AIR INTAKE

Abstract

The invention concerns an air inlet in a surface. The air inlet includes an opening in the surface having a longitudinal axis, wherein a fluid is intended to flow over the air inlet in the direction of the longitudinal axis, and wherein the opening has an upstream edge and a downstream edge. The air inlet furthermore comprises an outflow channel which adjoins the opening and extends at an angle to the surface, wherein the outflow channel has an inner wall with an upstream casing surface and a downstream casing surface. It is provided that the opening adjoining the upstream edge is partly or completely covered by a lattice and that the outflow channel has a bulge which protrudes into the outflow channel in the region of its upstream casing surface, constantly increases in thickness in the longitudinal direction of the outflow channel adjoining the upstream edge, forms a thickness maximum (d.sub.max) and after the thickness maximum (d.sub.max), constantly decreases in its thickness.

Claims

1. Air inlet in a surface, comprising: an opening in the surface having a longitudinal axis, wherein a fluid is intended to flow over the air inlet in the direction of the longitudinal axis, and wherein the opening has an upstream edge and a downstream edge, an outflow channel which adjoins the opening and extends at an angle to the surface, wherein the outflow channel has an inner wall with an upstream casing surface and a downstream casing surface, wherein the upstream casing surface adjoins the upstream edge of the opening, and the downstream casing surface adjoins the downstream edge of the opening, wherein the opening adjoining the upstream edge is partially or completely covered by a lattice, and the outflow channel has a bulge which protrudes into the outflow channel in the region of its upstream casing surface, constantly increases in thickness in the longitudinal direction of the outflow channel adjoining the upstream edge, forms a thickness maximum (d.sub.max) and after the thickness maximum (d.sub.max), constantly decreases in its thickness.

2. Air inlet according to claim 1, wherein the bulge in a starting region forms a tangential transition to the upstream edge of the opening, and in an end region forms a tangential transition to a base form of the outflow channel.

3. Air inlet according to claim 1, wherein the bulge is curved more greatly upstream of the thickness maximum (d.sub.max) than downstream of the thickness maximum (d.sub.max).

4. Air inlet according to claim 1, wherein the local thickness of the bulge varies in the circumferential direction and assumes a maximum between two side edges of the bulge.

5. Air inlet according to claim 4, wherein in the circumferential direction, the bulge is formed symmetrically relative to the side edges.

6. Air inlet according to claim 4, wherein the bulge is maximal at the upstream casing surface in a longitudinal section of the outflow channel which runs through the longitudinal axis of the opening and hence centrally through the outflow channel.

7. Air inlet according to claim 1, wherein the bulge extends over a length which lies between once and twice the inner diameter of the outflow channel.

8. Air inlet according to claim 1, wherein in the longitudinal direction of the outflow channel, the bulge has its thickness maximum (d.sub.max) in the region between one quarter and one half, in particular after one third of its total length.

9. Air inlet according to claim 1, wherein the outflow channel has a circular cross-section and the opening is elliptical.

10. Air inlet according to claim 1, wherein the lattice covering the opening has first mutually parallel lattice bars and second mutually parallel lattice bars, wherein the first lattice bars and the second lattice bars cross one another and run obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the opening.

11. Air inlet according to claim 10, wherein the lattice bars have a diameter which lies in the range between 1/200 and 8/200 of the inner diameter of the outflow channel.

12. Air inlet according to claim 10, wherein the first lattice bars and the second lattice bars have a mutual distance apart which lies in the range between 1/20 and 4/20 of the inner diameter of the outflow channel.

13. Air inlet according to claim 10, wherein the lattice bars are circular or polygonal in cross-section.

14. Air inlet according to claim 10, wherein the lattice bars are formed in cross-section as aerodynamically shaped blade profiles which partially deflect the passing fluid into the outflow channel.

15. Air inlet according to claim 1, wherein the lattice is formed exclusively adjoining the upstream edge of the opening and ends in front of the downstream edge of the opening, forming a trailing edge.

16. Air inlet according to claim 15, wherein the trailing edge runs straight or curved.

17. Air inlet according to claim 1, wherein the bulge is formed on an insert which can can be inserted in the outflow channel.

18. Air inlet according to claim 17, wherein in addition to the bulge, the insert also comprises the lattice.

19. Air inlet according to claim 1, wherein the opening has a thickness which results from the distance between the outside and the inside of the surface, and the bulge extends into the opening from the outside of the surface.

