United Technologies Corporation

Safeway Products Inc.

James A Cook

Lee R Armstrong

David P Nagle

Blair A Smith

Harry E Eaton

Henry J Mercik, Jr

Henry E Goetsch

Henry B Hall

James M Dolan

Linda S Boyd

Joseph L Mattavi

An apparatus for protecting the leading edge of an aerodynamic blade such as a propeller blade and more particularly to an apparatus for improving the maintainability of the leading edge protective sheath. In the preferred embodiment, a protective sheath made of a ductile material of sufficient hardness material such as titanium, stainless steel, nickel or a nickel alloy is attached to the leading edge of a propeller blade. The protective sheath has an interior surface that complements the leading edge of the underlying propeller blade material, while the exterior surface of the sheath is optimized to achieve an efficient dynamic profile for the propeller blade. The protective sheath is further modified so that a harder material such as ceramic can be secured to the surface of the protective sheath along its leading edge at the tip end of the propeller blade wherein erosion rates are highest.

Replaceable ceramic blade insert

Composite Blade With Reinforced Leading Edge The shell (30) of a lightweight composite propulsor blade (10) of spar and shell construction has a leading edge portion (39) having twice the thickness as the remainder (33, 35, 37) of the shell thereby enhancing resistance to foreign object damage and improving erosion resistance.

Composite blade with reinforced leading edge

A method of making a shell (30) of a lightweight composite propulsor blade (10) of spar and shell construction having a leading edge portion (39) having twice the thickness as the remainder (33, 35, 37) of the shell thereby enhancing resistance to foreign object damage and improving erosion resistance.

Method of manufacturing a composite blade with a reinforced leading edge

A deicer for affixment to a propeller blade or helicopter blade with an electrical resistance etched foil heater on a flat electrically non-conductive face of a wear resistant body, the body having tapered side and end edges extending beyond the foil heater. A reinforced non-conductive mesh is disposed within the body.

Electrically heated deicer for aircraft blades

A blade heater (10) for an aircraft engine propulsor blade (14) has a foil pattern (18) which is comprised of a plurality of elements (25-56). The resistance of the elements (25-56) varies according to the distance between the elements (25-56) and the leading edge (12) of the blade (14).

Aircraft engine propulsor blade deicing

The average of two horsepower measurements utilizing an empirically-determined horsepower constant, made with electronic diagnostic equipment employing engine transducers, during three successive acceleration bursts from a low engine speed to a high engine speed with the air/fuel ratio regulator defeated so as to provide full fuel, is compared against the average of two additional such horsepower measurements made in three additional acceleration bursts which are underfueled due to feeding the air/fuel regulator with atmospheric air; the horsepower difference is a measure of the action of the air/fuel regulator; one burst of each set simply purges air accumulations in the fuel lines, if any. If desired, indications of horsepower may be calculated without an inertia constant, since the measurements herein are comparative.

Air/fuel regulator diagnostics for internal combustion engine

As used herein, the term 'power' means a factor indicative of or related to horsepower, computed from acceleration and speed, with or without an empirically-determined inertia constant. A measurement of the operation of the governor of an internal combustion engine, such as a diesel engine having a primary distributing pump for providing fuel in a time related fashion to the fuel injectors, and in which fuel pressure is not an indication of governor operation, is the speed at which a line defined by two points measured on the power/speed characteristic of the engine intersects with an empirically-determined line emanating from the measured high idle speed point on the zero power speed abscissa of the power/speed characteristic. Two power measurements, each including time and speed, are made at different speeds as the engine accelerates with only its own drag, inertia and accessories as loads thereon. The difference therein, with or without horsepower calculations using an empirically-determined inertia constant, over the difference in speed provides the slope of an idealized, straight-line power/speed characteristic. An empirically-determined slope, with or without correction for the actual high idle speed measured, defines a second, idealized straight line indication of governor action in limiting fuel at high idle speed. From simply geometry, the intersection of these two straight line power/speed related representations is found as a measure of the balance point speed which is the speed at which the governor action begins.

Growing community of inventors

Agawam, MA, United States of America

James A Cook