AIRCRAFT AIR SCOOP SYSTEMS WITH PASSIVE PNEUMATIC ACTUATORS

摘要

Aircraft (100) and air scoop systems (118) are provided. An aircraft (100) includes an interior compartment (110), an outer skin (108), an air scoop (120), a movable element (122), and a passive pneumatic actuator (124). The interior compartment (110) encloses a substantially constant interior air mass at a cabin pressure during flight and the outer skin (108) at least partially defines a ventilated cavity. The air scoop (120) is disposed on the outer skin (108) and communicates air between the ventilated cavity and an external environment in which the aircraft is located. The movable element (122) is movable between an open position and a closed position over the air scoop (120) to define an air flow area through the air scoop (120). The passive pneumatic actuator (124) is operatively coupled with the movable element and moves the movable element towards the closed position in response to an increasing altitude of the aircraft (100) based on a differential pressure between the interior air mass and the external environment.