GB2467905A - Aircraft with vortex ring lift assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

An aircraft includes a jet engine powering a ducted fan 27 and providing a vertical core propulsion 9. The fan provides an airflow into an inlet manifold leading to a radial array of pivoting vanes 2,10. The pivoting vanes are arranged to direct an airflow in an oscillating fashion passed a hollow vortex bisector cone 12. This arrangement produces two steady streams of ring vortices. An inner stream of vortices A,C rotate in one direction and an outer stream B,8 rotate in an opposite direction. Inner vortex rings are intended to coalesce with the ground 6 to maintain thrust reactance 11. Outer vortex streams move outwards along the wings under surface to create a vortex cushion in hover. The core propulsor and vortex ring lift assembly is rotated as the aircraft picks up horizontal speed. Alternatively the whole airframe can be tilted towards the direction of travel.

Description

Vortex Ring Cushion Projector This invention relates to an aircraft propulsion system that produces improved lift in hover and flight thrust fuel efficiency and drag reduction.

A vortex ring thrust cushion projector mounted in a VTOL-capable aircraft comprising a radial oscillating coupled vane RAM powered array, a core thruster, a leading coaxial ducted turbofan, a trailing coaxial vortex bisector cone, a flying wing, an airframe manifold, a means of producing two counter-rotating stable coherent streams of same-rotating concentric thrust vortex rings and a means of producing combined lift drag reduction and vectored thrust from a linear oscillating coupled vane RAM powered array.

De Laval nozzles, supersonic vortex rings, vectored jet thrusters, smoke-ring blower/burners, pulsed Ramjets, helicopter rotors, airships, jet engines and hovercraft are known in the prior art. Hovercraft are known to reduce ground friction whilst supersonic vortex rings reduce aerodynamic drag and produce improved thrust. De Laval nozzles only provide limited flume cohesion or flume persistence, limiting their use in VTOL, hover and high altitude-capable aircraft.

Rotor-based systems including hovercraft and helicopters also produce rapid flume dispersal, limiting their flight ceilings and lift capabilities.

However, a means of propulsion derived from rapidly blown or pulsed RAM smoke rings streamed concentrically as described herein produce improved flume persistence, altitude and lift capabilities.

Nozzles employing conventional propulsion devices produce reactive thrust from a pressurised exhaust gas flume that propels multiple successive portions of inlet air turbulently through the exhaust at raised speed. The gas flow so produced is essentially laminar rather than turbulent and delivered through a venturi to create a velocity differential between the aircraft and its exhaust flume, thereby causing a pressure differential or stem wave between the propelled aircraft and the ambient air thus imparting thrust to said aircraft. The propulsor consists primarily of rotating blades in the form of a ducted propeller or turbine.

The thrust so produced diffuses laterally rapidly upon exit from the exhaust manifold into the ambient air, reducing the efficiency and reactance of such systems across a full range of ambient air pressures. Manifold design for maximised flume persistence becomes an important length and hence weight consideration which may place constraints on other airframe design factors also including length and hence weight.

With aircraft, the ground effect is also known to assist aerodynamic lift, limited to a few metres from the ground and subject to limitation the aircraft having achieved sufficient forward speed for wing-assisted flight.

With hovercraft however, the propulsors turbulent but essentially laminar exhaust air flow is vented underneath the craft forming an air cushion resembling a dual concentric vortex cushion bisected by skirts standing wave' as described herein.

The cushion forms a raised pressure differential with the ambient air above the aircraft causing stationary lift from below whilst also deploying the ground effect and achieving drag-reduction over ground through hover.

According to the present invention there is provided: -An aircraft comprising one or more oscillating vaned jet engine arrays providing means of enhancing wing lift engine propulsion cushion lift fuel efficiency and reducing drag.

The invention will now be described according to the following figures: -Figure 1 shows the aero-engine array vortex cone and flying wing in sectional view X-X from Figure 3.

Figure 2 shows the hover-assisted aircraft and vortical flume projection in perspective sketch view.

Figure 3 shows the aero-engine and flying wing aircraft in plan view.

Figure 4 shows the hover-assisted flying wing aircraft, vortical ring cushion flume projection aero-engine and vortex bisector cone in sectional perspective sketch view.

