Aeronautics and astronautics – Aircraft power plants
Patent
1988-12-14
1991-07-23
Barefoot, Galen
Aeronautics and astronautics
Aircraft power plants
137 151, 244219, B64D 3302
Patent
active
050336932
ABSTRACT:
An inlet having a single-piece, flexible inlet ramp skin is disclosed. A corrugated member is rigidly coupled to the interior surface of the ramp skin to hold the skin rigid in one direction but permit it to be extremely flexible in a second direction. A plurality of beams extend perpendicular to the ridges and grooves of the corrugated member to hold the skin in position in the second direction. Mechanical actuators are coupled to the beams for applying force to vary the shape of the beams and thus the shape of the ramp skin. The inlet area is varied as the ramp skin is moved. The beam member and ramp skin are elastically deformable from an intermediate position in a first direction to increase the area of the inlet and in a second direction to decrease the area of the inlet. Shaping the beam and ramp skin to be at an intermediate position when not deformed permits a greater range of movement and a more variable inlet area for a given material and weight.
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Kornell Thomas J.
Livingston David E.
Barefoot Galen
The Boeing Company
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