Four-stroke internal combustion engine comprising N groups of two or three cylinders the exhaust phases of which do not interfere with one another, the exhaust ports (6) of which are linked together by an individual exhaust manifold (3) which communicates with a common inlet manifold (2) and is linked to one of the N inlets (19) of a shutter (14) the single outlet of which is connected to the inlet of a turbine (5), common to the N groups and which is controlled in such a way as to open an exclusive communication between the turbine (5) and each exhaust manifold (3) at least for the duration of the puffs of exhaust gases emitted by one of the cylinders that it is emptying.

Supercharged internal combustion engine

An inner and/or outer cylindrical wall limiting the working fluid flow path of an axial compressor radially has an ondulating contour. At the intersection with the leading edge of an airfoil the wall shows a convex contour (54) followed by a concave contour (58) in the region of the airfoils maximum thickness while at the intersection with the trailing edge of the airfoil the contour (56) is convex again. The airfoil can either be a rotor blade or a stator vane.

Flow directing assembly for the compression section of a rotary machine

A swept turbomachinery blade for use in a cascade of such blades is disclosed. The blade ( 12 ) has an airfoil ( 22 ) uniquely swept so that an endwall shock ( 64 ) of limited radial extent and a passage shock ( 66 ) are coincident and a working medium ( 48 ) flowing through interblade passages ( 50 ) is subjected to a single coincident shock rather than the individual shocks. In one embodiment of the invention the forwardmost extremity of the airfoil defines an inner transition point ( 40 ) located at an inner transition radius r t -inner. The sweep angle of the airfoil is nondecreasing with increasing radius from the inner transition radius to an outer transition radius r t-outer , radially inward of the airfoil tip ( 26 ), and is nonincreasing with increasing radius between the outer transition radius and the airfoil tip.

Swept turbomachinery blade

A V/STOL aircraft comprises a fuselage having tandem wings which are offset lengthwise and vertically. Identical propulsion units are provided in each wing half. Each power unit comprises a pair of gas generators mounted respectively above and below the wing half and a pair of lift fans mounted within the wing structure on opposite sides of the engines. A valve system diverts the hot gas stream of the engines into a plenum chamber formed integrally with the wing structure. The hot gas streams are then directed from the plenum chamber to a tip turbine which powers the lift fans when vertical thrust is desired in operation of the aircraft. When forward speed of the aircraft is great enough for the aircraft wings to have sufficient lift, the hot gas streams are directed through propulsive nozzles providing a forward thrust component. In cruise, one engine of each power unit could be shut down. Each engine and each lift fan has emergency capacity which is automatically brought into play in the event of a failure of a lift fan or engine, with proper adjustments being made to the other power units to maintain balance and controlled operation of the aircraft in the lift mode.

V/stol aircraft

Gas turbine power plants

Reversible flow fan

In the fan portion of a turbofan engine, rotor blades comprise a primary cambered airfoil and an auxiliary airfoil. Where air flow exceeds a sonic velocity relative to the blades, the throat section between adjacent blades positions the normal air shock wave on the auxiliary airfoil. Each auxiliary airfoil forms a nozzle in combination with the pressure surface of its adjacent primary airfoil. This minimizes energy losses normally associated with such normal shock waves riding on the suction surfaces of cambered airfoils in regions of relatively thick boundary layer air. Lateral struts projecting from the primary airfoil, and used to position the auxiliary airfoil, create oblique shock waves which weaken the normal shock wave and minimize energy losses associated with a normal shock wave''s effect of distributing boundary layer air on an airfoil surface. These features are also effective in reducing the generation of noise.

John R Erwin

Papers

Reversible flow fan

Compressor for handling gases at velocities exceeding a sonic value

Radial outflow turboshaft engine

Radial flow turbine

Thrust deflector and reverser