How about rather than damage avoidance we go for mitigation? A pre-engine blade system who's only goal is to powderize or gooify anything organic that enters the engine prior to it reaching the sensitive bits.
A jet engine can suck in a person and turn them into jelly in a fraction of a second at idle, don't think your airbag will survive. The amount of energy in a bird traveling at 200 mph is quite high, which is how it damages the engines.OK, after researching the topic a bit, I think I can make someone here very, very rich with a patent (share some of that money with me and don't be a scrooge, ok??).
So what we need is a high resolution camera that can detect the presence of a medium to large sized bird in front of the engine in a matter of milliseconds. Upon detection, a massive airbag is deployed that is too big to enter the engine. At the same time the engine will automatically shut off. When there is no suction left due to the completely shut down engine, the airbag will naturally fall down, at which point the pilot can restart the engine. The airbag on its way down, upon reaching a certain drop velocity can then deflate through the automatic activation of a self puncture mechanism.
Yes, this all sounds very expensive. But it could be cheaper than losing an engine and replacing it, or the entire aircraft, not to mention loss of life.
One that would very much screw up the aerodynamics going into the engine. Second, there is a lot energy in a medium or large size bird at 200 mph. The fan blades of a GE90-115B weigh about 35 pounds each, at take off power the centripetal force trying to pull them outward is over 80,000 pounds. This is what is being damaged by birds. Your bird grinder would have to be pretty stout.How about rather than damage avoidance we go for mitigation? A pre-engine blade system who's only goal is to powderize or gooify anything organic that enters the engine prior to it reaching the sensitive bits.
Hey now, I won't be satisfied until they can soak a henchman without damage. Until they can eat Crow, I guess you could say.the engineering on those engines is fantastic. They eat hail and snow and copious amounts of tropical storm rain, without failure. to think that some keyboard warrior is going to patch it all up with his dimbulb idea is quite funny.
Some kind of conical screen or grate over the intake would probably have the best chance of working. Something that could deflect objects around the outside of the engine, while still allowing enough air flow through.Elon could design the best airplane engine grate, with AI. No doubt.
come on you collective fucking morons!!Some kind of conical screen or grate over the intake
Yeah no one has every thought about bird strikes or FOD until you brainiancs started to.Some kind of conical screen or grate over the intake would probably have the best chance of working. Something that could deflect objects around the outside of the engine, while still allowing enough air flow through.
If Musk was involved, just think of all the potential for punny twitter jokes. ("The gratest thing to happen to aviation!" etc.)
Flying drone sharks with freaking laser beams is clearly the only answer.Lasers, people. just have lasers built into the rotor cone and obliterate anything in front of the engine.
That doesn't work too well. They just slice up the jet with their thrashing their head.Flying drone sharks with freaking laser beams is clearly the only answer.
Some of us are having a laughI knew that any words I typed in this thread would be useless and wasted. But I appreciate some of the laughs…
I'm sure someone somewhere could scare up the video of the 25 pound frozen turkeys they shoot through the intakes of these engines during tests if you're that interested.
come on you collective fucking morons!!
" gee I wonder why they did not do this"? blink blink......
perhaps because it won't work, they thought of it !75! years ago, right before you were born and nope.
Yeah, I've got to admit in retrospect that my post was pretty stupid and embarrassing. It should be common sense that if that idea was workable, it would have been incorporated into the standard designs decades ago. Not sure why I was so tone-deaf to that.Yeah no one has every thought about bird strikes or FOD until you brainiancs started to.
I mean they do blade-out containment testing by exploding a blade during engine operationI knew that any words I typed in this thread would be useless and wasted. But I appreciate some of the laughs…
I'm sure someone somewhere could scare up the video of the 25 pound frozen turkeys they shoot through the intakes of these engines during tests if you're that interested.
My uncle worked for pratt and whitney his whole career and they used air cannons and store bought turkeys to launch into running engines to simulate bird strikes. One time someone forgot to thaw the turkey 🤣I mean this is a very well known problem that engine and aircraft manufacturers have attempted to mitigate for a long time now (all engines must be designed to withstand at least one bird strike). I strongly suspect if the answer were as simple as a grate it would have been done a long time ago.
Pretty sure it’s supposed to be frozen.My uncle worked for pratt and whitney his whole career and they used air cannons and store bought turkeys to launch into running engines to simulate bird strikes. One time someone forgot to thaw the turkey 🤣
Not the way he described it but maybe they've changed protocol.Pretty sure it’s supposed to be frozen.
The turkeys aren't frozen!I knew that any words I typed in this thread would be useless and wasted. But I appreciate some of the laughs…
I'm sure someone somewhere could scare up the video of the 25 pound frozen turkeys they shoot through the intakes of these engines during tests if you're that interested.