Engine intake flap for being arranged on the housing of an air intake of an aircraft engine, as well as engine with such an engine intake flap and aircraft system
An engine inlet flap for mounting on the housing of an air inlet or air inlet duct of an engine of an aircraft, having a first end and a second end arranged in opposition thereto at a distance therefrom in the longitudinal direction of the inlet flap, where the longitudinal direction in the given installation is aligned against the flow direction of the air flowing into the engine; and the inlet flap includes an inlet flap base body with a connector device for a jointed connector for jointed connection of the inlet flap base body to the housing of the air inlet or air inlet duct, with a rotational axis running along the second end, an inlet flap extension piece structurally integrated with the inlet flap base body, with a first and a second lateral piece, which extends from the inlet flap base body on the two opposed lateral edges of the inlet flap running in the longitudinal direction with a number of transverse struts or longitudinal struts, arranged in the leading region of the engine inlet flap.
1. An engine intake flap that is designed for being arranged on a housing of an air intake or air intake channel of an aircraft engine, comprising:
a first end and a second end that lies opposite of, and is spaced apart from, the first end in a longitudinal direction of the intake flap, wherein the longitudinal direction is directed opposite to a flow direction of air flowing into the engine during operation;
an intake flap base body with a connecting device for a hinged connection in order to hinge the intake flap base body to the housing of the air intake or air intake channel with a hinge axis extending along the second end; and
an intake flap extension part that is structurally integrated into the intake flap base body and features a first and a second lateral part that respectively originate at the intake flap base body and extend from two lateral edges of the intake flap that lie opposite of one another and extend in the longitudinal direction in a cantilever arrangement from the base body, as well as a plurality of cross braces that are arranged on, and extend between, the lateral parts transverse to the longitudinal direction.
2. The engine intake flap according to claim 1 , wherein the intake flap base body and the intake flap extension part are manufactured in one piece.
3. The engine intake flap according to claim 1 , wherein the intake flap extension part is mounted on the intake flap base body in the form of a component that can be attached to the intake flap base body.
4. The engine intake flap according to claim 1 , wherein the cross braces are arranged on the first and second lateral parts in a rotationally rigid fashion.
5. The engine intake flap according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of the cross braces are arranged on the first and second lateral parts such that they are rotatable about their longitudinal axis.
6. The engine intake flap according to claim 1 , wherein the cross braces are manufactured of elastic material that is bent and/or distorted by the air flow that occurs during operation and flows along the longitudinal direction, namely to such a degree that an ice layer formed on the cross braces can be cracked off.
7. The engine intake flap according to claim 1 , wherein:
at least one longitudinal web that is arranged on the intake flap base body and extends in the longitudinal direction is arranged between the first and second lateral parts, and
a plurality of the cross braces extends between one of the respective first and second lateral parts and a longitudinal web or between two longitudinal webs.
8. The engine intake flap according to claim 1 , wherein the cross braces have a wing-shaped cross section.
9. The engine intake flap according to claim 8 , wherein at least some of the cross braces are springably prestressed into a starting position.
10. An engine intake flap that is designed for being arranged on a housing of an air intake or air intake channel of an aircraft engine, comprising:
a first end and a second end that lies opposite of, and is spaced apart from, the first end in a longitudinal direction of the intake flap, wherein the longitudinal direction L) is directed opposite to a flow direction of air flowing into the engine during operation;
an intake flap base body with a connecting device for a hinged connection in order to hinge the intake flap base body to the housing of the air intake or air intake channel with a hinge axis extending along the second end;
an intake flap extension part that is structurally integrated into the intake flap base body and features a first and a second lateral part that respectively originate at the intake flap base body and extend from the first and second lateral edges of the intake flap that lie opposite of one another and extend in the longitudinal direction in a cantilever arrangement from the base body; and
a plurality of longitudinal braces that are arranged on the intake flap base body and respectively extend in the longitudinal direction of the intake flap in a cantilever arrangement from the base body.
11. The engine intake flap according to claim 10 , wherein the intake flap base body and the intake flap extension part are manufactured in one piece.
12. The engine intake flap according to claim 10 , wherein the intake flap extension part is mounted on the intake flap base body in the form of a component that can be attached to the intake flap base body ( 1 ).
13. The engine intake flap according to claim 10 , wherein the longitudinal braces are manufactured of elastic material that is bent and/or distorted by the air flow that occurs during operation and flows along the longitudinal direction, namely to such a degree that an ice layer formed on the cross braces can be cracked off.
