IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,722,788
Granted Patent B2
US 12,722,788 · App. 18/307,172 · Granted Sep 1, 2026

Open rotor pylon fairing

Inventors: William Joseph Bowden (Cleves, OH); Lukasz Ignacy Mazurkiewicz (Warsaw, PL); Syed Arif Khalid (West Chester, OH); Trevor Howard Wood (Clifton Park, NY)
Assignee: General Electric Company
B64D29/02B64D27/12B64D27/402
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,722,788
App. No.
18/307,172
Granted
Sep 1, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An aircraft defining a longitudinal centerline and extending between a forward end and an aft end is provided. The aircraft comprises a fuselage extending between the forward end of the aircraft and the aft end of the aircraft; a wing assembly extending laterally outwardly with respect to the longitudinal centerline from a portion of the fuselage; an unducted turbofan engine; and a pylon fairing that connects the unducted turbofan engine to the wing assembly, the pylon fairing defining a lengthwise direction, a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a chord extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge, the pylon fairing including a maximum thickness portion along the lengthwise direction of the pylon fairing located between 10% and 60% of the chord.

Claims (30)

1 . An aircraft defining a longitudinal centerline and extending between a forward end and an aft end, the aircraft comprising:

a fuselage extending between the forward end of the aircraft and the aft end of the aircraft;

a wing assembly extending laterally outwardly with respect to the longitudinal centerline from a portion of the fuselage;

an unducted turbofan engine having an unducted fan including unducted fan blades rotatable about the longitudinal centerline and unducted fan guide vanes not rotatable about the longitudinal centerline, the unducted fan guide vanes having a leading edge and a trailing edge; and

a pylon fairing that connects the unducted turbofan engine to the wing assembly and the pylon fairing defining a forwardmost point, the pylon fairing defining a lengthwise direction, a leading edge, a trailing edge, a first chord extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge at a first position of the pylon fairing, and a second chord extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge at a second position of the pylon fairing, the pylon fairing including a first maximum thickness portion along the lengthwise direction of the pylon fairing located between 40% and 60% of the first chord from the leading edge and a second maximum thickness portion along the lengthwise direction of the pylon fairing located between 20% and 40% of the second chord from the leading edge, wherein the second position is closer to the unducted turbofan engine than the first position, wherein the unducted turbofan engine includes a forward compressor frame having a mount, wherein the forwardmost point of the pylon fairing is upstream of the mount of the forward compressor frame, and wherein the forwardmost point of the pylon fairing is upstream of the leading edge of the unducted fan guide vanes.

2 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first maximum thickness portion is located a first distance from the leading edge of the pylon fairing and the second maximum thickness portion is located a second distance from the leading edge of the pylon fairing, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance.

3 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the second maximum thickness portion is closer to the leading edge proximate the unducted turbofan engine than the first maximum thickness portion.

4 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the unducted turbofan engine includes an unducted rotating element.

5 . An aircraft defining a longitudinal centerline and extending between a forward end and an aft end, the aircraft comprising:

a fuselage extending between the forward end of the aircraft and the aft end of the aircraft;

a wing assembly extending laterally outwardly with respect to the longitudinal centerline from a portion of the fuselage;

an unducted turbofan engine having an unducted fan including unducted fan blades rotatable about the longitudinal centerline and unducted fan guide vanes not rotatable about the longitudinal centerline, the unducted fan guide vanes having a leading edge and a trailing edge; and

a pylon fairing that connects the unducted turbofan engine to the wing assembly and the pylon fairing defining a forwardmost point, the pylon fairing defining a lengthwise direction, a leading edge, a trailing edge, a first chord extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge at a first position along the lengthwise direction, and a second chord extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge at a second position along the lengthwise direction, the pylon fairing including a first maximum thickness portion at a first percentage of the first chord and a second maximum thickness portion at a second percentage of the second chord, wherein the first percentage is different than the second percentage, wherein the first maximum thickness portion is located between 40% and 60% of the first chord from the leading edge and the second maximum thickness portion is located between 20% and 40% of the second chord from the leading edge, wherein the second position is closer to the unducted turbofan engine than the first position, wherein the unducted turbofan engine includes a forward compressor frame having a mount, wherein the forwardmost point of the pylon fairing is upstream of the mount of the forward compressor frame, and wherein the forwardmost point of the pylon fairing is upstream of the leading edge of the unducted fan guide vanes.

