AFT ENGINE NACELLE SHAPE FOR AN AIRCRAFT

摘要

An aircraft (10) including a fuselage (20) and an aft engine (200) is provided. The fuselage (20) extends from a forward end (14) of the aircraft (10) towards an aft end (16) of the aircraft (10). The aft engine (200) is mounted to the fuselage (20) proximate the aft end (16) of the aircraft (10) and includes a fan (222) and a nacelle (224). The fan (222) is rotatable about a central axis (220) of the aft engine (200) and includes a plurality of fan blades (228). The nacelle (224) of the aft engine (200) surrounds the plurality of fan blades (228) and defines a bottom portion (248) having a forward end (14). Additionally, the nacelle (224) defines a curved surface at the forward end (14) of the bottom portion (248), the curved surface including a reference point where the curved surface defines the smallest radius of curvature (266). The nacelle (224) further defines a normal reference line (268) extending normal from the reference point. The normal reference line (268) defines an angle with the central axis (220) of the aft engine (200) greater than zero to, e.g., allow for a maximum amount of airflow into the aft engine (200).