United Technologies Corporation

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

Fred L Honeycutt, Jr

William B Watkins

Howard J McLean

Robert G Carroll

Erik A Lindstrom

Robert G Middleton

Donald R Senterfitt

Donald R Connell

Myron C Starr

Ronald L Robinson

A catalyst bed assembly, comprising: an outer housing having an open interior, an inlet leading to the open interior, and an outlet from the open interior; a catalyst bed in the open interior; and a gap between the outer housing and the catalyst bed. The open interior receives material from the inlet. A portion of the material enters the catalyst bed to expose said material to a catalyst so that the material and the catalyst react and create heat within the catalyst bed assembly. A remainder of the material enters the gap between the outer housing and the catalyst bed to cool the catalyst bed assembly. The catalyst bed assembly could be part of a turbopump assembly. The turbopump assembly would further include a nozzle downstream of the outlet; a turbine downstream of the nozzle; and a pump driven by said turbine.

Catalyst bed

An exhaust nozzle of the type utilized with high performance supersonic aircraft is disclosed. The exhaust nozzle is variable between convergent and convergent/divergent geometries, as well as in aperture size. A bearing guiding segments of the nozzle is held within a roller track by an integral hold-down bracket.

Convergent flap bearing with integral hold-down device

The cooling air for the nozzle of an augmentor of a gas turbine engine is maintained uniformly around the circumference to assure the prevention of hot streaks that would be occasioned by the liner 'sagging'. A separate end piece having judiciously located gaps for directing air over the nozzles, flaps and seals attached to the end of the augmentor duct maintains concentricity during augmentor operation, and affords support to the liner of the duct.

Augmentor liner construction

A flap for a jet engine flap-type nozzle is constructed of a plurality of sheet metal louver elements along the length of the flap, each louver element has a forward U-section having a forward flange and a rearward flange with an interconnecting bottom portion, a plate member extends rearwardly from the end of the rearward flange at the open end of the U-section, the plate member extending over the U-section of its adjacent louver element, the plurality of louver elements being connected together by welding the forward flange to the mating rearward flange, a beam plate extending axially along the U-sections and being fixed thereto, the plate members of adjacent louvers being free to move relative to each other; a stiffener is fixed to the sides of the flap formed by the ends of the plate members, permitting the free movement.

Louvered seal flap edge stiffener

A flap for a jet engine flap-type nozzle is constructed of a plurality of sheet metal louver elements along the length of the flap, each louver element has a forward U-section having a forward flange and a rearward flange with an interconnecting bottom portion, a plate member extends rearwardly from the end of the rearward flange at the open end of the U-section, said plate member extending over the U-section of its adjacent louver element, said plurality of louver elements being connected together by welding the forward flange to the mating rearward flange, a beam plate extending axially along said U-sections and being fixed thereto, said plate members of adjacent louvers being free to move relative to each other.

Louvered seal flap for flap-type nozzle

A finger seal assembly for use between a stationary member and a movable member is formed of two overlapping metallic members having a solid portion at one end and having fingers at the other end, a layer of high temperature resistant cloth being positioned between said overlapping metallic members; said fingers of one metallic member being bent over the fingers of the other metallic member to hold said fingers together, and said solid portions of said metallic members being welded together, trapping said high temperature resistant cloth between said metallic members. High pressure acts on the inner metallic member to compress the high temperature resistant cloth.

Finger seal assembly

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a stage of turbine exhaust exit guide vanes is supported at their outer ends by attachment to the outer turbine exhaust case in a manner permitting upstream and downstream rocking of the vanes, while the inner vane ends engage the upstream end of a sheet metal fairing which defines the radially inner surface of the exhaust gas flow path. The fairing is cantilever supported at its downstream end and is spaced radially outwardly from the inner turbine exhaust case. The inner vane ends are free to move radially relative to the fairing which provides only axial support therefor. Hollow struts disposed immediately downstream of the guide vanes extend between the inner and outer exhaust cases and pass through openings in the fairing which is preferably corrugated in the axial direction to reduce vibration.

Turbine exhaust case design

A flap and seal assembly for an exhaust nozzle having a flap liner and seal liner which are in slidable engagement with one another. The seal liner has a facesheet, grid sheet and corrugated supporting sheet while the flap liner has a facesheet and an inner support sheet. The specific inter-relationship between the various elements of the flap and seal liner provides improved support, hot gas aspiration as well as vibratory damping which thereby allows for the use of thinner materials in the construction of the liner assembly.

Durability flap and seal liner assembly for exhaust nozzles

A method for adding a residual compressive stress to the rim of a turbine disk by heating the disk to a uniform high temperature, then insulating the rim from the remainder of the disk and cooling to a temperature wherein the rim yields in tension.

Growing community of inventors

Lake Park, FL, United States of America

Fred L Honeycutt, Jr