Figure 5a shows vectored thrust and engine configurations in forward flight.

Figure 5b shows transitional flight with vectored engine and thrust.

Figure 5c shows fight in hover with vertical orientated engine and thrust.

Figure 6 shows airflow over wings with vibrating leading and trailing edge enhancements for transitional flight and the vortex flow bisection.

Referring to figure 1, the radial pulsed RAM aero-engine vane array is deployed in a flying wing aircraft and shown in section X -X with respect to Figure 3, producing a remotely-projected standing wave vortical flume layout 6 in schematic form for aircraft takeoff-assisted hover 3.

In this sectional view, two of the radially-opposed pulsed RAM aero-engine propulsor vane pairs are shown 2, 10 with merged inlet manifolds 1 and outlet manifolds 2 forming a radial array around a central core thruster 14. The vane propulsors comprise captive pivoting vanes 1, 2 that flex oscillate and are coupled shown as chained lines in the direction of the arrows 2, 10 as shown dotted 13 pivoted and or flexed in the opposite direction to create rotating A, C and counter-rotating 3, 8 vortex rings. Wing surfaces are concave forming a negative camber and or dihedral configuration 3 with wing tip aerofoils 5 to maintain captive trailing vortex rings under the wings 8 and to exploit the ground effect to provide enhanced lift. Said aerofoils comprise extendable powered oscillating vanes or flaps extending from leading and trailing edge wing surfaces from leading and trailing-edge pivots.

Vortex rings resist lateral dispersion C as they coalesce with the ground 6 to maintain thrust reactance 11. In addition, the spinning masses of rings A B C 8 are self-compressing, maintaining their reactive mass and hence reactance in ambient air to resist premature dispersion near to the ground and alternatively into thin air at high altitude or sub space A B C 8. The aero-engine array produces a steam of rotating and counter-rotating vortex rings in reverse sequence A, B, C, 8. Clockwise rotating rings B are displaced laterally outwards by and counter-clockwise rotating rings are displaced laterally inwards by the truncated hollow vortex bisector cone aerofoil 12 with the outer streams rolling outwards along the wings under surfaces creating said vortex cushion in hover.

As the aircraft picks up horizontal airspeed, the core propulsor 9 and aero engine vortex ring projector assembly is rotated into the direction of horizontal travel as with a conventional VTOL aircraft. Alternatively, the whole airframe can be tilted in the direction of travel whilst maintaining a stable projected flume cushion C 4 over ground 6 with auxiliary horizontal aft-ducted propulsion as shown in Figure 2.

The core thruster may comprise a jet turbine, a turbofan, a turboprop or other impulse thrust-producing engine including a Ramjet or a rocket. Advantageously said core thruster nozzle imparts back-spin and its' hot expanding hot exhaust flume to the warmed ducted inner vortex stream enhancing cushion pressure, vortex cushion ring formation projection and bypass mixing. The inner vortex stream is streamed from the inner surface of said vortex bisector cone.

In this embodiment the core thruster includes a turbofan or turbo prop jet engine with a ducted fan 27 is deployed as a leading compressor stage for said pulsed RAM aero-engine array as shown. The outer counter-rotating vortex stream comprises cool air streamed from the turbofan over the outer side of the pulsed or oscillating vanes comprising said radial RAM aero engine array and then from the outer trailing surface of said vortex bisector cone. Said flexing vanes have a means of

A

synchronised pivoting in the radial axis 13 to facilitate actuated pulsed or passive pivoting resonant oscillation turbulent RAM air flow. Vane pivots 13 are in this embodiment located between the leading and trailing edges of said vanes. Said core thruster unit alternatively comprises an electric motor or internal combustion engine coupled to said ducted fan and or reciprocally-coupled to said radial coupled oscillating vane array when pivot powered or pulsed actuated, shown chained.