20. Gas turbine engine having at least one surface, wherein the surface has an air inlet according to claim 1.

Description

[0035] The invention will be explained in more detail below on the basis of a plurality of exemplary embodiments with reference to the figures of the drawing. In the drawing:

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a sectional side view of a gas turbine engine in which the present invention can be realized;

[0037] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of an air inlet having an opening and an outflow channel adjoining this, wherein the opening is covered with a lattice and the outflow channel forms an upstream bulge;

[0038] FIG. 3 shows the air inlet from FIG. 2 in a sectional view;

[0039] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of an upstream bulge in an outflow channel of an air outlet in cross-section;

[0040] FIG. 5 shows a schematic plan view of an opening of an air inlet with a lattice adjoining its upstream edge;

[0041] FIG. 6 shows a perspective, partially sectional illustration of an insert with a bulge which is inserted in an outflow channel of an air inlet;

[0042] FIG. 7 shows an arrangement corresponding to FIG. 6 in a plan view, wherein the insert also comprises a lattice completely covering the opening;

[0043] FIG. 8 shows an arrangement corresponding to FIG. 7 in a partial sectional view;

[0044] FIG. 9 shows an arrangement corresponding to FIG. 8, wherein the lattice extends only adjoining the upstream edge of the opening and forms a straight trailing edge;

[0045] FIG. 10 shows an arrangement corresponding to FIG. 8, wherein the lattice extends only adjoining the upstream edge of the opening and forms a curved trailing edge; and

[0046] FIG. 11 shows an arrangement corresponding to FIG. 10 in plan view, wherein the lattice is shown completely.

[0047] FIG. 1 illustrates a gas turbine engine 100 having a main axis of rotation 101. The engine 100 comprises an air intake 102 and a thrust fan 103 that generates two air flows: a core air flow A and a bypass air flow B. The gas turbine engine 100 comprises a core 104 which receives the core air flow A. In the sequence of axial flow, the engine core 104 comprises a low-pressure compressor 105, a high-pressure compressor 106, a combustion device 107, a high-pressure turbine 108, a low-pressure turbine 109, and a core thrust nozzle 110. An engine nacelle 111 surrounds the gas turbine engine 100 and defines a bypass duct 112 and a bypass thrust nozzle 113. The bypass air flow B flows through the bypass duct 112. The fan 103 is attached to and driven by the low-pressure turbine 109 by way of a shaft 114 and an epicyclic gear box 115.

[0048] During use, the core air flow A is compressed by the low-pressure compressor 105 and directed into the high-pressure compressor 106, where further compression takes place. The compressed air expelled from the high-pressure compressor 106 is directed into the combustion device 107, where it is mixed with fuel and the mixture is combusted. The resultant hot combustion products then propagate through the high-pressure and the low-pressure turbine 108, 109 and drive the latter as a result, before said combustion products for providing a specific thrust force are ejected by the nozzle 110. The high-pressure turbine 108 drives the high-pressure compressor 106 by means of a suitable connecting shaft 116. The fan 103 generally provides the major part of the thrust force. The epicyclic gear box 115 is a reduction gear box.

[0049] The geometry of the gas turbine engine 100, and components thereof, is/are defined by a conventional axis system, which comprises an axial direction (which is aligned with the rotation axis 101), a radial direction (in the direction from bottom to top in FIG. 1), and a circumferential direction (perpendicular to the view in FIG. 1). The axial, radial and circumferential directions are perpendicular to one another.

[0050] FIG. 1 shows schematically that air inlets 10 may be integrated into the surfaces of the gas turbine engine, e.g. in the surface of the nacelle 111 or in the surface of a casing of the engine core 104. Furthermore, they may for example also be arranged on the inside of the nacelle 111, and at further interior positions of the engine core 104. Various exemplary embodiments of such air inlets 10 are explained below.

[0051] FIGS. 2 and 3 show a first exemplary embodiment of an air inlet 10. The air inlet 10 comprises an opening 1 in a surface 3, and an outflow channel 2 adjoining the opening 1. The surface 3 may be a flat or alternatively a curved surface. For example, it is a curved surface of a main flow channel from which the outflow channel 2 branches. A fluid, for example air, flows over the air inlet 10 in a flow direction X. The opening 1 is shown in the figures as a planar opening; it may however also have a curvature in the case of a curved surface 3.

[0052] The opening 1 has an upstream edge 11 and a downstream edge 12. In the exemplary embodiment shown, it is elliptical, but this is not necessarily the case. At the same time, the outflow channel 2 has a circular cross-section. Accordingly, the upstream edge 11 and the downstream edge 12 of the opening 1 are each curved. The opening 1 furthermore comprises a longitudinal axis 15 which intersects the opening 1 centrally or in the plane of symmetry. The longitudinal axis 15 runs from the upstream edge 11 to the downstream edge 12 and thus has a direction which corresponds to the flow direction X. To improve stability, an elongate structure may but need not be formed on the longitudinal axis 15. The intersection points 16, 17 of the longitudinal axis 15 with the upstream edge 11 and downstream edge 12 constitute the vertices of the elliptical opening 1.

