How Boeing Shortens Engine Exhaust Fairings to Save Weight
A design for aircraft engine exhaust systems that allows the protective fairing behind the engine to be shorter, reducing weight and drag.
Original patent title: “Aircraft engine exhaust systems enabling reduced length aft strut fairings”
A design for aircraft engine exhaust systems that allows the protective fairing behind the engine to be shorter, reducing weight and drag. Granted to Boeing Co in 2023 with 18 claims.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a way to shorten the aft strut fairing—the aerodynamic cover that sits behind the jet engine on an aircraft wing. By precisely aligning the heat shield so it ends exactly where the engine's exhaust nozzle ends, the design eliminates the need for extra shielding further back. It uses specific pressure regions (1.3 Pbar vs 0.85-1.2 Pbar) at the nozzle outlet to create an aerodynamic barrier, preventing hot engine exhaust from flowing into the gap between the engine and the fairing. This allows the fairing to be physically shorter without risking heat damage to the aircraft structure.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover exhaust systems where the heat shield extends downstream past the nozzle trailing edge.
- Does not cover fairings that include heat shielding on the surface located downstream from the nozzle outlet.
- Does not cover engine designs that do not utilize the specific pressure differential described to prevent exhaust flow into the fairing gap.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
Instead of using more physical material to shield the fairing from heat, the design uses the engine's own exhaust pressure profile to create an invisible aerodynamic wall that keeps hot gas away from the structure.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Modern Boeing commercial aircraft engine pylon assemblies
High-bypass turbofan engine exhaust configurations
Why it matters
The bigger picture
In commercial aviation, every pound of weight reduction translates directly into fuel savings and increased payload capacity. By shortening the aft strut fairing, Boeing can reduce the overall drag and weight of the engine pylon assembly, which is critical for the efficiency of modern high-bypass turbofan engines.
Filed
September 27, 2019
Granted
November 28, 2023
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Boeing is the primary entity developing this technology. Other major aerospace manufacturers like Airbus and engine makers like GE Aerospace or Pratt & Whitney focus on similar aerodynamic and thermal management optimizations for engine integration.
Market impact
This patent represents an incremental but vital optimization in aircraft design. It contributes to the ongoing industry trend of refining engine-to-wing integration to squeeze out marginal gains in fuel efficiency and reduce the structural footprint of engine components.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a way to shorten the aft strut fairing—the aerodynamic cover that sits behind the jet engine on an aircraft wing. By precisely aligning the heat shield so it ends exactly where the engine's exhaust nozzle ends, the design eliminates the need for extra shielding further back. It uses specific pressure regions (1.3 Pbar vs 0.85-1.2 Pbar) at the nozzle outlet to create an aerodynamic barrier, preventing hot engine exhaust from flowing into the gap between the engine and the fairing. This allows the fairing to be physically shorter without risking heat damage to the aircraft structure.
The clever bit
Instead of using more physical material to shield the fairing from heat, the design uses the engine's own exhaust pressure profile to create an invisible aerodynamic wall that keeps hot gas away from the structure.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover exhaust systems where the heat shield extends downstream past the nozzle trailing edge.
- Does not cover fairings that include heat shielding on the surface located downstream from the nozzle outlet.
- Does not cover engine designs that do not utilize the specific pressure differential described to prevent exhaust flow into the fairing gap.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Moderate
Citation count
0/40
No citations yet
Claim breadth
12/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
20/20
Major company or institution
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$21K – $67K
Midpoint $42K · 13.3 yr remaining · industry ×0.9
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
18 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Cerra, D. F., & Sahay, A. (2023). How Boeing Shortens Engine Exhaust Fairings to Save Weight (U.S. Patent No. 11,827,373). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11827373/starship-tanker-variant
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Boeing Shortens Engine Exhaust Fairings to Save Weight cover?
A design for aircraft engine exhaust systems that allows the protective fairing behind the engine to be shorter, reducing weight and drag.
Who owns patent US 11827373?
Boeing Co owns this patent, granted in 2023.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on November 28, 2043, when the invention enters the public domain.
What problem does this patent solve?
In commercial aviation, every pound of weight reduction translates directly into fuel savings and increased payload capacity. By shortening the aft strut fairing, Boeing can reduce the overall drag and weight of the engine pylon assembly, which is critical for the efficiency of modern high-bypass turbofan engines.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover exhaust systems where the heat shield extends downstream past the nozzle trailing edge.
Same assignee
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