Air inlet structure for a turbojet engine nacelle of laminar type

Abstract

An air intake structure for a turbojet engine nacelle includes an inner panel to be attached to a fan casing, and an external panel capable of a translational movement in a longitudinal direction of the nacelle. The external panel incorporates a portion of an air inlet lip able to provide a junction between the inner panel and the external panel, and each of the air inlet lip portion and the inner panel is equipped, at least in the region of a joining end, with an acoustic attenuation structure. In particular, at least one of the joining ends is equipped with a radial buffer able to come into contact with a corresponding joining flange exhibited by the other joining end when the external panel is in a closed position.

Claims

1. An air inlet structure for a turbojet engine nacelle of a turbojet engine comprising: at least one inner panel fastened to a fan casing of the turbojet engine, said at least one inner panel forming an inner fixed part of said air inlet structure, said at least one inner panel including a sealing flange; and at least one outer mobile panel configured to translate during a maintenance operation along a longitudinal direction of the nacelle, said at least one outer mobile panel integrating a portion of an air inlet lip configured to provide a junction between said at least one inner panel and said at least one outer mobile panel, wherein each of said portion of the air inlet lip and said at least one inner panel has a junction end, and each of the junction end is equipped with an acoustic attenuation panel, wherein one of the junction ends is equipped with a plurality of radial buffers on an inner surface of its respective corresponding acoustic attenuation panel, and all the other of the junction ends comprises a respective junction flange on an inner surface of the other acoustic attenuation panel, wherein each of the respective junction flange slides over and rests on the plurality of radial buffers when the at least one outer mobile panel is translated and comes to a closed position, wherein the plurality of radial buffers are uniformly distributed around a circumference of the air inlet structure, wherein a sealing member is disposed between each of the respective junction flange and the sealing flange of the at least one inner panel to provide sealing inside the air inlet structure, and wherein the junction between said at least one inner panel and said at least one outer mobile panel is equipped with at least one seal forming an aerodynamic flap that provides continuity of an outer surface of the air inlet structure.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of radial buffers is integrated with the corresponding acoustic attenuation panel.

3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the junction flange rests on the plurality of radial buffers.

4. The structure according to claim 1, wherein each of the respective junction flange comprises a return carrying the sealing member.

5. The structure according to claim 1, wherein each of respective junction flange is integrated with the other acoustic attenuation panel from the junction end.

6. The structure according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a contact surface of the plurality of buffers and each of the respective junction flange is equipped with a coating with a friction coefficient which serves as a wear part.

7. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the aerodynamic flap extends along a thickness of each of the respective acoustic attenuation panel at the junction end between each of said portion of the air inlet lip and said at least one inner panel and comprises a lower return.

8. The structure according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the junctions is equipped with at least one of the sealing member.

9. The structure according to claim 8, wherein each of the respective junction flange integrates said at least one of the sealing member configured to press against said at least one inner panel.

10. The structure according to claim 8, wherein the at least one of the sealing member is located between said one of the junction ends equipped with the plurality of radial buffers and each of the respective junction flange of the other of the junction ends.

Description

DRAWINGS

(1) In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a partial schematic representation in longitudinal section of an air inlet structure called laminar equipped with a centering device according to the prior art;

(3) FIGS. 2 and 3 are partial schematic representations in longitudinal section of a junction between an inner panel and a portion of air inlet lip equipped with a centering system according to the present disclosure;

(4) FIGS. 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b and 6a to 6d are partial schematic representations of the steps for setting up a member forming aerodynamic flap;

(5) FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic representations in longitudinal sections of an alternative form of the present disclosure;

(6) FIG. 9 is a schematic representation in cross-section corresponding to the air inlet structure of FIGS. 7 and 8; and

(7) FIGS. 10a to 10d are partial schematic representations of the setting up of the member forming aerodynamic flap.

(8) The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

(10) The present disclosure is particularly applicable to the nacelles called laminar having an air inlet structure 1 of which an outer wall 2 is movably mounted in translation along a longitudinal direction of the nacelle and integrates a portion of air inlet lip 2a.

(11) More specifically, such an air inlet structure for a turbojet engine nacelle comprises at least one inner panel 3 intended to be fastened to a fan casing (not shown) of the turbojet engine and to thus constitute a fixed portion of said air inlet 1, and at least one outer panel 2 movable in translation along a substantially longitudinal direction of the nacelle and integrating a portion of air inlet lip 2a able to provide a junction A0 between the inner fixed panel 3 and the outer panel 2.

(12) Furthermore, said air inlet lip 2a portion and said inner fixed panel 3 are each equipped at least at a junction end, with an acoustic attenuation structure being in the form a honeycomb core sandwich panel 5, 6.

(13) According to the prior art and such as shown in FIG. 1, the centering of the outer wall 2 and of the air inlet lip 2a with the inner panel 3 is provided at a junction A0 between said portion of air inlet lip 2a and said inner wall 3 by means of buffers 7 fixed in the acoustic panel 5 on the lip 2a side via a screw 7a with a nut side access inside a C closure 7b.

(14) An aerodynamic flap 8 providing the stream of air flow at the junction between the panels is fixed according to the same principle.

