On Runway Foreign Object Ingestion With A Variable Pitch Fan In Reverse Thrust Mode

The characterisation and quantification of runway foreign object ingestion (FOI) at the end of the landing run with a variable pitch fan (VPF) in reverse thrust mode are described in this work. This is achieved by developing a novel, fully coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics - Discrete Phase Model (CFD-DPM) methodology that allows the tracking of individual debris, which is placed on the runway. The flow field solutions are computed by the three-dimensional (3D) Reynolds-averaged Navier?Stokes (RANS) equations and the particulate phase is tracked in a Lagrangian way. A modern 300-seater aircraft is considered that features a high bypass ratio geared turbofan engine architecture on a conventional twin-engine airframe in landing configuration that rolls on the runway at low speeds and a typical high engine power mode. The aerodynamic reverse thrust flow field at such low aircraft speeds is characterised by the development of a "horseshoe" vortex formed in front of the engine that significantly affects the debris trajectories. Based on this, two FOI mechanisms are identified and discussed in detail in the paper. The effect of key debris properties on FOI percentage, such as size, material density and shape, are investigated and reported. Non-linear, non-intuitive trends are obtained due to the two-way interaction of flow features and particles.