Subsonic shock strut
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorBronwyn Power
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas turbine engine strut has a forebody positioned upstream of a point of maximum thickness and an aft body positioned downstream of the point of maximum thickness. The aft body has a discontinuity in a curvature distribution which provides for a “subsonic shock.” The discontinuity in curvature distribution can include in inflection point that marks a transition from a curvature associated with an upstream portion of the aft body to a second curvature associated with a downstream portion of the aft body. In some forms, the aft body can additionally include boundary layer aspiration. The gas turbine engine strut can be symmetrical about a centerline.
Claims17
An apparatus comprising
- a gas turbine engine subsonic strut having an airfoil shape structured to be disposed in a flow path having subsonic flow and including a forebody located forward of a maximum thickness of the strut and an aft body located aft of the maximum thickness, the aft body of the gas turbine engine subsonic strut having an inflection point that produces a subsonic shock pressure recovery, the aft body including an upstream portion having a constant radius curve of a first radius that transitions at the inflection point to a downstream portion having a different constant radius curve,
- wherein the inflection point is structured to initially encourage flow separation while the aft body is structured to provide a length to reattach the flow while still decelerating the flow.
An apparatus comprising
- a symmetric gas turbine engine static airfoil member having a forward end portion positioned forward of a maximum thickness and an aft end portion positioned aft of the maximum thickness, the aft end portion having a top side symmetric with a bottom side, wherein each of the top side and bottom side include a discontinuous change in curvature distribution, the aft end portion including an upstream portion having a constant radius curve of a first radius that transitions at the inflection point to a downstream portion having a different constant radius curve,
- wherein an inflection point along the discontinuous change in curvature distribution produces a subsonic shock,
- which further includes aspiration control structured to remove at least a portion of a boundary layer flowing along the symmetric gas turbine engine static airfoil member.
An apparatus comprising
- a gas turbine engine strut having a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a maximum thickness disposed between the leading edge and trailing edge, the gas turbine engine strut including means for inducing a subsonic shock, the inducing means comprising an upstream portion having a constant radius curve of a first radius that transitions at an inflection point to a downstream portion having a different constant radius curve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.