6 . The aircraft of claim 5 , wherein the first maximum thickness portion is located a first distance from the leading edge of the pylon fairing and the second maximum thickness portion is located a second distance from the leading edge of the pylon fairing, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance.

7 . The aircraft of claim 5 , wherein the unducted turbofan engine includes an unducted rotating element.

8 . An aircraft defining a longitudinal centerline and extending between a forward end and an aft end, the aircraft comprising:

a fuselage extending longitudinally between the forward end of the aircraft and the aft end of the aircraft;

a first wing assembly extending laterally outwardly with respect to the longitudinal centerline from a portion of the fuselage;

a first unducted turbofan engine having an unducted fan including unducted fan blades rotatable about the longitudinal centerline and unducted fan guide vanes not rotatable about the longitudinal centerline, the unducted fan guide vanes having a leading edge and a trailing edge; and

a first pylon fairing that connects the first unducted turbofan engine to the first wing assembly and the first pylon fairing defining a forwardmost point, the first pylon fairing having a first pressure side and a first suction side, the first pressure side of the first pylon fairing defining a first shape, and the first suction side of the first pylon fairing defining a second shape different than the first shape, wherein the first pylon fairing defines a lengthwise direction, a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a chord extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge, and wherein the first shape and the second shape are different at a common location along the lengthwise direction of the first pylon fairing, and wherein the first wing assembly extends laterally outwardly with respect to the longitudinal centerline from a starboard side of the fuselage,

wherein the first unducted turbofan engine includes a forward compressor frame having a mount, wherein the forwardmost point of the first pylon fairing is upstream of the mount of the forward compressor frame, and wherein the forwardmost point of the first pylon fairing is upstream of the leading edge of the unducted fan guide vanes.

9 . The aircraft of claim 8 , further comprising:

a second wing assembly extending laterally outwardly with respect to the longitudinal centerline from a port side of the fuselage.

10 . The aircraft of claim 9 , further comprising:

a second unducted turbofan engine; and

a second pylon fairing that connects the second unducted turbofan engine to the second wing assembly, the second pylon fairing having a second pressure side and a second suction side, the second pressure side of the second pylon fairing defining a third shape, and the second suction side of the second pylon fairing defining a fourth shape different than the third shape.

11 . The aircraft of claim 10 , wherein the third shape and the first shape are the same.

12 . The aircraft of claim 10 , wherein the third shape and the first shape are different.

13 . The aircraft of claim 10 , wherein the fourth shape and the second shape are the same.

14 . The aircraft of claim 10 , wherein the fourth shape and the second shape are different.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 26, 2023
From: BOWDEN, WILLIAM JOSEPH; KHALID, SYED ARIF; WOOD, TREVOR HOWARD
To: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Reel/Frame 063446/0151 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 26, 2023
From: MAZURKIEWICZ, LUKASZ IGNACY
To: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY POLSKA SP. Z O.O
Reel/Frame 063446/0346 →
Priority Claims (1)
PL 443511 · Jan 17, 2023 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240239504A1 · Jul 18, 2024
References Cited (23)
US 2439048A · Korff · 1948 [cited by examiner]
US 4801058A · Mullins · 1989 [cited by examiner]
US 4867394A · Patterson, Jr. · 1989 [cited by examiner]
US 4966338A · Gordon · 1990 [cited by examiner]
US 5102069A · Hackett · 1992 [cited by examiner]
US 5156353A · Gliebe · 1992 [cited by examiner]
US 6378804B1 · Cambon · 2002 [cited by examiner]
US 8444085B2 · Stretton · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 8689538B2 · Sankrithi et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 8720815B2 · Vetters et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 9567090B2 · Gallet et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 10040559B2 · Hoisington · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 10710734B2 · Sankrithi · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10907578B2 · Sankrithi · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20070187549A1 · Owen · 2007 [cited by examiner]
US 20130315701A1 · Neuteboom · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 20150284070A1 · Breeze-Stringfellow · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20160107756A1 · Liske · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 20180347405A1 · Schmidt · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20210108597A1 · Ostdiek et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20230021836A1 · Riddle · 2023 [cited by examiner]
FR 2949754A1 · 2011 [cited by examiner]
“Fabrication and Analysis of NACA 0012 Airfoil in Wind Tunnel,” Mohit Singh, International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, vol. 5 issue 5, p. 4150-4158, May 2018 (Year: 2018). [cited by examiner]