Referring to Figure 2, the aircraft is shown in takeoff-assisted hover 15. The radial RAM air propulsor array 16 viewed from above comprises eight oscillating vanes and inlet manifolds 17. The inner projected back-spun bisected higher pressure vortex ring C is shown rolling in on itself as it coalesces with the ground with block arrows, surrounded by an outer counter-rotating top-spun outer lower pressure vortex ring cushion with the toroidal spin direction shown arrowed. This is held captive by wing-tip aerofoils 18 and concave underside swept wing angle 29 shown dashed. The outer vortex cushion ring 8 is attracted to inner ring C by reverse spin 27 and provides cushioning through its gradual dispersion resistance to rapid inner flume dispersion. The flume gas gradually transfers from the inner to the outer vortex streams through coalescing 27 and this gradual dispersion process provides enhanced flume lift and thrust reactance over Laval nozzle flow. Leading edge 21 and trailing-edge 20 retractable flaps provide additional skirting for maintaining and controlling the hover cushion 8 and are made to oscillate synchronised to airspeed and each other.

The aircraft attitude for instance roll 19 can be further controlled advantageously by selective flap rotation 15, 21 to initiate lateral positional displacement in hover with the cushion remaining stable. Advantageously the delta wing's lift from leading edge barrel vortices 23 24 during low-speed powered horizontal takeoff and flight 22 25 is further enhanced by spill-over air seeding emitted from the partially-contained raised vortex cushion below 8 26.

Because of the pulsed nature of the power delivery, the rate of vortex replenishment can be varied, creating the appearance of a standing wave with vortical spin inertia maintaining lift during intermittent or interrupted power delivery. Sudden lift loss following catastrophic engine failure may also be minimised, improving the chances of conventional powered horizontal flight recovery 22 or emergency landing with or without recourse to using the core thruster 14 in Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 3, the aero engine 1 is shown in plan view in situ as a radial array in a flying delta-wing aircraft 30. Retractable and independently controlled leading edge flaps 31 32 provide lateral cushion control and hence lateral hover positioning over ground with trailing edge flaps 33 providing additional variable cushion enclosure for in controlled fore-aft movement in hover. The main captive vortex ring forming the hover cushion 8 is held captive by the retractable said flaps which also promote upper wing surface lift at lower forward speeds and high alpha flight through cushion spillage over the leading edge flaps 34. This causes early.

barrel vortex-seeding 35 to create additional lift, important for ensuring low horizontal takeoff speeds as described. The inner ring manifold of the radial aero-engine contains sufficient space for locating a vertical jet thruster 36 which will be contained by the high pressure inner vortex ring forming a curtain around it as concentric vortex rings. Said core thruster 36 can advantageously be vectored to provide horizontal thrust for forward winged flight.

Referring to Figure 4, The aircraft's longitudinal centreline 46 passes through the nose to the centre of the tail 42 as defined as a cross-sectional line between wing-tips 47, forming a concave wing under surface to contain the outer vortex ring 48 when in low hover over ground 50. In this diagram, the vortex rings are shown projected below the aircraft resisting dispersal 48, 50 for a high hover over ground for example in transitional flight. Outer aero-engine manifold 41 routes air vertically downwards through the outer side of the radial engines centres 44 over the outer surface of the vortex bisector cone 43 to the outer vortex flume 48. The inner aero-engine manifold 49 also routes air vertically downwards through the engines, but over the inner side of the vortex bisector cone. Inner manifold 49 also acts as the outer manifold for an optional core engine to fill and further pressurise the self-compressing inner vortex ring rolling in on itself 50 when in coalescing with the ground. The centreline of the projecting underside of the fuselage, vertical and horizontal engines housing is shown dashed 45 and kept to a minimum depth 42 to preserve the vortex-cushion ring containment of said concave wing under-surface.

Referring to Figure 5a, the aircraft is shown in side sectional elevation in raised alpha horizontal flight 63 with and a negative camber delta wing 61 and zero engine pivoting, which combines as an inlet manifold for RAM/SCRAM jet operation in horizontal flight with a variable geometry lower manifold 62. This corresponds with a small positive angle of wing incidence as described in Figure 6.

Referring to Figure Sb, transitional flight 64 is shown in side sectional elevation with partially pivoted engine and thrust. Off-centre central engine pivot is shown 63. A circular locus of rotation for the co-pivoting manifold throat section housing the pivoting aero-.engine is also shown.

