General Electric Company

United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

The United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of the

Dudley O Nash

Thomas S Clayton

Glenn L Knight, Jr

Thomas G Wakeman

Melvin Bobo

Stephen J Szpunar

John B Taylor

Joseph Holowach

Onofre T Castells

Frederick C Herzner

Donald F Keck

James R Reigel

Joseph C Burge

Mieczyslaw Konarski

James H Bertke

Ronald E Quinn

Frederick J Stine

Robert G Beavers

Steven J Croft

Alan I Parker

James A Crowley

David A Nold

An impingement cooling arrangement which avoids thermal cycling fatigue failures in the cooled member and cooling baffle member while retaining permanent rigid attachment of the cooling baffle member and cooled members at their periphery. The baffle includes an array of stress relieving smoothly curved in cross section furrows or grooves dispersed over the baffle surface and provides for intentional heat conduction to the furrow valley portions as a stress relieving mechanism. Heat conduction to the furrow valley portions is aided by the force of pressurized impingement cooling air at the baffle surface.

Low thermal stress impingement cooling apparatus

A convergent-divergent exhaust nozzle is mounted to an exhaust duct of a jet aircraft engine by a circumferentially-spaced set of hydraulic cylinders. The cylinders are interconnected in captured flow via hydraulic circuits which allow the cylinders to function as a gimbal mounting. This mounting allows the entire nozzle to vector the exhaust without additionally loading the divergent flaps with vectored exhaust so that cool, low pressure ram air can be channeled directly to the divergent flaps for efficient cooling.

Multi-axis vectorable exhaust nozzle

A thrust reverser assembly is disclosed for a wing mounted gas turbine engine exhaust nozzle having an outlet for discharging exhaust gases over a surface of the wing. The assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment includes a deflector having forward and aft ends, and first and second sides joined together by a base. The deflector is positionable in a stowed position around the exhaust nozzle so that the aft end is aligned generally with the nozzle outlet for allowing substantially unobstructed discharge of exhaust gases therefrom, and in a deployed position for changing direction of exhaust gases for thrust reversal. A pair of bellcranks are positioned adjacent to respective ones of the deflector sides and actuators are povided for rotating the bellcranks for moving the deflector between the stowed and deployed positions. A pair of elongate tracks having rollers slidably positioned therein and being pivotally connected to the deflector are also provided for controlling the angular orienation of the deflector so that the deflector aft end is disposed against the wing surface and the base extends outwardly from the wing surface for deflecting exhaust gases upwardly and out the deflector forward end when the deflector is in the deployed position.

Overwing thrust reverser

A fluid supply and synchronizing mechanism are provided for a jet engine exhaust nozzle. The exhaust nozzle has flaps which are moved by flap mounted actuators which move with the flaps. The fluid supply includes a supply tube, a return tube and a strut for each actuator. The two tubes and strut are connected to each actuator for movement with the actuator. The strut prevents flexing of the tubes during movement. The synchronizing mechanism interconnects the flaps so that movement of any one flap is transmitted to all other flaps thereby retaining nozzle symmetry.

Reduced weight nozzle actuation mechanism

An actuation system for a gas turbine engine is provided for axially translating an annular member such as a cylindrical sleeve valve of a variable area bypass injector (VABI). In one embodiment, the actuation system comprises a crankshaft rotatably attached at an outer casing of the engine for transmitting rotational movement. A crankarm is pivotally connected between the annular member and the crankshaft for transmitting rotation of the crankshaft to helical motion of the annular member. Two linkarms are circumferentially spaced from the crankarm, and are pivotally connected between the annular member and the outer casing. The linkarms are effective for synchronizing the motion of the annular member when the crankshaft is rotated.

Gas turbine engine actuation system

A hinge for pivotably connecting upstream and downstream wall sections of an exhaust nozzle of a gas turbine engine. Each wall section includes a liner spaced from the interior surface of the wall section to define respective first and second cooling air flow passages therebetween. One of the wall sections includes a curved end portion and the hinge includes a leaf seal which extends from the other wall section and biases against the curved end portion to form an air tight seal and define, at least in part, a plenum at the hinged connection of the wall sections. The plenum provides an air flow communication path between the first and second cooling air flow passages to transfer cooling air from the air flow passage of the upstream wall section to the air flow passage of the downstream wall section to thereby increase the efficiency of cooling of each of the wall sections.

