US 2026/0285489 A1Published application

Aircraft with an unducted fan propulsor

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorsSara Elizabeth Carle, Daniel L. Tweedt, Syed Arif Khalid, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow, William Bowden

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Abstract

The present disclosure is generally related to aircraft having one or more unducted fan propulsors at locations within specific regions relative to an airfoil, such as a wing or horizontal stabilizer. More specifically, the specific regions are located where there is a relatively higher pressure air flow beneath the wings or above a horizontal stabilizer. That higher pressure air flow can be utilized to provide increased thrust from the unducted fan propulsor. The unducted fan propulsors include an engine correlation parameter that is greater than 0.17 and less than 0.83, wherein the engine correlation parameter equals D/N/GR, D is the maximum outer diameter of the rotating blades, N is a stage count of a low-pressure turbine of the unducted fan propulsor, and GR is a gear ratio of a gearbox of the unducted fan propulsor operably coupling the low pressure turbine and the rotating blades.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An aircraft comprising:

a fuselage;
a pair of wings extending from the fuselage;
two or more unducted fan propulsors, each of the unducted fan propulsors is mounted relative to one of the wings on a high pressure side thereof, the unducted fan propulsor having a centerline (CL), a plurality of blades arranged in a forward array and a plurality of blades arranged in a rearward array, wherein only one of the forward and rearward array of blades are rotating blades and the rotating blades define a maximum outer diameter (D), wherein the unducted fan propulsor has a disk loading in a range from 60 horsepower (HP) per feet squared (ft2) to 180 HP/ft2 at a takeoff flight condition calculated as a power at the takeoff flight condition measured in HP divided by a swept area of the unducted fan propulsor measured in ft2;
a point (P) located at an intersection of the CL and a line HP perpendicular to the CL that passes through an axial midpoint between a rearward trailing edge at a root of a blade of the rearward array and a forward leading edge at a root of a blade of the forward array when the forward leading edge and rearward trailing edge of the respective blades are aligned with each other;
an airfoil section having an effective quarter chord point QC;
and
a positioning line (R) having a length (RL) and extending from the QC to the point P of the unducted fan propulsor at an angle θ measured positive in a counter-clockwise direction when the high pressure side of the airfoil section is below the airfoil section when viewed looking from an outboard position towards an inboard position of the wing;
wherein 0.07≤RL/D≤2.0 and θ is between 187° and 342°.

5 more elements

An aircraft, comprising:

a fuselage;
an airfoil extending from the fuselage, the airfoil having an airfoil section defining an effective quarter chord point (QC);
an unducted fan propulsor mounted relative to the airfoil section on a high pressure side thereof, the unducted fan propulsor having a centerline (CL), a plurality of blades arranged in a forward array and a plurality of blades arranged in a rearward array, wherein only one of the forward and rearward array of blades are rotating blades and the rotating blades define a maximum outer diameter (D), wherein the unducted fan propulsor has a disk loading in a range from 60 horsepower (HP) per feet squared (ft2) to 180 HP/ft2 at a takeoff flight condition calculated as a power at the takeoff flight condition measured in HP divided by a swept area of the unducted fan propulsor measured in ft2;
a point (P) located at an intersection of the CL and a line HP perpendicular to the CL that passes through an axial midpoint between a rearward trailing edge at a root of a blade of the rearward array and a forward leading edge at a root of a blade of the forward array when the forward leading edge and rearward trailing edge of the respective blades are aligned with each other;
and
an ellipse origin positioning line (EOR) having a length (EORL) extending from the QC to an ellipse origin (OR) at an angle θ measured positive in a counter-clockwise direction when the high pressure side of the airfoil section is below the airfoil section, and measured positive in a clockwise direction when the high pressure side of the airfoil section is above the airfoil section, when viewed looking for an outboard position towards an inboard position;
wherein the P of the unducted fan propulsor is located within a first ellipse having a first major axis length (1MajAL) and a first minor axis length (1MinAL) with a first ellipse origin defined by EORL/D of 0.938 and θ of 253.6°, and where 1MajAL/D is 2.8 and 1MinAL/D is 1.7.

4 more elements

An aircraft, comprising:

a fuselage;
an airfoil extending from the fuselage, the airfoil having an airfoil section defining an effective quarter-chord point (QC);
an unducted fan propulsor mounted relative to the airfoil section on a high pressure side thereof, the unducted fan propulsor having a centerline (CL), a plurality of blades arranged in a forward array and a plurality of blades arranged in a rearward array, wherein one of the forward and rearward array of blades are rotating blades and the rotating blades define a maximum outer diameter (D), wherein the unducted fan propulsor has a disk loading in a range from 60 horsepower (HP) per feet squared (ft2) to 180 HP/ft2 at a takeoff flight condition calculated as a power at the takeoff flight condition measured in HP divided by a swept area of the unducted fan propulsor measured in ft2;
a point (P) located at an intersection of the CL and a line HP perpendicular to the CL that passes through an axial midpoint between a rearward trailing edge at a root of a blade of the rearward array and a forward leading edge at a root of a blade of the forward array when the forward leading edge and rearward trailing edge of the respective blades are aligned with each other;
and
a positioning line (R) having a length (RL) and extending from the QC to the point P of the unducted fan propulsor at an angle θ measured positive in a counter-clockwise direction when the high pressure side of the airfoil section is below the airfoil section, and measured positive in a clockwise direction when the high pressure side of the airfoil section is above the airfoil section, when viewed looking from an outboard position towards an inboard position (e.g. the fuselage) OR when viewed with the LE to the left of the TE;
wherein 0.065<RL/D<1.98 and θ is between 187° and 340°;
and wherein RL/D and θ of the P of the unducted fan propulsor adhere to the following expressions:
RL
D
+
(
1.4161
*
[
1.88978
*
sin
2
⁢
(
θ
)
-
0.0875
*
cos
2
⁢
(
θ
)
+
0.477
*
sin
⁢
(
θ
)
*
cos
⁡
(
θ
)
]
+
1.764
*
sin
⁡
(
θ
)
+
0.19146
*
cos
⁡
(
θ
)
)
1.96
*
sin
2
(
θ
)
+
0.7225
*
cos
2
(
θ
)
>
0
and
RL
D
+
(
-
1.4161
*
[
1.88978
*
sin
2
⁢
(
θ
)
-
0.0875
*
cos
2
⁢
(
θ
)
+
0.477
*
sin
⁢
(
θ
)
*
cos
⁡
(
θ
)
]
+
1.764
*
sin
⁡
(
θ
)
+
0.19146
*
cos
⁡
(
θ
)
)
1.96
*
sin
2
(
θ
)
+
0.7225
*
cos
2
(
θ
)
<
0

153 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 19/692,785Filed 29 May 2026
Priority: 4 Aug 2023
Published: 24 Sep 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

B64C 3/32
Wings: specially adapted for mounting power plant
B64D 27/18
Of jet type: within, or attached to, wings
B64C 11/48
Arrangements of, or constructional features peculiar to, multiple propellers: units of two or more coaxial propellers
B64D 27/12
Of gas-turbine type: within, or attached to, wings

Family

Application18/230,609Continuation in part · filed 4 Aug 2023
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Application19/345,493Continuation · filed 30 Sep 2025
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.