Pneumatic deicer

• US 4,779,823 A
• Filed: 11/12/1986
• Issued: 10/25/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Macarchenia, Joseph H., Ely, Duain N.
• Primary Examiner(s): BAREFOOT, GALEN L
• Application Number:
  US06/929,682
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 244/134
• US Class Current: 244/134.00A
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 15/166 using pneumatic boots

Abstract

A deicer pad for use on an airfoil wherein the airfoil has a leading edge and a stagnation line. The deicer pad is constructed to have an intermediate portion or region and two spaced apart portions or regions and with inflatable passageways only located on or within the two spaced apart portions. The pad is mounted on the airfoil so that the intermediate portion which is non-extensible or non-stretchable overlies the leading edge and the stagnation line of the airfoil. The stagnation line is generally parallel to the leading edge of the airfoil. The passageways in the two spaced apart portions of the deicer are inflatable either simultaneously or in seriatim order and effect the breaking up of the ice over the entire deicer. The inflatable passageways are the sole means for deicing.

Claims

1. A deicing apparatus for preventing the accumulation of ice upon the forwardly disposed convex portion of an airfoil having a leading edge, said apparatus having a flexible resilient sheet-like protective covering including a pair of side edges and a pair of outer edges, said outer edges adapted to be generally parallel to said leading edge of said airfoil, said covering having a smooth convex-shaped central non-extensible region overlying said leading edge and to either side of said leading edge, said central region of said covering having spaced margins lying to either side of said leading edge and parallel thereto, all of said covering of said central region being non-extensible between said spaced margins, said covering having rearward portions extending from said margins to said outer edges, a plurality of spanwise passageways lying in each of said rearward portions and extending from adjacent one of said side edges to closely adjacent the other one of said side edges, all of said passageways having side edges spaced from said non-extensible central region, said passageways lying to one side of said central non-extensible region in one of said rearward portions defines a first set of inflatable passageways, said remaining passageways in the remaining one of said rearward portions define a second set of inflatable passageways, means operatively connected to said passageways to selectively inflate and deflate said passageways, said passageways being the sole means to deice said airfoil, and all of said passageways on inflation are spaced laterally from said margins of said smooth non-extensible region.

2. A deicing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said non-extensible central region is cemented to said airfoil to prevent stretching of said non-extensible region between said margins on inflation of said passageways.

3. A deicing apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said non-extensible region covers two to fifteen percent of the entire deicing apparatus surface area on said airfoil that it is mounted on.

4. A deicing apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said non-extensible region covers five to ten percent of the deicing apparatus area.

5. A deicing pad mounted on an airfoil for preventing the accumulation of ice upon the forwardly disposed convex shaped portion of an airfoil, said convex shaped forward portion having a leading edge, said pad having a flexible resilient sheet-like protective covering including a pair of side edges and a pair of outer edges, said outer edges adapted to be generally parallel to the leading edge of said airfoil, said deicer pad consisting of an intermediate non-extensible portion and two spaced apart extensible portions, said spaced apart extensible portions being on either side of said intermediate portion, said airfoil having a stagnation line lying in the same direction as said leading edge but spaced laterally therefrom in a straight line horizontal flight of said airfoil, said intermediate non-extensible portion of said deicer pad overlying said leading edge and said stagnation line, each of said spaced apart portions having a plurality of spanwise passageways therein, said passageways extending from adjacent one of said side edges to closely adjacent the other one of said side edges, said passageways lying to one side of said non-extensible portion in one of said spaced apart portions define a first set of inflatable passageways, said remaining passageways lying in the other one of said spaced apart portions define a second set of inflatable passageways, means operatively connected to said passageways to selectively inflate and deflate said first set and said second set of passageways.

6. A pneumatic inflatable deicer pad for an airfoil having a leading edge, an inboard end and an outboard end;

said airfoil having a stagnation line as considered on an airfoil in a straight line horizontal flight path;

said deicer pad having a non-extensible intermediate portion overlying said stagnation line and said leading edge;

said pad having a pair of spaced apart extensible portions spaced rearward of said non-extensible intermediate portion and said stagnation line when positioned on said airfoil;

said pad having a pair of rearwardly disposed edges that are generally parallel to said stagnation line;

said deicer pad having an inner ply for complete adherence to said airfoil and an upper extensible elastic ply overlying said inner ply;

said upper extensible elastic ply overlying said inner ply being cemented to said inner ply to form said non-extensible intermediate portion with spaced margins;

said spaced margins define the juncture of said non-extensible intermediate portion with said extensible portions, each of said rearwardly disposed spaced portions having a plurality of inflatable passageways operative upon successive distensions to distend said pad at all portions from said margins to said rearwardly disposed edges except said intermediate portion to break up ice accumulation on said deicer pad, and said passageways being the sole means to deice said airfoil.

7. A pneumatic deicer for preventing the accumulation of ice on the sharply curved and relatively less sharply curved regions of the forwardly disposed region of an airfoil including the leading edge thereon;

said deicer having a covering of resilient rubber-like material for said forwardly disposed region and said leading edge;

said covering having a central zone for said sharply curved region;

said ventral zone having spaced margins generally parallel to said leading edge of said airfoil;

said covering having rearward portions extending from said margins of said central zone for said less sharply curved regions;

said entire covering of said central zone secured to said airfoil and being non-extensible between said margins;

a plurality of inflatable tubes extending spanwise only in said rearward portions, and means operatively connected to said inflatable tubes to selectively inflate and deflate said tubes, and said tubes being the sole means to deice said airfoil.

8. A pneumatic deicer as set forth in claim 7 wherein said margins lie on opposite sides of said leading edge.

9. A pneumatic deicer as set forth in claim 8 wherein said central zone and said rearward portions comprise the entire deicer.

10. A pneumatic deicer as set forth in claim 9 wherein said airfoil has a stagnation line spaced from said leading edge considering a straight line horizontal flight path of said airfoil, and said leading edge and said stagnation line lying within said margins on said central zone of said covering.

11. A pneumatic deicer as set forth in claim 9 wherein said airfoil is non-symmetrical and said stagnation line is spaced below said leading edge of said airfoil on a straight line horizontal flight path.

12. A pneumatic deicer as set forth in claim 11 wherein said inflatable tubes in said spaced apart rearward portions that are nearest to said stagnation line are equidistant from said stagnation line.