Designing high-bypass nacelle inlets

Simulation significantly reduces the time required of engineers at Goodrich to evaluate inlet performance and preliminary designs.

Engine inlet design was once a lengthy iterative process that could last months prior to finalizing a design, which would be followed by expensive inlet performance tests on the engine thrust stand and in flight. Today, engineers can design, modify, and evaluate the performance of a large array of inlet configurations by closely coupling design software.

CFD analysis has not eliminated inlet tests, but has drastically reduced their number and cost. By weeding out the least promising inlet designs by means of CFD, engineers at Goodrich's Aerostructures Group are able to focus on only the best inlet candidates and reduce the number of flight tests, avoiding potential surprises such as shocks or shock-induced separation.