Patent ID: 9353704
Filing Date: 2016-05-31
CPC Classification: B64D,F02C,F02K,F05D,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. An air inlet arrangement for use with a supersonic jet engine configured to consume air at a predetermined mass flow rate when the supersonic jet engine is operating at a predetermined power setting and moving at a predetermined Mach speed, the air inlet arrangement comprising: a cowl having a cowl lip; and a center body coaxially aligned with the cowl, the center body having an apex, a first compression surface downstream of the apex, and a second compression surface downstream of the first compression surface, the second compression surface being spaced apart from the cowl lip such that the second compression surface and the cowl lip define an inlet, wherein a protruding portion of the center body extends upstream of the cowl lip and wherein the protruding portion of the center body is configured to displace a portion of a column of air disposed upstream of the center body and longitudinally aligned therewith, the column of air having a periphery defined by a leading edge of the cowl, the portion of the column of air being displaced out of the path of the inlet by the protruding portion of the center body such that a remaining sub-portion of the column of air at an upstream boundary of a terminal shock of the inlet is not greater than an amount of air that can be consumed by the supersonic jet engine when the supersonic jet engine consumes air at the predetermined mass flow rate while the supersonic jet engine is operating at the predetermined power setting and moving at the predetermined Mach speed.