David E Livingston

Title: David E. Livingston and the Single-Piece, Flexible Inlet Ramp

Introduction

David E. Livingston is an inventor associated with Huntsville, Alabama, and The Boeing Company. His listed patent concerns a flexible inlet ramp designed to adjust an inlet’s area through controlled changes in the ramp’s shape.

Latest Patents

Livingston is credited with 1 patent. His patent, “Single-piece, flexible inlet ramp,” describes an inlet ramp with a single-piece flexible skin and a corrugated member attached to its interior surface. The corrugation helps the skin remain rigid in one direction while allowing flexibility in another. Beams positioned perpendicular to the corrugations support the skin, and mechanical actuators apply force to change the beams’ shape. This movement deforms the ramp skin and varies the inlet area. The design uses an intermediate, undeformed shape to allow a wider range of adjustment while accounting for material and weight.

Career Highlights

The available information associates Livingston with The Boeing Company and identifies his work on an adjustable inlet structure. The patent’s approach combines a flexible skin, supporting beams, and mechanical actuation to vary inlet geometry.

Collaborations

Thomas J. Kornell is identified as Livingston’s coworker. The provided information does not specify whether Kornell collaborated on the patent.

Conclusion

David E. Livingston’s listed patent presents a flexible, mechanically adjustable inlet ramp intended to provide a variable inlet area through controlled deformation.