Compressible nose dynamic de-icer
AssigneeThe B.F. Goodrich Company
InventorRichard L. Rauckhorst, III
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A de-icer comprises a compressible member immediately subjacent an outer skin overlying an apex of a leading edge. The compressible member facilitates deflection of the outer skin overlying the compressible member toward the substructure when the skin deflection means deflects the outer skin.
Claims43
A de-icer adapted for attachment to a substructure having an apex where the radius of curvature of the substructure is smallest, the de-icer having an outer surface subjected to an impinging airstream, comprising:
- skin means for transferring tension from a first area of said skin means to a second area of said skin means upon deflection of said first area away from the substructure, said skin means overlying the substructure with said first area spaced to one side of the apex and said second area at the apex;
- skin deflection means disposed beneath said skin means for deflecting said skin means away from the substructure;
- compressible means disposed beneath said second area for permitting deflection of said second area toward the substructure by compressing in response to tension transferred by said skin means from said first area to said second area upon deflection of said first area away from the substructure.
A method of deicing a substructure having an apex where the radius of curvature of the substructure is smallest, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a deflectable skin over the substructure;
- b) providing a compressible member at the apex beneath said deflectable skin;
- c) deflecting said deflectable skin away from the substructure with an attendant deflection of said deflectable skin over the apex toward the substructure resisted by compression of said compressible member.
A method of de-icing a substructure having an apex where the radius of curvature of the substructure is smallest, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a deflectable skin over the substructure;
- b) providing a compressible member at the apex beneath said deflectable skin;
- b) developing tension in said deflectable skin by deflecting said deflectable skin away from the substructure over an area spaced to one side of the apex;
- c) transferring said tension to the apex from said area spaced to one side of the apex;
- d) deflecting said skin overlying the apex toward the substructure resisted by compression of said compressible member in response to said tension transferred to the apex.
A method of de-icing a substructure having an apex where the radius of curvature of the substructure is smallest, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a deflectable skin over the substructure;
- b) providing a compressible member at the apex beneath said deflectable skin;
- and
- b) deflecting said deflectable skin away from the substructure over an area spaced to one side of the apex by stretching said deflectable skin and by compressing said compressible member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.