool the adjacent areas of the pivots of the door
Data Source
AI summary
A door-type thrust reverser device for a turbojet engine nacelle is provided that includes a fixed structure, a mobile structure mobile with respect to said fixed structure, and at least one door mounted with the ability to pivot via pivots between a retracted position corresponding to the nacelle operating in direct-jet mode, and a deployed position corresponding to the nacelle operating in reverser-jet mode. The thrust reverser device includes a device for bleeding off some of a secondary or bypass airflow, which device is able to bleed off part of the secondary airflow from a duct through which the secondary airflow circulates and for conveying said bled-off airflow toward at least one pivot of the door, so as to cool areas on and/or around the door pivots.