[0053] The outflow channel 2 extends at an angle to the surface 3. It has a longitudinal axis E which forms an acute angle ? with the surface 3 or longitudinal axis 15. The acute angle ? results from aerodynamic aspects relating to the air extraction with low flow losses. In channels configured for air discharge, straight or obtuse angles ? are usually applied. The invention described may nonetheless be used to prevent acoustic resonances in air discharge channels which are closed for example by a valve. However, it must be noted that in the case of air discharge, the bulge makes no contribution to improving the aerodynamics in the open state.

[0054] In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the outflow channel 2 is shown as a straight tube. The outflow channel 2 may alternatively be curved, wherein at least locally it has a hollow cylindrical form adjoining the opening 1. The outflow channel 2 according to FIG. 3 has an inner wall 20 with an upstream casing surface 21 and a downstream casing surface 22. The upstream casing surface 21 adjoins the upstream edge 11 of the opening 1, and the downstream casing surface 22 adjoins the downstream edge of the opening 1.

[0055] The casing surfaces 21, 22 here extend over an angular region of 180? in the circumferential direction and together form the entire casing surface of the inner wall 20. FIG. 3 shows a section through the vertices 16, 17 of the opening 1.

[0056] The opening 1 is covered by a lattice 4 in FIGS. 2 and 3. The lattice 4 extends over the entire area of the opening 1. In alternative embodiments, the lattice 4 extends only adjoining the upstream edge 11 and ends spaced from the downstream edge 12, as explained with reference to FIGS. 9-11. The lattice 4 has first mutually parallel lattice bars 41 and second mutually parallel lattice bars 42 which cross one another and run obliquely to the longitudinal axis 15 of the opening 1.

[0057] In the region of its upstream casing surface 21, the outflow channel 2 has a bulge 5 protruding into the outflow channel 2. Here, the bulge 5 adjoins the upstream edge 11 of the opening 1. Starting from here, it extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis E of the outflow channel 2, wherein its thickness initially increases constantly, reaches a thickness maximum and after the thickness maximum decreases again constantly. This is shown in detail in FIG. 4.

[0058] According to FIG. 4, in a starting region adjoining the upstream edge 11 of the opening 1, the bulge 5 has a tangential transition 51 to the upstream edge 11. From here, the thickness d of the bulge 5 increases up to a maximum value d.sub.max designated the thickness maximum. Following this maximum value, the thickness d decreases again and, in an end region, the bulge 5 forms a tangential transition 52 into the circular base form of the outflow channel 2. It does so such that the bulge 5 is curved more greatly upstream of the thickness maximum d.sub.max than downstream of the thickness maximum d.sub.max. The exemplary embodiment illustrated provides that, in the longitudinal direction of the outflow channel 2, the bulge 5 reaches its thickness maximum d.sub.max after one third of its total length L. The distance between the point of its longitudinal extent at which the bulge 5 reaches its thickness maximum d.sub.max and the tangential transition 52 accordingly amounts to 2/3 of the total length L of the bulge 5. This is however to be understood merely as an example.

[0059] The total length L of the bulge in some exemplary embodiments is between once and twice the inner diameter D of the outflow channel 2. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the ratio L/D is 1.5.

[0060] According to FIG. 3, the surface 3 has an outside 31 and an inside 32. The distance between the outside 31 and the inside 32 defines a thickness t of the surface which also defines the thickness t of the opening 1. It is evident in particular from FIG. 3 that the bulge 5 extends into the opening from the outside 31 of the surface 3, i.e. with its upstream edge, the bulge 5 forms a tangential transition 51 to the outside 31 of the upstream edge 11.

[0061] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary embodiment in which the lattice 4 covering the opening 1 is formed exclusively adjoining the upstream edge 11 of the opening and forms a trailing edge 43 which ends in front of the upstream edge 12 of the opening 1. Thus the trailing edge 43 is curved concavely. This ensures that part of the flow introduced into the outflow channel 2 can flow into the outflow channel 2 with minimal fluid-mechanical losses. The shape of the trailing edge is designed according to the flow lines of the air extraction mass flow, and in a first approximation may be curved similarly to the upstream leading edge 11, as shown in FIG. 5.