Referring to Figure Sc shows fight in hover 65 in side sectional elevation with vertical pivoted engine and thrust arrows. Variable geometry inlet manifold 64 is moved forward to clear the engine.

Referring to Figure 6; the wing assembly and aerodynamics with leading and trailing edge performance enhancement in very low-speed and transitional flight is shown. This also describes the vortex bisector cone aerofoils principle of operation forming a linear-coupled rather than radially-coupled oscillating vane array as shown dashed, providing a synchronised (shown chain dashed) oscillating vane array with leading and trailing edge vane pivots.Turbulent resonant flow is seeded pre-emptively at the leading edge of the aerofoil section by an oscillating flapper I into 2 boundary layers, thus bisected into rotating and counter-rotating vortex streams 2 3.

Shed vortex 4 is thrust aftwards by said oscillating powered trailing vane surface to produce pulsed lift and thrust in the direction of the block arrow by synchronised trailing edge flapping flapper 5. The recombinant and or bisected trailing Vortex Street is shown far right. The vortex street recombinance or vortex bisection divergence is dependent upon the active or passive nature of the oscillation of said trailing surface vanes and the angle of incidence of the aerofoil to airflow 6; whereby a high angle of aerofoil incidence and or level of powered trailing edge pivoting vane oscillation displacement produces bisected divergent counter-rotating vortex streams as in the case of said vortex bisector cone as described, and a low angle of aerofoil incidence and or low-powered or passive trailing edge oscillation or resonance produces.said recombinant vortex Street providing a means of thrust, drag-reduction and wing lift as shown in normal and raised-alpha flight including wing flare on landing.

Said flying wings linear vane array also describes said trailing vortex bisector cone and RAM aero-engine radial arrays with the addition of powered trailing edge oscillating flaps forming a radial array of oscillating vanes.

Claims (22)

1. Claims 1. An aircraft comprising one or more oscillating pivoting varied jet engine arrays providing means of enhancing wing lift engine propulsion cushion lift fuel efficiency and reducing drag.
2. 2. An aircraft with an oscillating pivoting vaned engine array as claimed in claim 1 comprising a vortex ring cushion projector radial said array producing a stream of dual concentric counter-rotating thrust vortex rings mounted behind a turbofan.
3. 3. An aircraft with oscillating pivoting varied engine arrays as claimed in claim I comprising planar barrel thrust vortex street projectors mounted on extensible leading and trailing edge wing and other surfaces to include aerolons flaps and elevators forming a retractable ring cushion skirt.
4. 4. An aircraft with oscillating pivoting vaned engine arrays as claimed in claim 1 comprising vertical takeoff and hover-capable fuel-efficient flying wing aircraft fitted with a combination of oscillating vaned engine arrays as claimed above.
5. 5. An aircraft with a vortex ring cushion projector radial array as claimed above comprising a radial array of oscillating pivoting varied RAMjet engines mounted radially and behind a core thruster to include a turbofan jet engine providing inlet compression vortical cushion projection and enhanced vertical thrust in raised hover.

