The Boeing Company

Cav Advanced Technologies Limited

Charles William Rust

Justin Honshune Lan

Eric H Nesbitt

Thonse R S Bhat

John Alfred Weidler, Iii

Robert H Willie

Thomas A Campbell

David S Chambers

Martin Wood

John Henry Moselage, Iii

John A Weidler

Niall Mannion

Muhammad Jawad Qarni

Timothy James Wheeler

John Henry Iii Moselage

John Alfred Iii Weidler

A perforation forming system includes a laser device and a control unit operably connected to the laser device. The control unit is configured to control the laser device to laser drill a plurality of perforations through a lipskin that has a curved contour. The lipskin includes a metallic coating that defines an exterior surface of the lipskin and a composite panel that defines an interior surface of the lipskin. The control unit is configured to form the perforations by controlling the laser device to emit laser beams that impinge upon the interior surface of the lipskin and penetrate the composite panel before penetrating the metallic coating.

Method for producing a perforated nacelle inlet assembly

A method for producing a structural material stack includes forming a composite panel that includes a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) material, and applying an interface film on an exterior composite surface of the composite panel. The interface film is electrically conductive. The method includes performing an electroplating process to form a metallic coating on the interface film such that the interface film is sandwiched between the composite panel and the metallic coating. The metallic coating has a different material composition than the interface film.

Method for producing a structural material stack

An engine of an aircraft comprising an engine core that produces thrust to propel the aircraft. A fan duct extends along a length of the engine core and is positioned between an engine core nacelle and a fan nacelle with the fan duct. A thrust reverser is positioned along the fan duct and has blocker doors and drag links. The thrust reverser is positionable between an open position and a closed position. The open position locates the blocker doors for the air to move along the fan duct and exit at the nozzle exit. The closed position locates the blocker doors across the fan duct to direct the air out of the fan duct through an opening in the fan nacelle. An acoustic attenuation system is mounted in the fan duct and positioned between the thrust reverser and the nozzle exit with the acoustic attenuation system configured to reduce noise caused by fan blade-pass frequency moving through the fan duct.

Acoustic attenuation vanes for fan ducts in an aircraft

An inlet assembly of a nacelle includes an inlet cowl that has a leading edge, an outer side that extends from the leading edge to an outer aft edge, and an inner side that extends from the leading edge to an inner aft edge. An exterior surface of the inlet cowl is seamless along an entire length of the outer side from the leading edge to the outer aft edge. The inlet cowl includes a lipskin that has a metallic coating. The metallic coating defines the exterior surface of the inlet cowl along the leading edge and the entire length of the outer side.

Nacelle inlet assembly that promotes laminar flow

A fluid ice protection system for an aircraft includes a plenum back wall and a fluid delivery network. The plenum back wall is affixed to an interior surface of an inlet cowl of a nacelle of the aircraft to define a plenum between the interior surface and a front surface of the plenum back wall. The nacelle surrounds a rotor assembly of an aircraft propulsion system. The inlet cowl defines a plurality of perforations through a thickness of the inlet cowl. The perforations are fluidly connected to the plenum. The fluid delivery network is coupled to the plenum back wall and configured to supply an anti-ice liquid into the plenum for the anti-ice liquid to penetrate through the perforations onto an exterior surface of the inlet cowl along a leading edge section of the inlet cowl.

Aircraft fluid ice protection system

An inlet assembly of a nacelle includes an inlet cowl. The inlet cowl includes a lipskin that has a front section which defines the leading edge of the inlet cowl. The front section includes a composite panel and a metallic coating disposed along an exterior surface of the composite panel to protect the composite panel from damage. The lipskin defines perforations that penetrate through the composite panel and the metallic coating at the front section to convey a liquid through a thickness of the lipskin onto an exterior surface of the inlet cowl.

Nacelle inlet assembly with composite lipskin

A method for producing a nacelle inlet assembly includes forming a composite panel that has a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) material. The composite panel is formed to have a curved contour that represents at least a portion of an annular barrel shape. The method includes applying a metallic coating to the composite panel to form a lipskin. The metallic coating is applied such that the metallic coating defines an exterior surface of the lipskin and the composite panel defines an interior surface of the lipskin. The method includes laser drilling a plurality of perforations through the lipskin. The laser drilling involves emitting a laser beam that impinges upon the interior surface of the lipskin and penetrates the CFRP material of the composite panel before penetrating the metallic coating and exiting the lipskin through the exterior surface.

An aircraft auxiliary power unit sound attenuation apparatus includes a perforated body having a center aperture through which exhaust fluid passes, a backing member outwardly offset from the perforated body, a plurality of connecting members coupling the perforated body to the backing member to form a locally reacting sound attenuation member having a plurality of channels spanning outwardly from the perforated body to the backing member, and a bulk absorber disposed in each of the plurality of channels where the bulk absorber is in fluid communication with the exhaust fluid, where the locally reacting sound attenuation member is in fluid communication with an auxiliary power unit of an aircraft so that the plurality of channels are oriented in a direction crossing a pressure drop direction of an exhaust fluid flow passing through the center aperture and each channel circumscribes the center aperture.

Sound attenuation apparatus and method

Within examples, a method of manufacturing a double-walled titanium conduit is described. Example methods include stitch welding multiple concentric sheets to form a stitch layer, providing the stitch layer between an inner wall and an outer wall of the double-walled titanium conduit, circumferentially seam welding the inner wall and the outer wall to the stitch layer to create a welded assembly, die forming the welded assembly at temperature and pressure to form inner structures between the multiple concentric sheets according to stitch welding lines and to enable a diffusion bond process among the inner wall, the stitch layer, and the outer wall, and removing the double-walled titanium conduit from the die.

Dual walled titanium tubing and methods of manufacturing the tubing

An aircraft engine sound attenuation apparatus includes a perforated face member, a backing member, a plurality of connecting members coupling the perforated face member to the backing member to form a plurality of channels spanning from the perforated face member to the backing member, and a bulk absorber disposed in each of the plurality of channels, wherein the plurality of channels are connected to an interior portion of an aircraft engine nacelle component so that the plurality of channels are oriented in a direction substantially normal to a direction of fluid flow pressure drop passing through the aircraft engine.

Dual flow auxiliary power unit (APU) inlets and associated systems and methods are disclosed. An inlet in accordance with one embodiment of the invention includes an entrance aperture and a divider positioned in the inlet and located to separate a first portion of the inlet from a second portion of the inlet. The first portion can be configured to couple to an engine air intake of an APU, and the second portion can be configured to direct air away from the air intake. The divider can be positioned to direct air having a first total pressure level and a first distortion level to the first portion of the inlet, and direct air having a second total pressure level and second distortion level to the second portion of the inlet. The first total pressure level can be approximately the same as or higher than the second total pressure level, or the second distortion level can be approximately the same as or higher than the first distortion level, or both.

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Charles William Rust