RuAviation

Specialists of the Voronezh Joint Stock Aircraft Building Company (VASO) have manufactured an experimental, fully composite air intake for the PD-14 aircraft engine. The work was performed under the order of the Perm enterprise ODK-Aviaadvigatel within the framework of creation of scientific and technical reserve for the engine of high power PD-35. This was reported in the press service of the United Engine Corporation.

“Preparation of production and manufacturing of air intake of nacelle of PD-14 engine with natural laminar flow were performed by order of our Perm partners to create a scientific and technical backlog for PD-35. Traditionally, the design of the nacelle air intake includes an aluminum heated sock, but at its junction the air flow is disrupted and creates aerodynamic resistance, which increases fuel consumption. The new development is designed to drastically reduce this effect by changing the design and technological scheme,” said Dmitry Mitin, head of the PD-14 and PD-8 program at VASO.

The flow of liquid or gas, in which the trajectories of medium particles are practically parallel to the direction of the main flow, is called laminar. The maximum smooth surface of the airframe units ensures the creation of laminar flow, which prevents the air from vortexing and increasing aerodynamic drag. According to specialists of ODK-Aviaadvigatel and TsAGI, the laminar flow of the surface of the composite fairing structure will reduce the loss of effective engine thrust in the airframe to one percent.

The realization of the design solution required VASO specialists to propose to the developers of the nacelle fairing to make original changes in the working drawings. Complex tooling was manufactured and a method was thought out to achieve uniform heating in the autoclave of a large-sized unit laid out on prepreg tooling. In just one month, VASO technologists and production workers realized many other ideas and improvements.

The PD-14 engine with a prototype air intake will be installed on the IL-76 flying laboratory for a cycle of tests and measurements. Based on their results, it will be possible to assess the real effect of natural laminar flow.