General Electric Company
System for reducing thermal stresses in a leading edge of a high speed vehicle

Abstract:

A hypersonic aircraft includes one or more leading edge assemblies that are designed to manage thermal loads experienced at the leading edges during high speed or hypersonic operation. The leading edge assembly includes a plurality of structural layers and a plurality compliant layers alternately stacked with each other to facilitate thermal expansion and movement between the plurality of structural layers, while also providing a thermal break between the plurality of structural layers.