Rohr, Inc.

Other

Goodrich Actuation Systems Limited

Geoffrey Pinto

Jihad I Ramlaoui

John Herbert Harvey

Andrew Robert Hawksworth

Daniel J Shetzer

Daniel M Amkraut

Kevin Robert Scanlon

Alan K Evans

Vikram Chandarana

Roger Moorhouse

A nacelle for a turbofan engine includes a variable area fan nozzle (VAFN) and a proximity sensor that is attached to a nacelle forward portion to sense the presence of the VAFN when stowed. The proximity sensor is not attached to the VAFN, thereby enabling the use of a proximity sensor such as linear variable displacement transformer having a relatively compact operational stroke.

Variable area fan nozzle with drive system health monitoring

An aircraft engine variable area fan nozzle structure disposed abaft a thrust reverser, including a sleeve translatable over a cascade array, comprises two semi cylindrical segments that can be axially translated and radially tilted to enlarge the fan duct exhaust area in order to optimize exhaust pressure and associated noise in high thrust circumstances such as on take-off, and to constrict that area under lower thrust conditions such as cruise. A pair of angularly adjacent segments can be moved by an actuator anchored to the fixed engine framework and independently of the thrust reverser translating sleeve. The tilting movement is imposed by the pivoting links of each segment to carriages that ride in a non-linear trackway secured to a thrust reverser translating sleeve. The actuator can be of a dual concentric type which can independently drive the trust reverser and nozzle segments.

Dual panel actuator system for jet engines

An aircraft engine variable area fan nozzle structure disposed abaft a thrust reverser, including a sleeve translatable over a cascade array, comprises two semi cylindrical segments that can be axially translated and radially tilted to enlarge the fan duct exhaust area in order to optimize exhaust pressure and associated noise in high thrust circumstances such as on take-off, and to constrict that area under lower thrust conditions such as cruise. The segments are moved by actuators anchored to the fixed engine framework and independently of the thrust reverser translating sleeve. Each actuator incorporates a linear variable differential transformer acting as a fan nozzle position sensor. The tilting movement is imposed by the pivoting links of each segment to carriages that ride in a non-linear trackway secured to a thrust reverser translating sleeve slider. In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the thrust reverser sleeve actuator and the variable area fan nozzle actuator are coaxially mounted in a compact assembly anchored to stationary components of the nacelle.

Axially translating and radially tilting fan nozzle segments with combined actuation and position sensing

A variable area fan nozzle assembly for a turbofan engine includes a nacelle having an aft edge and a translating thrust reverser sleeve with a trailing edge. The thrust reverser sleeve is movably disposed aft of the nacelle's aft edge and is movable between a forward position and an aft position. A translating fan nozzle having a forward edge is movably disposed behind the trailing edge, and is movable between a stowed position and a deployed position. An upstream bypass flow exit is defined between the trailing edge and the forward edge when the fan nozzle is in the deployed position. An extendable actuation system is configured to move the fan nozzle between the stowed position and the deployed position.

Actuation system for a translating variable area fan nozzle

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Geoffrey Pinto