ANTI-BIRD STRIKE PROTECTION NET FOR AIRCRAFT JET ENGINE

Abstract

An anti-bird strike protection net for aircraft jet engine, comprising fixed circular truncated cone, conical protection net body, connection section, and double helix electrical heating wire, wherein the fixed circular truncated cone is secured on the cowl inlet's outside of the aircraft jet engine via which the conical protection net body is connected to the jet engine with the connection section: hinge, catches, and gas springs; The conical protection net body comprises the base of the conical protection net body, the conical support frame, the net which covers the outside of the conical support frame; the double helix electrical heating wire spirally surrounding the surface of the net is used as deicing device.

This invention is an aftermarket add-on device and can be an original integration part as jet engine manufacturing. It's simple and easy to be secured on the cowl inlet without changing the structure of the aircraft jet engine.

Claims

1. An anti-bird strike protection net for aircraft jet engine, secured on the cowl inlet 2 of the aircraft jet engine 1, comprises the fixed circular truncated cone 3, the conical protection net body, the connection section, and the double helix electrical heating wire 14.

2. An anti-bird strike protection net for aircraft jet engine as described in claim 1, wherein: The fixed circular truncated cone 3 is made of stainless steel or other alloys, its inner diameter and shape is the same with the outside diameter and shape of the cowl inlet 2 of aircraft jet engine 1, and it's secured on the outside of the cowl inlet 2 of the aircraft jet engine 1 by welding, riveting, gluing, and any combination of those methods.

3. An anti-bird strike protection net for aircraft jet engine as described in claim 1, wherein: The conical protection net body comprises the base of the conical protection net body 4, the conical support frame, the net 9 which covers the outside of the conical support frame.

4. An anti-bird strike protection net for aircraft jet engine as described in claim 3, wherein: The conical support frame comprises the lateral support bars 8, the level support bars 12, the vertical support rings 7, and the handles 11, one ends of the lateral support bars 8 and the level support bars 12 are welded on the summit of the conical support frame 13, another ends are evenly welded on the parameter of the base of the conical protection net body 4; the vertical rings 7 are connected with the lateral support bars 8 and the level support bars 12 by welding; the handles and one ends of the gas springs are secured on level support bars 12. The total quantity of the lateral support bars 8 are no less than 3; the level support bars 12 are two; the vertical support rings 7 are no less than 2; the handles 11 are 2.

5. An anti-bird strike protection net for aircraft jet engine as described in claim 3, wherein: the net 9 may be made of stainless steel, other metals, alloys and synthetic materials, sheets of those materials are processed to be expanded metal net 9 by punching and stretching, or the wires of those materials are woven to be net 9, the net mesh may be in shape of triangle, diamond, round, rectangle.

6. An anti-bird strike protection net for aircraft jet engine as described in claim 3, wherein: The fixed circular truncated cone 3 and the base of the protection net body 4 are all circular truncated cones, the smaller end's diameter and shape of the fixed circular truncated cone 3 is the same with the bigger end's diameter and shape of the base of the protection net body 4.

7. An anti-bird strike protection net for aircraft jet engine as described in claim 1, wherein: The connection section comprises the hinge 5, the catches 6, and the gas spring 10, when the fixed circular cone 3 and the base of the conical protection net body 4 are closed together, they make a common parameter on which the hinge 5 is on the highest position and the catches 6 are welded along it. Two plates of the hinge 5 are separately welded on those two circular truncated cones, the hook seats of the catch 6 are welded on the base of the conical protection net body 4 and the suspension links on the fixed circular cone 3. One end of the gas spring 10 is secured on the fixed circular truncated cone 3 and another end on the middle part of the level support bar 12; the quantity of the gas spring 10 are 2, the catches 6 are no less than 2.

8. An anti-bird strike protection net for aircraft jet engine as described in claim 1, wherein: The double helix electrical heating wire 14 is used as a deicing device which is covered by an insulating layer and spirally surrounds the outside of the conical protection net body, it commences near the hinge 5 and ends near the summit of the conical support frame 13.

9. An anti-bird strike protection net for aircraft jet engine as described in claim 1, wherein: The conical protection net body may be in shape of the cone, the elliptical cone, the combination of the truncated elliptical cone and the cone, the combination of the truncated cone and the elliptical cone, the combination of the truncated cone and the cone.

10. An anti-bird strike protection net for aircraft jet engine as described in claim 1, wherein: To align with different cowl inlet 2 shapes of jet engines 1 of military or other purpose aircraft, the cowl inlet 2 shapes of the jet engines 1 may vary from round to ellipse, semi-circle, and rectangle, and the shapes of the fixed circular truncated cone 3 and the base of the protection net body 4 should be changed accordingly.

