Jet engine nozzle exit configurations and associated systems and methods
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An aircraft system, comprising:
- a jet engine exhaust nozzle having an internal flow surface positioned outwardly from a core flow path, the nozzle having an exit aperture, the exit aperture having a perimeter, the perimeter including multiple projections that are (a) non-moveable relative to the core flow path or (b) movable relative to the perimeter, the projections extending in an aft direction and circumferentially spaced about the perimeter with a length of the multiple projections in a first group decreasing successively over at least three projections from one projection to the next along a first portion of the perimeter, and a length of projections in a second group decreasing successively over at least three projections from one projection to the next along a second portion of the perimeter, the second portion being mirrored relative to the first portion about an axially extending plane.
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Abstract
Nozzle exit configurations and associated systems and methods are disclosed. An aircraft system in accordance with one embodiment includes a jet engine exhaust nozzle having an internal flow surface and an exit aperture, with the exit aperture having a perimeter that includes multiple projections extending in an aft direction. Aft portions of individual neighboring projections are spaced apart from each other by a gap, and a geometric feature of the multiple can change in a monotonic manner along at least a portion of the perimeter.
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Citations
55 Claims
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1. An aircraft system, comprising:
- a jet engine exhaust nozzle having an internal flow surface positioned outwardly from a core flow path, the nozzle having an exit aperture, the exit aperture having a perimeter, the perimeter including multiple projections that are (a) non-moveable relative to the core flow path or (b) movable relative to the perimeter, the projections extending in an aft direction and circumferentially spaced about the perimeter with a length of the multiple projections in a first group decreasing successively over at least three projections from one projection to the next along a first portion of the perimeter, and a length of projections in a second group decreasing successively over at least three projections from one projection to the next along a second portion of the perimeter, the second portion being mirrored relative to the first portion about an axially extending plane.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 55)
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27. An aircraft system, comprising:
- a jet engine exhaust nozzle having an internal flow surface positioned outwardly form a core flow path, the nozzle having an exit aperture, the exit aperture having a perimeter, the perimeter including multiple projections that are (a) non-moveable relative to the core flow path or (b) movable relative to the perimeter, the projections extending in an aft direction and circumferentially spaced about the perimeter with a length of the multiple projections decreasing successively from one projection to the next around half the perimeter.
- View Dependent Claims (54)
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28. An aircraft system, comprising:
- a turbofan engine exhaust nozzle that includes;
a fan flow duct having a first internal flow surface positioned to receive a fan flow;
a core flow duct having a second internal flow surface positioned to receive an engine core flow; and
wherein at least one of the fan flow duct and the core flow duct has a varying flow area with a convergent section, a divergent section downstream of the convergent section, a throat between the convergent and divergent sections, and an exit aperture having a perimeter that includes multiple projections that are (a) non-moveable relative to the core flow duct or (b) moveable relative to the perimeter, the projections extending in an aft direction, with circumferentially adjacent projections spaced apart from each other by a gap, and wherein the gaps are positioned downstream of the throat, and wherein a length of the projections in a first group decreases successively over at least three projections from one projection to the next along a first portion of the perimeter, and a length of projections in a second group decreasing successively over at least three projections from one projection to the next along a second portion of the perimeter, the second portion being mirrored relative to the first portion about an axially extending plane. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
- a turbofan engine exhaust nozzle that includes;
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34. An aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage;
a wing depending from the fuselage;
a jet engine nozzle carried by at least one of the fuselage and the wing, the nozzle having an internal flow surface positioned outwardly from a core flow path, the nozzle having an exit aperture, the exit aperture having a perimeter with an outboard section facing away from the fuselage and an inboard section facing toward the fuselage between the outboard section and the fuselage, the perimeter including multiple projections that are (a) non-moveable relative to the core flow path or (b) movable relative to the perimeter, the projections extending in an aft direction, with an aft portion of individual neighboring projections spaced apart from each other by a gap, and with inboard projections at the inboard section having a length different than a length of outboard projections at the outboard section, the length of the projections in a first group decreasing successively over at least three projections from one projection to the next along a first portion of the perimeter, and a length of projections in a second group decreasing successively over at least three projections from one projection to the next along a second portion of the perimeter, the second portion being mirrored relative to the first portion about an axially extending plane. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38)
- a fuselage;
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39. A method for manufacturing an aircraft, comprising:
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selecting a fuselage configuration; selecting a wing configuration;
selecting configuration of a turbofan nozzle to include;a fan flow duct having a first internal flow surface positioned to receive a fan flow; a core flow duct having a second internal flow surface positioned to receive an engine core flow; selecting an exit aperture of at least one of the ducts to have a perimeter that includes multiple projections that are (a) non-moveable relative to the engine core flow or (b) movable relative to the perimeter, the projections extending in an aft direction, with an aft portion of individual neighboring projections spaced apart from each other by a gap; and selecting a length of at least some of the projections in a first group to decrease successively over at least three projections from one projection to the next along a first portion of the perimeter, and a length of projections in a second group to decrease successively over at least three projections from one projection to the next along a second portion of the perimeter, the second portion being mirrored relative to the first portion about an axially extending plane. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A method for operating an aircraft, comprising:
- generating a flow of gas with a jet engine;
delivering the gas through a nozzle having a trailing edge perimeter including multiple projections extending in an aft direction, with an aft portion of individual neighboring projections spaced apart from each other by a gap, and with a length of the projections in a first group decreasing successively over at least three projections from one projection to the next along a first portion of the perimeter, and a length of projections in a second group decreasing successively over at least three projections from one projection to the next along a second portion of the perimeter, the second portion being mirrored relative to the first portion about an axially extending plane; and
generating a first thrust level and producing a first noise level by mixing the gas with an adjacent stream of air external to the nozzle at the gaps to produce more thrust and less noise than is produced with the jet engine coupled to the nozzle without the projections. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48)
- generating a flow of gas with a jet engine;
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49. A method for controlling aircraft noise, comprising:
- directing gas through a jet engine nozzle; and
controlling a total thrust vector of the gas to be non-parallel to an acoustic intensity vector at one or more one acoustic frequencies by passing the gas adjacent to multiple nozzle projections and mixing the gas with adjacent freestream air at the nozzle projections, wherein the multiple projections extend aft from a perimeter of the nozzle exit, the multiple projections having different lengths, the multiple projections being (a) non-moveable relative to the gas or (b) movable relative to the perimeter, and wherein a length of the projections in a first group decreases successively over at least three projections from one projection to the next along a first portion of the perimeter, and a length of projections in a second group decreased successively over a least three projections from one projection to the next along a second portion of the perimeter, the second portion being mirrored relative to the first portion about an axially extending plane. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53)
- directing gas through a jet engine nozzle; and
Specification