US 12,286,212 B2
Unducted propulsion system
Daniel L. Tweedt, West Chester, OH (US); and Syed Arif Khalid, West Chester, OH (US)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Evendale, OH (US)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed on Jun. 5, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/205,794.
Application 18/205,794 is a continuation of application No. 17/503,195, filed on Oct. 15, 2021, granted, now 11,753,144.
Prior Publication US 2023/0322360 A1, Oct. 12, 2023
Int. Cl. B64C 11/48 (2006.01); F01D 9/02 (2006.01)
CPC B64C 11/48 (2013.01) [F01D 9/02 (2013.01); F05D 2220/323 (2013.01); F05D 2220/325 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An unducted propulsion system comprising:
a forward blade assembly comprised of a plurality of forward blades;
an aft blade assembly comprised of a plurality of aft blades;
a forward housing having an external surface;
an aft housing;
wherein for each forward blade and each aft blade comprises a blade root proximal to an axis of rotation and a blade tip distal from the axis of rotation;
wherein a flowpath curve corresponds to an intersection of the external surface of the forward housing with a plane containing the axis of rotation and a forward-most point of a forward blade root;
wherein, for the flowpath curve, radius, r, is a first perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation;
wherein a bulge location with radius r1 on the flowpath curve is located by proceeding forward from the forward-most point on the forward blade root to a location where a first radius reaches a maximum;
wherein a local minimum with radius r2 on the flowpath curve is located by proceeding aft from the bulge location to a nearest point where a second radius stops decreasing within an axial extent of the forward blade root;
wherein ratio r1/r2>1.029;
wherein the forward blade assembly and the forward housing rotate about the axis of rotation, wherein the aft blade assembly and the aft housing are stationary, and wherein the radius r1 and the radius r2 are effective radii, each corresponding to a circle that has the same cross-sectional area as the forward housing in a plane normal to the axis of rotation; and
wherein, for the flowpath curve, an axial direction, z, is parallel to the axis of rotation;
and wherein an axial distance z1 is between the bulge location and the local minimum; and wherein

OG Complex Work Unit Math