(15) A flange 9 fixed in the inner panel 3 comes, during the closing of the outer panel 2, to bear against a member 10 carried by a corresponding flange 11 of the air inlet lip 2a portion in order to provide the sealing of the inside of the air inlet structure 1. This flange also allows a support for the buffers 7 and for the aerodynamic flap 8.

(16) As explained above, these functions impact the beginning of the acoustic areas both on the air inlet lip 2a portion and on the outer panel 3. Thus, the acoustic panels 5, 6 must be generally stopped before the actual junction A0 between these two structures. This results in a loss of acoustic surface, and thus, in an area where it is particularly needed.

(17) Thus, there is a need for a centering and closure solution to retain acoustic panels extending at the most to junction A0 between the air inlet lip 2a portion and the inner panel 3.

(18) As schematically shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the acoustic panel 6 of the inner panel 3 has a junction end equipped with a radial buffer 81 on which a corresponding junction flange 91 is able to rest, equipping a junction end of the acoustic panel 5 of the air inlet lip 2a portion when the latter is in the closed position.

(19) The buffer 81 carries a coating strip 82 of teflon type with a low friction coefficient. Alternatively, the coating strip 82 with a low friction coefficient may be carried by the junction flange 91.

(20) This coating strip has a double function, namely of reducing frictions during the closing of the air inlet, and of wear part.

(21) The coating strip may be disposed either on the buffer side 81, or fixed under the flange 91, or be present on both members.

(22) In order to provide the sealing of the inside of the air inlet structure 1, the junction flange 91 has a return 91a of an end carrying a seal member 10 able to cooperate with a corresponding sealing flange 92 carried by the inner panel in FIG. 2.

(23) In one form, a seal member 101 in FIG. 3 may be mounted at the junction end of the inner panel 3 and come into contact with the junction flange 91 in order to provide the sealing closest to said junction A0. The member 101 may be integrated or added on the junction flange 91 in particular to press against the inner panel 3 during the closure.

(24) The junction flange 91 and the flange 92 of the inner panel 3 may thus be used for the setting up of axial stops 20 and/or locks between the lip portion 2a/outer panel 2 and the inner panel 3.

(25) In another form, the seal member 10, 101 will be placed on the entire circumference of the structure.

(26) The buffers 81 will also be advantageously disposed along the circumference of the structure 1 and could be distributed discretely, advantageously in a uniform manner. Of course, it may also consist of a continuous buffer 81 substantially along the entire circumference.

(27) As seen in the Figures, by means of the present disclosure the beginnings of the acoustic surfaces of the air inlet lip 2a portion and of the inner panel 3 are closest to the junction A0 between these two panels, thus improving the acoustic treatment of the entire air inlet structure 1.

(28) Of course, the opposite arrangement (buffer 81 on the lip portion 2a, and junction flange 91 on the inner panel 3) is also possible.

(29) The junction A0 between the air inlet lip 2a portion and the inner panel 3 can also be equipped with a seal forming aerodynamic flap 102.

(30) Its setting up is detailed in FIGS. 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b and 6a to 6d.

(31) The aerodynamic flap 102 has a flexible elastic structure mounted on an upper skin of an acoustic panel 5 of the air inlet lip 2a portion.

(32) The flap 102 extends along the thickness of said acoustic panel 5 at its junction end A0 and has a lower return 102a extending on either side of said junction A0, both on the air inlet lip 2a portion and on the inner panel (not shown on FIGS. 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b), thus providing an aerodynamic overlap of the junction.

(33) FIGS. 4a and 5a are front cross-sectional views of said seal 102 forming aerodynamic flap.

(34) The setting up of the seal 102 around the thickness of the acoustic panel of the air inlet lip 2a portion will be carried out by means of a mounting wedge 103.

(35) As visible in FIGS. 6a to 6d, a lower part of the flap (vein side) spaces apart from the acoustic panel and allows the mounting of the acoustic panel belonging to the inner panel.

(36) FIGS. 7 to 9 and 10a to 10d are views of a second form of an air inlet structure 110 according to the present disclosure in which the buffers 81 belong to the acoustic panel 5 of the lip portion 2a and the junction flange 91 belongs to the acoustic panel 6 of the inner panel 3.

(37) More specifically, FIG. 7 is a view in longitudinal section substantially taken at the locking means 21 (or axial stops 20). The FIG. 8 is a view in longitudinal section taken in current section.

(38) FIG. 9 is a front cross-sectional view in current section.

(39) FIGS. 10a to 10d are substantially equivalent to FIGS. 6a to 6d and illustrate the setting up of the seal 102 forming aerodynamic flap.

(40) It is also worth noting that in this form, the seal 102 also achieves the function of the seal member 10 and 101 by means of an upper tab 104 which comes into contact against the junction flange 91 during the closing of the structure (closing direction shown by the arrow on FIG. 10c).

(41) Although the present disclosure has been described with a particular form, it is obvious that it is in no way limited thereto and that it comprises all the technical equivalents of the described means as well as their combinations should these fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

(42) It is in particular noteworthy that the translatable air inlet generally forms an adjustable removable sleeve on a duct formed by the basic structure of the nacelle. Thus, the centering and sealing system object of the present disclosure can be generally applied to any type of removable sleeve sought to be positioned in a centered and sealed manner on one end of a duct.