[0062] According to FIG. 5, the lattice 4 again has first and second mutually parallel lattice bars 41, 42 which cross one another. The lattice bars 41, 42 run obliquely to the longitudinal axis 15 of the opening 1. The lattice bars 41, 42 may be circular in cross-section. Alternatively, it may be provided that the lattice bars are formed in cross-section as aerodynamically shaped blade profiles which partially deflect the passing fluid into the outflow channel 2. This is particularly useful if the lattice bars 41, 42 have a comparatively large diameter.

[0063] In some embodiment variants, it is provided that the lattice bars 41, 42 are circular in cross-section and have a diameter which lies in the range between 1/200 and 8/200 of the inner diameter D of the outflow channel 2. For example, the lattice bars 41, 42 have a diameter of 1/100 of the inner diameter D of the outflow channel. The mesh width of the lattice 4 lies for example in the range between 1/20 and 4/20 of the inner diameter D of the outflow channel 2, for example 1/10 of the inner diameter D. On use of lattices with comparatively small material thicknesses, the lattice bars may also have square or rectangular cross-sections and be punched or laser-cut directly from sheet metal. In such a case, the exemplary numerical values given for the diameter apply accordingly to the diagonal of the rectangle.

[0064] FIG. 6 shows in a perspective illustration an exemplary embodiment of an air inlet 10 which in fundamental structure corresponds to the air inlet in FIGS. 2 and 3. It is pointed out that the illustration differs insofar as, in FIG. 6, the outflow channel 2 extends obliquely upward. The flow direction of the fluid is again indicated with X.

[0065] With respect to the fundamental structure, reference is made to the statements relating to FIGS. 2 to 4. In the illustration of FIG. 6, it is evident that the bulge 5 not only has a course in the longitudinal direction of the outflow channel 2, but also a course in the circumferential direction. In the longitudinal direction of the outflow channel 2, as explained, the bulge 5 has a thickness maximum d.sub.max. In the circumferential direction, the thickness d of the bulge 5 also varies. In the circumferential direction, the bulge 5 assumes a maximum thickness between two side edges 53, wherein FIG. 6 shows one of the side edges 53. The bulge 5 as a whole is symmetrical and thus runs between two such side edges 53. The maximum thickness of the bulge 5 in the circumferential direction is reached along the plane formed by the longitudinal axis 15 of the opening 1, i.e. at the upstream casing surface 21, the bulge 5 is maximal in a longitudinal section of the outflow channel which runs through the longitudinal axis 15 of the opening 1 and hence centrally through the outflow channel 2.

[0066] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6, it is provided that the bulge 5 is formed on an insert 6 which can can be inserted in the outflow channel 2. Bored holes 61 are provided for fixing the insert 3 in the outflow channel 2. The formation of the bulge 5 on an insert 6 allows the bulge 5 to be later fitted in previously installed air inlets 10. The insert 6 may here be formed for example by 3D printing, injection moulding or further shaping techniques. Alternatively, the bulge 5 is integrated directly in the inner wall 20 of the outflow channel 2.

[0067] It is furthermore evident from FIG. 6 that the bulge 5 extends from the outside 31 of the surface 3 where it forms a tangential transition 51 to the upstream edge 11 of the opening 1.

[0068] FIG. 7 shows the air inlet 10 from FIG. 6 in a view obliquely from above onto the outside 31 of the surface 3, wherein the lattice 4 covering the opening 1 is also shown. Here, the lattice 4 completely covers the opening 1, corresponding to the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 7, the lattice is formed by punching of a sheet metal, which can also be produced by further metal-cutting processes.

[0069] This is shown more precisely in FIG. 8, wherein FIG. 8 shows a partial view of the embodiment variant of FIG. 7. Accordingly, the lattice 4 again comprises lattice bars 41, 42 which cross one another and run obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the opening 1. The lattice bars 41, 42 are however bars with non-circular cross-section. Rather, the lattice bars are formed by structures remaining after punching of a metal sheet, and can also be described as lattice bars in the sense of the present invention since they form parallel-running structures.

[0070] FIG. 9 shows a derivative in which the lattice 4 is formed only adjoining the upstream edge 11 of the opening 1 and forms a straight trailing edge 44.

[0071] FIGS. 10 and 11 show, in sectional view and in a view onto the outside 31 of the surface 3, a derivative in which the lattice extends only adjoining the upstream edge 11, as in the embodiment of FIG. 5, and forms a concavely curved trailing edge 43 which is spaced from the downstream edge 12 of the opening 1.

[0072] It is understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concepts described herein. It is furthermore pointed out that any of the features described can be used separately or in combination with any other features, provided that they are not mutually exclusive. The disclosure extends to and comprises all combinations and sub-combinations of one or a plurality of features which are described here. If ranges are defined, said ranges therefore comprise all the values within said ranges as well as all the partial ranges that lie within a range.