The B. F. Goodrich Company

Kevin L Leffel

Richard L Rauckhorst

James C Putt

Michael John Giamati

Ronald W Phillips, Ii

Norbert A Weisend, Jr

Tommy Maurice Wilson, Jr

James A Briscoe

Gary V Tenison

Lowell J Adams

Richard Lawrence Rauckhorst, Iii

David M Ronyak

Bernard F Trares

An aircraft deicing assembly 101 for attachment to an airfoil 99 includes a deflection shell 101 disposed over a deflection means 102. The deflection shell is comprised of a primary layer 116 comprised of a high strength fabric reinforced with a phenolic resin and a backing layer 115 comprised of a high strength fabric reinforced with an epoxy resin. The thickness of the backing layer is varied as a function of curvature of the airfoil and spanwise length of the airfoil.

Skin for a deicer

Fibrous substrates for the production of carbon and/or ceramic (including mixtures of these) fiber reinforced carbon and/or ceramic (including mixtures of these) composites and to methods of manufacture of same. A multilayered annular shaped fibrous structure (10, 40) having a radius and a thickness, suitable for use in the manufacture of a friction disk, is made by forming a multidirectional fabric (30, 50) having filaments (12) or fibers extending in at least two directions; cutting arcuate or trapezoidal sectors (20, 20') of an annular shape from the multidirectional fabric, each sector having a radial width generally corresponding to the radial width of the fibrous structure (10, 40) to be formed; assembling the sectors in end to end or circumferentially overlapping contiguous relationship to form an annular layer having a radial width generally corresponding to the radial width of the fibrous structure to be formed; providing a stack of thus formed layers of fibrous material, one layer on top of another; and needlepunching the stacked layers to produce cross-linking of the layers by filaments displaced out of the layers and extending in a direction generally perpendicular to the faces of the layers. The multidirectional fabric is preferably a braided fabric (30) or a crosslapped fabric (50).

Annular filamentary structures and methods of making

A deicer for attachment to an airfoil substructure includes a segmented outer shell, with adjacent segments being decoupled from one another utilizing elastomeric decoupling members. The outer edges of the outer periphery shell segments are likewise decoupled from the airfoil structure utilizing elastomeric decoupling members. Each segment of the deicer is deflected by a respective deflection means which are provided energy from a controller.

Mechanical deicer having decoupled skin segments

An airfoil deicing system includes an airfoil substructure having an apex corresponding to the portion of the airfoil where the radius of curvature of the airfoil is smallest, the airfoil and the apex being bisected by a centerline, a deflectable shell disposed over the airfoil substructure for meeting and breaking an impinging airstream, a deflection means disposed between the airfoil substructure and the deflectable shell at the apex for deflecting the deflectable shell in the area of the apex away from the airfoil substructure and, at least one compressible zones provided beneath the deflectable shell adjacent the apex on either side of the centerline, the compressible zones facilitating deflection of the deflectable shell overlying the compressible zones toward the airfoil substructure when the deflection means deflects the deflectable shell.

Side flex leading edge ice protector

A de-icer for a structural member of an aircraft is provided. The de-icer includes first and second heaters having first and second electrically conductive strips, respectively. The first and second conductive strips are configured to form first and second marginal portions, respectively. The first and second heaters are positioned relative to each other such that the marginal portions are overlapped.

Electrical heater de-icer

A modular ice protection system for an airfoil includes a deflection assembly attached to the airfoil and a removable outer shell having a modulus of elasticity of at least 40,000 kPa impermanently disposed over the deflection assembly, wherein the deflection assembly causes distortion of the separable outer shell during de-icing. The deflection assembly may likewise be removable from an underlying substructure which is attached to the airfoil.

Modular ice protection assembly

A structural member having integral surface de-icing capability and method of manufacture are described. The structural member includes a non-metallic high tensile modulus fiber-reinforced matrix structural backing, thin force and displacement generation means, and a thin high tensile modulus outer skin bonded to said backing and said force and displacement generation means which is postioned between the backing and the skin. The force and displacement generation means may include one or more inflatable tubular members and/or electromagnetic apparatus. The structural member may be substituted for the aluminum alloy leading edge structural skin typically employed on modern aircraft.

Structural airfoil having integral expulsive system

An inflatable deicer having deicing tubes formed by adjacent rows of stitching between inner and outer plies with a manifold tube intersecting and extending across the deicing tubes. The stitching of the deicing tubes is turned at the edges of the manifold to reinforce the edges of the manifold tube. The deicing tubes are narrow and the inflation pressure is high for a short activation time at relatively long intervals to shed thin ice.

Pneumatic deicer for shedding thin ice

A structural member having integral surface de-icing capability and method of manufacture are described. The structural member includes a non-metallic high tensile modulus fiber-reinforced matrix structural backing, thin force and displacement generation means, and a thin high tensile modulus outer skin bonded to said backing and said force and displacement generation means which is positioned between the backing and the skin. The force and displacement generation means may include one or more inflatable tubular members and/or electromagnetic apparatus. The structural member may be substituted for the aluminum alloy leading edge structural skin typically employed on modern aircraft.

A de-icer for de-icing those ice accreting surfaces of a skin formed of a material having a substantially elevated modulus, wherein the de-icer is positioned between a support surface and a surface of the skin obverse to the ice accreting surface and inflated to produce a deformation in the skin sufficient to detach and dislodge accumulations of ice on the ice accreting surface but insufficient to exceed an endurance limit for the material from which the skin is formed. The invention finds use in de-icing aircraft surfaces such as wings, tail surfaces, propellers, rotors such as rotating wings, tail rotors and nose cones.

Growing community of inventors

Akron, OH, United States of America

Kevin L Leffel