Ducted propeller aircraft
AssigneeEdgley Aircraft Limited
InventorJohn K. Edgley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A ducted propeller aircraft from which visibility is excellent and which is capable of operating quietly and efficiently has a propeller shroud which serves as a primary load path to pass bending and torsional stresses to which the mainplane is subject in use between the portions of the mainplane either side of the shroud, the shroud defining a duct which is unimpinged upon by any portion of the turbulent airflow emanating from the mainplane.
Claims11
An aircraft having lift-producing means comprising a mainplane, a prime mover, and a propeller with a hub operatively driven by the prime mover in use to produce by movement through the ambient air sufficient thrust for flight of the aircraft, the propeller being located intermediate the port and starboard ends of the mainplane comprising:
- (i) an annular shroud including a mainplane support portion, said shroud including a trailing portion within which the propeller rotates;
- (ii) said propeller being mounted to the prime mover, and the prime mover being fixedly mounted to the trailing portion of the shroud, so that the propeller is held substantially fixed against transverse movement relative to the longitudinal axis of the trailing portion of the shroud;
- and
- (iii) said trailing portion of the shroud being mounted to the mainplane support portion of the shroud by resilient mounting blocks which serve to isolate vibrations of the prime mover in directions transverse to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft in the trailing portion from the mainplane support portion of the shroud.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.