14. An aircraft engine, comprising:
an air intake that is formed by an engine housing;
at least one engine intake flap arranged on a front edge of the engine housing, wherein the engine intake flap is directed opposite to an air flow occurring during operation of the aircraft engine, wherein the at least one engine intake flap includes:
a first end and a second end that lies opposite of, and is spaced apart from, the first end in a longitudinal direction of the intake flap, wherein the longitudinal direction is directed opposite to a flow direction of air flowing into the engine during operation;
an intake flap base body with a connecting device for a hinged connection in order to hinge the intake flap base body to the housing of the air intake or air intake channel with a hinge axis extending along the second end; and
an intake flap extension part that is structurally integrated into the intake flap base body and features a first and a second lateral part that respectively originate at the intake flap base body and extend from two lateral edges of the intake flap that lie opposite of one another and extend in the longitudinal direction in a cantilever arrangement from the base body, as well as a plurality of cross braces that are arranged on, and extend between, the lateral parts transverse to the longitudinal direction.
15. The aircraft engine according to claim 14 , comprising several of the engine intake flaps arranged adjacent to one another along a circumference of the engine housing with reference to the flow direction.
16. The aircraft engine according to claim 15 , comprising:
at least one actuator for adjusting each of the respective engine intake flaps about its respective hinge axis , each actuator being respectively arranged on a respective one of the engine intake flaps; and
an actuating device that has an actuating function with an interface to a flight control system and/or an engine control system and is realized in such a way that the actuating device generates command signals for controlling the actuators of the engine intake flaps in response to receipt of air data from the flight control system and/or of a current or required engine power from the flight control system and/or the engine control system and transmits these commands signals to the actuators of the engine intake flaps so as to adjust the engine intake flaps about their respective hinge axis and thusly adjust the flow in the air intake.
17. The aircraft engine according to claim 16 , wherein at least one of:
the actuating function is realized in such a way that it utilizes a flow velocity of the aircraft as air data; and
a flow velocity and/or temperature of the flowing air that is measured in the region of the engine intake is utilized as input signal to be used by the actuating function.
18. The aircraft engine according to claim 15 , wherein:
the engine intake flaps are designed with longitudinal braces that are rotatable about their longitudinal axis, actuators are coupled to at least some of the longitudinal braces in order to vary a rotational position of the cross braces, and
the engine is provided with an actuating device that has an actuating function with an interface to a flight control system and/or an engine control system and is realized in such a way that the actuating device can actuate the actuators for varying the rotational position of the cross braces in response to receipt of air data from the flight control system and/or of a current or required engine power from the flight control system and/or the engine control system so as to adjust the cross braces about their longitudinal axis and thusly adjust the flow in the air intake.
19. The aircraft engine according to claim 18 , wherein at least one of:
the actuating function is realized in such a way that it utilizes a flow velocity of the aircraft as air data; and
a flow velocity and/or temperature of the flowing air that is measured in the region of the engine intake is utilized as input signal to be used by the actuating function.
20. The aircraft engine of claim 15 , wherein the aircraft engine is an auxiliary engine, further comprising:
an actuating device that has an actuating function with an interface to a flight control system and/or an engine control system and is realized in such a way that the actuating function facilitates moving the engine intake flaps between a shielding position, in which a minimum throughput of the air intake flow is adjusted, and an open position, in which a maximum throughput of the air intake flow is adjusted;
an energy supply unit that transmits a command signal to the actuating function in order to move the engine intake flaps from their shielding position into their open position when the energy supply unit activates the auxiliary engine.
21. The aircraft engine of claim 20 , comprising at least one actuator for adjusting each of the respective engine intake flaps about its respective hinge axis, each actuator being respectively arranged on a respective one of the engine intake flaps, wherein the actuating function operates such that the actuating device generates command signals for controlling the actuators of the engine intake flaps in response to receipt of air data from the flight control system and/or of a current or required engine power from the flight control system and/or the engine control system and transmits these commands signals to the actuators of the engine intake flaps so as to adjust the engine intake flaps about their respective hinge axis and thusly adjust the flow in the air intake.
22. aircraft engine of claim 20 , wherein:
the engine intake flaps are designed with longitudinal braces that are rotatable about their longitudinal axis, actuators are coupled to at least some of the longitudinal braces in order to vary a rotational position of the cross braces, and
the actuating function operates such that the actuating device can actuate the actuators for varying the rotational position of the cross braces in response to receipt of air data from the flight control system and/or of a current or required engine power from the flight control system and/or the engine control system so as to adjust the cross braces about their longitudinal axis and thusly adjust the flow in the air intake.