Jet nozzle effective area control system for gas turbine engine
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorsEric S. Durocher, Michel Labrecque
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gas turbine engine for an aircraft includes an outer bypass section wall, and a jet nozzle including at least one inflatable diaphragm. The at least one inflatable diaphragm is disposed along the outer bypass section wall. The gas turbine engine also includes a fluid pressure sensor configured to measure a fluid pressure within the at least one inflatable diaphragm, an inlet valve configured to control a pressurized flow of a fluid into the at least one inflatable diaphragm in response to a command from a controller, and a release valve configured to control a release of the fluid from within the at least one inflatable diaphragm in response to a command from the controller.
Claims18
A gas turbine engine for an aircraft comprising:
- an outer bypass section wall surrounding a core engine, wherein the core engine comprises a core exhaust mixer;
- a jet nozzle positioned downstream of the core exhaust mixer, the jet nozzle including:
- at least one inflatable diaphragm, the at least one inflatable diaphragm disposed along the outer bypass section wall;
- and
- a plurality of hinged panels disposed adjacent to the at least one inflatable diaphragm along the outer bypass section wall,
- wherein each hinged panel from the plurality of hinged panels is configured to seat entirely within a recess defined within the outer bypass section wall when the plurality of hinged panels is retracted from the jet nozzle and to extend out of the recess into the jet nozzle when the plurality of hinged panels is deployed;
- a fluid pressure sensor configured to measure a fluid pressure within the at least one inflatable diaphragm;
- an inlet valve configured to control a pressurized flow of a fluid into the at least one inflatable diaphragm in response to a command from a controller;
- and
- a release valve configured to control a release of the fluid from within the at least one inflatable diaphragm in response to a command from the controller,
- wherein the at least one inflatable diaphragm is configured to:
- expand into the jet nozzle when the fluid pressure within the at least one inflatable diaphragm is increased such that an effective area of the jet nozzle is reduced;
- and
- recede from the jet nozzle when the fluid pressure within the at least one inflatable diaphragm is decreased such that the effective area of the jet nozzle is increased.
A jet nozzle for a gas turbine engine for an aircraft, the gas turbine engine having a core engine with a core exhaust mixer, the jet nozzle comprising:
- at least one inflatable diaphragm configured to be disposed along an outer bypass section wall of the gas turbine engine surrounding the core engine;
- and
- a plurality of panels configured to be hinged along the outer bypass section wall of the gas turbine engine adjacent to the at least one inflatable diaphragm,
- wherein each panel from the plurality of panels is configured to seat entirely within a recess defined within the outer bypass section wall when the plurality of panels is retracted from the jet nozzle and to extend out of the recess into the jet nozzle when the plurality of hinged panels is deployed, and
- wherein the at least one inflatable diaphragm is further configured to:
- couple with a fluid pressure sensor configured to measure a fluid pressure within the at least one inflatable diaphragm;
- couple with an inlet valve configured to control a pressurized flow of a fluid into the at least one inflatable diaphragm in response to a command from a controller;
- and
- couple with a release valve configured to control a release of the fluid from within the at least one inflatable diaphragm in response to a command from the controller,
- wherein the at least one inflatable diaphragm is configured to:
- expand into the jet nozzle when the fluid pressure within the at least one inflatable diaphragm is increased such that an effective area of the jet nozzle is reduced;
- and
- recede from the jet nozzle when the fluid pressure within the at least one inflatable diaphragm is decreased such that the effective area of the jet nozzle is increased;
- and
- wherein the jet nozzle is positioned downstream of the core exhaust mixer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.