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US 4,976,396 AGranted
Aircraft configuration with aft mounted engines
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsRobert B. Carlson, Barbara J. Cosgrove, Paul T. Meredith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aircraft having two aft mounted prop engines on opposite sides of the fuselage. The side surfaces of the fuselage adjacent to the propellers are contoured so that each has an inwardly and rearwarding slanting forward region, a substantially longitudinally aligned intermediate region which is adjacent to the propellers, and a rear region which slants inwardly and rearwardly to an end closure location. This configuration results in a more uniform flow pattern into the propellers.
Claims41
An aircraft comprising:
- (a) a fuselage having a longitudinal center axis, a forward portion, an intermediate main portion, and a rear portion, said rear portion comprising a forward section, a rear section with an end closure location, and an intermediate section,
- (b) first and second engines mounted adjacent to an exterior surface of said rear section, said engines having first and second enclosed propeller means at first and second propeller locations, said propeller means being arranged to rotate about first and second propeller axes, respectively, with each propeller axis having a substantial alignment component parallel to said longitudinal axis,
- (c) the rear portion of the fuselage having first and second exterior, longitudinally extending surface portions, said first surface portion having a first forward surface region extending longitudinally along said forward section, a first intermediate surface region extending along said intermediate section adjacent to said first propeller means, and a first rear surface region extending along said rear section, said second surface portion having a second forward surface region extending longitudinally along said forward section, a second intermediate surface region extending along said intermediate section adjacent to said second propeller means, and a second rear surface region extending along said rear section,
- (d) said rear fuselage portion being characterized in that the forward region of each surface portion slants rearwardly and inwardly toward said longitudinal center axis at a relatively greater inward and rearward slant relative to said longitudinal axis and curves concavely to join to its related intermediate region which has less inward and rearward slant with respect to said longitudinal center axis relative to its related forward surface region, each intermediate region joining to its related rear region in a convex curve with each rear region slanting rearwardly and inwardly to said closure location.
1 more element
A body and engine combination comprising
- (a) a body having a longitudinal center axis, a forward section, a rear section with an end closure location, and an intermediate section,
- (b) an engine mounted adjacent to an exterior surface of said body, said engine having a unenclosed propeller means at a propeller location, said propeller means being arranged to rotate about a propeller axis which has a substantial alignment component parallel to said longitudinal axis,
- (c) said body having an exterior, longitudinally extending surface portion, said surface portion having a forward surface region extending longitudinally along said forward section, an intermediate surface region extending along said intermediate section adjacent to said propeller means, and a rear surface region extending along said rear section,
- (d) said body being characterized in that the forward region slants rearwardly and inwardly toward said longitudinal center axis at a relatively greater inward and rearward slant relative to said longitudinal axis and curves concavely to join to said intermediate region which has less inward and rearward slant with respect to said longitudinal center axis relative to the related forward surface region, the intermediate region joining to said related rear region in a convex curve with the rear region slanting rearwardly and inwardly to said closure location.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.