NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses. THE TECHNOLOGY: Scientists at NASA Langley Research Center have developed a system of nozzles and pylons that redistributes jet exhaust noise sources upstream to reduce jet noise has been developed. Certain aircraft configurations install the propulsion engines above the wing or tail surfaces or above the fuselage or in some cases above the structure that is a blend of the wing and body or hybrid wing body aircraft. In these aircraft configurations, reducing noise propagation to the community below is possible by using the aircraft as an acoustic shield for the sources associated with the engine. The more difficult engine noises to shield are from the jet exhaust because they are typically distributed downstream, the equivalent of several engine nozzle diameters. This innovation redistributes jet exhaust upstream to reduce noise. The objective is to acoustically shield the noise radiated by the exhaust jet to the community below. The first embodiment is to add an external pylon structure common on engine-under-the-wing installations to the nozzle which also structurally holds the engine to the airframe (as pictured in cover photo). The second embodiment adds to the configuration of the first embodiment nozzle chevrons on the fan nozzle, on the core nozzle, or both. The chevrons can be of either circumferentially uniform design or azimuthally varying design with the chevrons of greater size and flow immersion on the side of the nozzle adjacent to the pylon. The third embodiment has two pylon structures 180 degrees apart from each other, one structurally connecting the engine to the airframe (the keel position) but of a design that produces a weak acoustic pylon effect and the pylon on the opposite side from the airframe (the crown position) structure is of the design that produces a strong acoustic pylon effect. There can be several variations of this embodiment using round nozzles, circumferentially uniform chevron nozzles, or with azimuthally varying chevrons with the chevrons of greater size and flow immersion adjacent to the pylon that produces the strong acoustic effect. NASA is seeking to license this technology commercially in the United States. US Patent 8,876,043. To express interest in this opportunity, please respond to
[email protected] with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this FBO notice and your preferred contact information. Please also provide how you foresee using the technology along with a brief background of your company. Additionally, please identify any non-US interests/subsidiaries in your company as well. For more information about licensing other NASA Langley-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Langley’s Technology Gateway at https://technologygateway.nasa.gov/ These responses are provided to members of NASA Langley’s Office of Strategic Analysis and Business Development “OSACB” for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. If direct licensing interest results from this posting, OSACB will follow the required formal licensing process of posting in the Federal Register. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.