The B. F. Goodrich Company

Richard L Rauckhorst

Kevin L Leffel

James C Putt

Alan John Fahrner

Robert N Hohenshil

David M Ronyak

Thomas A Waples

Donald E Butler

A pneumatic deicing system includes a deicer assembly comprised of an outer layer, an inner ply, and a plurality of inflatable members provided therebetween. The deicer assembly is disposed directly on top of and bonded to an airfoil. The deicer assembly is inflated through an inflation port. Fluid is drained from the deicer assembly through a drain valve.

Pneumatic deicing system with drain valve

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

An ice detector 110 includes a pair of electrodes 122, 124 connected by a pair of leads 116, 118 to a control unit 120 which measures the impedance (or other parameters) between leads 116 and 118 to thereby sense and detect ice or other contaminants formed on top thereof. Electrodes 122, 124 are integrated into patch 134 and comprised of a top layer 142 of conductive resin, a middle layer 144 of conductive cloth and a bottom layer 146 of conductive resin.

Ice detector

A pneumatic deicing system includes a deicer assembly comprised of an outer layer having a low modulus of elasticity, an inner ply, and a plurality of inflatable members provided therebetween. The deicer assembly is disposed directly on top of and bonded to an airfoil. The inflatable members are inflated with an inflation apparatus that inflates in an inflation pattern comprised of a sequence of high frequency pressure pulses superimposed on a low frequency inflation pressure wave.

Vibrating pneumatic deicing system

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 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 de-icer comprises a compressible member immediately subjacent an outer skin overlying an apex of a leading edge. The compressible member facilitates deflection of the outer skin overlying the compressible member toward the substructure when the skin deflection means deflects the outer skin.

Compressible nose dynamic de-icer

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

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 preferably formed into a tube mat having bonded overlapped portions so as to distribute displacement forces. This reduces concentrated stress and fatigue while increasing surface shear forces across the ice accreting surface with each tube actuation. The structural member may be substituted for the aluminum alloy leading edge structural skin typically employed on modern aircraft.

Airfoil with integral de-icer using overlapped tubes

A rapid acting valve capable of delivering a high pressure impulse of compressible fluid has a pilot section, and an output section. The output section is pressurized to approximately equilibrium with the inlet pressure during the load portion of the operating cycle. During the dump portion of the operating cycle, the pilot section and output section cooperate to provide extremely rapid full opening of the output section to release fluid under pressure from an accumulator through an output section piston seat. The valve is particularly suitable for use in combination with pneumatic impulse separation systems such as those employed for deicing aircraft surfaces. A plurality of valves may be arranged in series such that dumping of the first tier valve initiates dumping of one or more second tier valves in the series each of which in turn initiates dumping of one or more third tier valves, and so forth until all valves in the series have been actuated, each by its preceding valve.

Cascaded pneumatic impulse separation system and valves therefor

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.

Growing community of inventors

North Canton, OH, United States of America

Richard L Rauckhorst