11. An anti-bird strike protection net for aircraft jet engine as described in claim 1, wherein: The present invention is an aftermarket add-on device and it can be an original integration part as jet engine manufacturing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] FIG. 1 is the top view of the anti-bird strike protection net for aircraft jet engine(the double helix electrical heating wire is not shown);

[0027] FIG. 2 is A-A direction view on FIG. 1;

[0028] FIG. 3 is the conical protection net body;

[0029] FIG. 4 is the conical support frame;

[0030] FIG. 5 is B-B direction view on FIG. 4;

[0031] FIG. 6 is the schematic drawing of the double helix electrical heating wire(the net is not shown);

[0032] FIG. 7 is the schematic drawing of the anti-birds strike protection net for aircraft jet engine is being opened(the double helix electrical heating wire and the net are not shown);

[0033] FIG. 8a is the cone(the present invention);

[0034] FIG. 8b is the combination of the truncated elliptical cone and the cone;

[0035] FIG. 8c is the elliptical cone;

[0036] FIG. 8d is the combination of the truncated cone and the cone;

[0037] FIG. 8e is the combination of the truncated cone and the elliptical cone.

[0038] In the drawings, the reference numbers are as followings:

[0039] 1. jet engine;

[0040] 2. cowl inlet;

[0041] 3. fixed circular truncated cone;

[0042] 4. base of the conical protection net body;

[0043] 5. hinge;

[0044] 6. catch;

[0045] 7. vertical support ring;

[0046] 8. lateral support bar;

[0047] 9. net;

[0048] 10. gas spring;

[0049] 11. handle;

[0050] 12. level support bar;

[0051] 13. summit of the conical support frame

[0052] 14. double helix electrical heating wire.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0053] Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 6, the present invention, anti-bird strike protection net for aircraft jet engine comprises the fixed circular truncated cone 3, the conical protection net body, the connection section, and the double helix electrical heating wire 14.

[0054] The fixed circular truncated cone 3 is made of stainless steel or other alloys, its inner diameter and shape is the same with the outside diameter and shape of the cowl inlet 2 of aircraft jet engine 1, and it's secured on the outside of the cowl inlet 2 of the aircraft jet engine 1 by welding, riveting, gluing, and any combination of those methods.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 3, the conical protection net body comprises the circular truncated cone as the base of the conical protection net body 4, the conical support frame, the net 9 which covers the outside of the conical support frame.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 5, the conical support frame comprises the lateral support bars 8, the level support bars 12, the vertical support rings 7, and two handles 11.

[0057] One ends of the lateral support bars 8 are welded on the summit of the conical support frame 13, another ends are evenly welded on the parameter of the base of the conical protection net body 4, two of the lateral support bars 8 are in the same horizontal level with the axial of the conical support frame and are defined as level support bars 12, on the level support bars 12, the handles 11 and one ends of the gas springs 10 are secured; the vertical rings 7 are vertical to the axial of the conical support frame and connected with the lateral support bars 8 and the level support bars 12 by welding.

[0058] The total quantity of the lateral support bars 8 are no less than 3; the level support bars 12 are 2; the vertical support rings 7 are no less than 2; the handles 11 are 2.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 3, in outside of the conical support frame, there is a layer of net 9, it's secured on the outside of the conical support frame by welding or gluing, it may be made of stainless steel, other metals, alloys and synthetic materials, sheets of those materials are processed to be expanded metal net 9 by punching and stretching, or the wires of those materials are woven to be net 9, the net mesh may be in shape of triangle, diamond, round, rectangle.

[0060] The size of net mesh should be small enough for preventing birds from entering the cowl inlet 2 of the jet engine 1, and meanwhile it has to meet the air demand for the jet engine's normal performance.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, the fixed circular truncated cone 3 and the base of the protection net body 4 are circular truncated cones, they are truncated from the same cone, that means the smaller end's diameter and shape of the fixed circular truncated cone 3 is the same with the bigger end's diameter and shape of the base of the protection net body 4.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 6, FIG. 7, the connection section comprises the hinge 5, the catches 6, and the gas spring 10, when the fixed circular cone 3 and the base of the conical protection net body 4 are closed together, they make a common parameter on which the hinge 5 is on the highest position and the catches 6 are welded along it. Two plates of the hinge 5 are separately welded on those two circular truncated cones, the catch 6 includes two parts: hook seat and suspension link, the hook seats are welded on the base of the conical protection net body 4 and the suspension links on the fixed circular cone 3.One end of the gas spring 10 is secured on the fixed circular truncated cone 3 and another end on the middle part of the level support bar 12.

[0063] The quantity of the gas spring 10 are 2, the catches 6 are no less than 2. Referring to FIG. 6, the double helix electrical heating wire 14 is used as a deicing device which is covered by an insulating layer and spirally surrounds the surface of the net 9 to the summit of the conical support frame 13, it's a closed loop circuit, the power is supplied by the power generator on the aircraft, it commences near the hinge 5 and ends near the summit of the conical support frame 13, the control switches are set in the cab and controlled by the pilots, the pilots decide to switch on/off according to the weather conditions.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 7, the process for the service people to do the routine maintenance or check is as followings: open the catches 6, hold the handles 11 with hands or other lifting machines and push the conical protection net body upwards, with the hinge 5 as turning pivot, to a designed position, the gas spring 10 will hold the conical protection net body and keep it steady, after work done, by reverse operation, lock the catches 6, the cowl inlet 2 of the jet engine 1 will be protected by the anti-bird strike protection net for aircraft jet engine.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 8a to FIG. 8e, in the present invention, the shape of the conical protection net body is cone, the conical protection net body may be in shape of the combination of the truncated elliptical cone and the cone; the elliptical cone; the combination of the truncated cone and the cone; the combination of the truncated cone and the elliptical cone.