Exhaust nozzle hinge

A lightweight multifunction exhaust nozzle is designed with a specially contoured short length transition casing and a correspondingly contoured pair of convergent flaps. The change in flowpath section from circular to rectangular takes place partly within the transition casing and partly between the pair of convergent flaps such that the transition section of the exhaust nozzle is integrated with its convergent section. The convergent flaps are pivotally mounted in the exhaust nozzle so that exhaust gasses impacting the convergent flaps produce counteracting moments about a convergent flap shaft pivot axis thereby reducing the load on the convergent flap actuators.

Integral transition and convergent section exhaust nozzle

A variable area, two-dimensional nozzle for exhausting a hot stream of combustion gases from a jet engine comprising upper and lower movable exhaust flaps disposed between stationary sidewalls for defining at least a portion of the exhaust path of the nozzle, each sidewall having an inner surface and outer surface. A heat exchange baffle is disposed on the outer surface of each sidewall for heating the outer surface of the sidewall to reduce the temperature differential between the inner and outer surfaces during operation of the nozzle. Ports disposed in the sidewall are provided for directing a source of hot gas into the heat exchange baffle.

Exhaust nozzle thermal distortion control device

A coolant pressure regulating appartus having a predetermined number of coolant pressure regulating valves which rotate against a spring bias to divert coolant flow and excess pressure from the coolant air fan duct into the engine core exhaust flow. The pressure regulator valve regulates the pressure within a closed cavity suppressor to the pressure level within the core without any affect upon the upstream fan duct pressure.

Coolant pressure regulating apparatus

A heat shield assembly for use in a turbine engine frame includes inner and outer flowpath liners for shielding the inner and outer turbine frame members from hot exhaust gasses flowing through the turbine engine. The flowpath liners are supported on the turbine frame members with a support structure which allows the flowpath liners to freely expand and contract under thermally induced forces. In this manner thermal stresses are minimized. The flowpath liner support structure also provides uniform support for the flowpath liners and allows for the even and unobstructed flow of cooling air through the flowpath liners.

Heat shield for gas turbine engine frame

A low turbulence, close-coupled mounting structure for a flame holder disposed in an afterburner section of a gas turbine engine is provided. The afterburner section has a plurality of angularly spaced, radially extending fuel injection nozzles, with a fairing surrounding each nozzle to form open ended heat shields about the nozzles. A flame holder having a first cross-sectional configuration is disposed in recessed portions formed in the fairings surrounding the nozzles. The cross-sectional configuration of the recessed portions is configured to substantially conform to a portion of the cross-section of the flame holder such that the flame holder is recessed into the fairings when mounted thereon, thus eliminating outward projections at the connection of the flame holder and fairings. The flame holders are secured in the recessed portions by pins extending through aligned apertures in the skirts of the flame holder.

Low turbulence flame holder mount

A band clamp apparatus having two 180.degree. segments which are bolted together at flanges on the horizontal centerline. A substantial portion of each segment has a scalloped band contour for weight reduction. An internal groove in the band clamp which has parallel facing walls which engage the mated flanges of the casings of the engine/exhaust system. Local radial restraints are provided on the engine/exhaust system casings to achieve radial constraint and circumferential positioning of the band clamp apparatus.

Band clamp apparatus

A flexural joint for connecting opposing ends of first and second annular ducts. The joint includes a lip which extends outwardly from the first duct and a flange member which extends outwardly from the second duct. The flange member contains a recess which is adapted to engage the lip.

Flexible duct joint utilizing lip in recess in a flange

An exhaust nozzle flap capable of resisting high exhaust temperatures of turbojet engines is disclosed. The flap is composed of a two-part structure of high strength metal, in a support member, combined with a heat resistant base member made from a ceramic or carbon-carbon material. The different materials in the base and support members, having substantially different rates of thermal expansion, are not bolted or riveted together, but attached in a unique manner to allow relative movement therebetween.

Dual material exhaust nozzle flap

Means for reducing gas flow in the space between first and second relatively moveable members. The means include a support bracket which is attached to the first member and a seal plate which is hinged to the support bracket. One end of the seal plate is in slideable contact with the second member. The means also includes a flexible membrane which is fixedly attached to the support bracket of the seal plate to prevent leakage of gas through the hinge.

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Dudley O Nash