Textured leading edge for aerospace and nautical structures

摘要

A surface area of a structure is fabricated with a textured surface that reduces the surface wear rate or erosion caused by a high speed flow of fluid containing abrasive particles over the surface area. More particularly, a leading edge surface such as a rotor leading edge surface, an aircraft airfoil leading edge surface, a propeller leading edge surface, etc. is fabricated with a textured surface comprised of a plurality of grooves that alter or break up a high speed flow of fluid containing abrasive particles over the textured surface. The grooves are contacted by the high speed flow of fluid containing the abrasive particles and alter or break up the flow of fluid and abrasive particles and thereby reduce surface wear rate or erosion of the structure leading edge.

主权项

1. A structure that moves at high speed through a fluid, the structure comprising:
a first surface area on the structure, the first surface area being positioned on the structure to be a first surface on the structure to move at high speed through a fluid with a flow direction of the fluid passing over the first surface area before any other surface of the structure during operation of the structure; and, a plurality of grooves recessed into the first surface area, each groove of the plurality of grooves having a same configuration with a length dimension between a first end edge and an opposite second end edge of the groove and with a width dimension between a first side edge and an opposite second side edge of the groove, the plurality of grooves being arranged end to end and side by side with the length dimensions of the plurality of grooves aligned with the flow direction of the fluid passing over the first surface area and with first end edges of some immediately adjacent side by side grooves being spaced in the flow direction from each other and with second end edges of the immediately adjacent side by side grooves being spaced in the flow direction from each other, the plurality of grooves being positioned in the first surface area where with the first surface area moving at high speed through the fluid the grooves alter the flow direction of the fluid contacting the grooves and contacting the first surface area and thereby reduce erosion of the first surface area by the fluid.