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6. 6. A vortex ring cushion projector as claimed in claim 5 mounted between the primarily laminar concentric ducted cool fan air and hot jet exhaust flume of'a turbofan or other jet nozzle bisecting the flume flow to produce thrust ring cushion projection as claimed in claim 3 forming a radial concentric dual vortex street.
7. 7. A vortex ring cushion projector as claimed in claim 5 comprising a vortex bisector cone mounted behind said radial engine array that bisects inner and outer sequentially-produced rotating and counter-rotating thrust vortex rings into two concentric simultaneously rotating inner and outer streams that accumulate as two attracted standing ring waves within said retractable wing skirt forming said projected ring cushion.
8. 8. A vortex ring thrust cushion projector as claimed in claim 5 mounted in a VIOL-capable aircraft comprising a core thruster wherein said core thruster is coupled to a leading ducted fan compressor stage in said airframe manifold providing laminar inlet flow at overpressure to said airframe manifold-coupled pivoting radial array of trailing RAM vanes oscillating in flow to produce stable coherent streams of concentric thrust vortex rings producing combined said lift and thrust in flow.
9. 9. A vortex ring thrust cushion projector mounted in a VTOL-capable aircraft as claimed in claims 1 and 5 comprising a radial pulsed RAM vane array as claimed in claim 2 wherein said radial array pulsing is derived by alternate-sided sequential fuel-air detonation within the RAM exhaust tapered airframe manifold reacting against said pivoting vane.
10. 10. A vortex ring thrust cushion projector mounted in a VTOL-capable aircraft comprising a radial pulsed RAM vane array as claimed in claimed above wherein said radial array pulsing is derived by electric shaft actuated pivoting of said vanes in airframe manifolds.
11. 11. A vortex ring thrust cushion projector mounted in a VIOL-capable aircraft comprising a radial pulsed oscillating RAM vane array as claimed above wherein said radial array oscillation is derived by turbulent leading fan flow over said central pivoting vane causing it to resonate and or flex passively in said laminar flow.
12. 12. A vortex ring thrust cushion projector mounted in a VTOL-capable aircraft comprising a trailing vortex bisector cone as claimed above wherein said trailing coaxial vortex bisector cone is located centrally and coaxially behind the pivoting radial vane array at a high angle of incidence to airflow to bisect vortex streets produced by said pivoting vaned RAM arrays into said same-rotating and counter-rotating concentric divergent vortex ring flow streams thereby deflecting them alternately outwards with.top spin and downwards and outwards under the wings with back spin to form said remotely projected vortex ring cushion.
13. 13. A vortex ring thrust cushion projector mounted in a VTOL-capable aircraft as claimed above wherein said cushion resists lateral flume dispersion through the inner projected bisected same-rotating ring back-spun stream rolling in on itself as it coalesces by against the ground thereby attracting and retaining the outer previously projected back-spun expanded concentric counter-rotating ring stream under the wing.
14. 14. A vortex ring thrust cushion projector mounted in a VIOL-capable aircraft with a flying wing airframe as claimed above wherein the outer bisected vortex ring provides enhanced wing lift whilst being held captive in the skirted negative dihedral formed by the wings the extended leading and trailing edge flaps and the ground.
15. 15. A vortex ring thrust cushion projector mounted in a VIOL-capable aircraft with a flying wing and a means of producing lift as claimed in claims 1 7 and 8 wherein said outer bisected top spun vortex ring absorbs the inner counter-rotating back spun decaying rings flume stream maintaining said cushion during intermittent and or interrupted pulsed power delivery, engine shutdown and or engine failure guaranteeing availability of said means of lift.
16. 16. A vortex ring cushion projector mounted in a VTOL-capable aircraft comprising a means of producing lift and thrust as claimed above wherein said means of producing lift and thrust vectoring is achieved by pivoting said projector assembly in said airframe in it's central manifold section.
17. 17. An aircraft as claimed in claims ito 4 wherein said flying wing has synchronised oscillating pivoting extendable leading and trailing edge flaps producing natural flow-induced tuned resonance turbulence seeding the boundary layers to reduce frictional drag enhance thrust and provide low-speed lift recovery from stall.
18. 18. A vortex ring cushion projector mounted in a VTOL-capable aircraft with a means of producing combined lift and vectored thrust as claimed above wherein said radial projector engine assembly including said core thruster and bisector cone pivots between vertical and horizontal positions with a central portion of said airframe manifold.
19. 19. A vortex ring cushion projector mounted in a VTOL-capable aircraft with a means of producing combined lift and vectored thrust as claimed above wherein the horizontal leading inlet RAM airframe manifold portion slides forward to clear the thus vectored vortex ring flume stack.
20. 20. An aircraft with a flying wing as claimed above wherein said means of combined lift and thrust generation comprises aerodynamic wings fitted with extending leading and trailing edge powered oscillating flaps operating at a low or raised alpha angles of incidence to airflow to induce artificially tuned and thrust turbulence resonance as claimed in claim above.
21. 21. A vortex ring cushion projector mounted in a VTOL-capable aircraft with a radial powered oscillating vane RAM air array as claimed above wherein vane pivots are mounted at trailing edges of said vanes.
22. 22. A vortex ring cushion projector mounted in a VTOL-capable aircraft with a radial oscillating powered vane RAM air array as claimed above wherein said vane pivots are mounted at any other point within or beyond said leading and trailing edges.