Patents by Inventor Bradley C. Leland

Bradley C. Leland has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8484976
    Abstract: A fluidic effector provides enhanced plume mixing for an aircraft engine. Air jet injectors are located on both the external and internal cowl surfaces and angled in opposite directions to induce large scale vortices in the exhaust plume. The vortices mix actuation air with the exhaust plume to produce ejector action. The plume mixes out quickly, thereby lowering jet noise and jet exhaust temperature. The injectors have orientations and injection rates that are adjustable to allow variable mixing rates for use at different flight and engine conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Bradley C. Leland, David M. Wells
  • Patent number: 8297058
    Abstract: A diverterless hypersonic inlet (DHI) for a high speed, air-breathing propulsion system reduces the ingested boundary layer flow, drag, and weight, and maintains a high capture area for hypersonic applications. The design enables high vehicle fineness ratios, low-observable features, and enhances ramjet operability limits. The DHI is optimized for a particular design flight Mach number. A forebody segment generates and focuses a system of multiple upstream shock waves at desired strengths and angles to facilitate required inlet and engine airflow conditions. The forebody contour diverts boundary layer flow to the inlet sides, effectively reducing the thickness of the boundary layer that is ingested by the inlet, while maintaining the capture area required by the hypersonic propulsion system. The cowl assembly is shaped to integrate with the forebody shock system and the thinned boundary layer region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Bradley C. Leland, John D. Klinge, Brian F. Lundy
  • Patent number: 7690595
    Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus for throat corner scoop offtake for mixed compression inlets for high speed aircraft engine applications is disclosed. The throat corner scoops are small air intakes located inside the large mixed compression inlet. They are positioned in a region otherwise prone to generate low pressure airflow. The throat corner scoops capture and remove the low pressure airflow from the bulk stream that is passed on to the engine. This location also provides inlet stability enhancement, and the airflow is used on the auxiliary systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Bradley C. Leland, Brian F. Lundy, John D. Klinge
  • Publication number: 20100051756
    Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus for throat corner scoop offtake for mixed compression inlets for high speed aircraft engine applications is disclosed. The throat corner scoops are small air intakes located inside the large mixed compression inlet. They are positioned in a region otherwise prone to generate low pressure airflow. The throat corner scoops capture and remove the low pressure airflow from the bulk stream that is passed on to the engine. This location also provides inlet stability enhancement, and the airflow is used on the auxiliary systems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2006
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Inventors: Bradley C. Leland, Brian F. Lundy, John D. Klinge
  • Publication number: 20090314885
    Abstract: A fluidic effector provides enhanced plume mixing for an aircraft engine. Air jet injectors are located on both the external and internal cowl surfaces and angled in opposite directions to induce large scale vortices in the exhaust plume. The vortices mix actuation air with the exhaust plume to produce ejector action. The plume mixes out quickly, thereby lowering jet noise and jet exhaust temperature. The injectors have orientations and injection rates that are adjustable to allow variable mixing rates for use at different flight and engine conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2008
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Applicant: LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bradley C. Leland, David M. Wells
  • Patent number: 7568347
    Abstract: A diverterless hypersonic inlet (DHI) for a high speed, air-breathing propulsion system reduces the ingested boundary layer flow, drag, and weight, and maintains a high capture area for hypersonic applications. The design enables high vehicle fineness ratios, low-observable features, and enhances ramjet operability limits. The DHI is optimized for a particular design flight Mach number. A forebody segment generates and focuses a system of multiple upstream shock waves at desired strengths and angles to facilitate required inlet and engine airflow conditions. The forebody contour diverts boundary layer flow to the inlet sides, effectively reducing the thickness of the boundary layer that is ingested by the inlet, while maintaining the capture area required by the hypersonic propulsion system. The cowl assembly is shaped to integrate with the forebody shock system and the thinned boundary layer region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Bradley C. Leland, John D. Klinge, Brian F. Lundy
  • Publication number: 20090094987
    Abstract: A diverterless hypersonic inlet (DHI) for a high speed, air-breathing propulsion system reduces the ingested boundary layer flow, drag, and weight, and maintains a high capture area for hypersonic applications. The design enables high vehicle fineness ratios, low-observable features, and enhances ramjet operability limits. The DHI is optimized for a particular design flight Mach number. A forebody segment generates and focuses a system of multiple upstream shock waves at desired strengths and angles to facilitate required inlet and engine airflow conditions. The forebody contour diverts boundary layer flow to the inlet sides, effectively reducing the thickness of the boundary layer that is ingested by the inlet, while maintaining the capture area required by the hypersonic propulsion system. The cowl assembly is shaped to integrate with the forebody shock system and the thinned boundary layer region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2008
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Applicant: LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bradley C. Leland, John D. Klinge, Brian F. Lundy
  • Patent number: 7207520
    Abstract: An advanced aperture inlet (AAI) uses a three-dimensional, mixed compression inlet design derived from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) by streamline tracing a supersonic section from an axisymmetric mixed compression inlet solution. The axisymmetric design is used to obtain a CFD solution with slip wall boundaries at the inlet design point and serves as a flow field generator for the AAI. The AAI geometry is obtained by projecting a desired aperture shape onto a surface model of the external oblique shock. Streamline seeds are located on the projected aperture segments and transferred into the CFD solution space. The streamlines generated by these seeds inside the CFD solution space are then used as a wireframe to define the supersonic diffuser back to the throat location. Traditional design techniques are then used to define the subsonic diffuser from the inlet throat to the engine face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Brian F. Lundy, John D. Klinge, Bradley C. Leland