Research on flexible skin technique for adaptive bump inlet structure

Abstract

Purpose

Adaptive bump inlet can adaptively change the shape of inlet bump surface according to the flight speed of aircraft, ensuring that the inlet has good inlet-engine match performance in a wide speed range. This paper aims to use a composite flexible skin reinforced by shape memory alloy (SMA) fiber as the deformable structure at bump surface to realize the adjustable bump surface of adaptive bump inlet.

Design/methodology/approach

According to the deformation and load-bearing requirements of adaptive bump, SMA is applied to the design of adaptive bump inlet due to its characteristic of super-elasticity. A kind of SMA fiber is studied. A composite flexible skin reinforced by SMA is proposed, and its mechanical properties are analyzed. On this basis, an adaptive bump inlet is designed in which the composite flexible skin reinforced by SMA is used as bump surface, and the shape of the bump surface is adjusted by way of pressuring. The design scheme and specific parameters of the adaptive bump are given.

Findings

An adaptive bump surface that meets the design requirements of the inlet is designed, which can effectively adjust the inlet throat area with a throat area change rate of 20%.

Originality/value

An adaptive bump inlet with composite flexible skin as a deformable structure at bump surface is designed, and SMA is applied as the reinforcing fiber.

Citation

Zhao, C., Zhou, L. and Qiu, T. (2022), "Research on flexible skin technique for adaptive bump inlet structure", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 94 No. 6, pp. 981-993. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEAT-09-2021-0270