Rolls-Royce Corporation

Gary F Szuminski

Douglas J Nightingale

Thomas J Jones

Robert F Tape

Benjamin D Ward

Charles R Pearson

An aircraft has two vectorable front nozzles each mounted in a bearing located within the fuselage near an adjacent wing. Each nozzle is rotatable from a first position in which exhaust air is directed downwards to a second position in which the exhaust air is directed rearwards. In the first position the nozzle resides within a cavity formed in the wing root to reduce nozzle drag when the aircraft is propelled by its rear nozzle only. The front nozzles rotate out of their respective cavities to the second position when they are used for forward thrust. Additionally, the cavity is extended to form a passage through which secondary air entrained by exhaust from the front nozzle operating in the first position adds to the vertical thrust and reduces suck down effects.

Aircraft with stowable vectorable nozzle and ejector thrust augmentation

A propulsion nozzle of a gas turbine engine comprising two mutually confronting spaced fixed side walls 14, 16 and two upper and lower mutually confronting spaced movable walls 20, 22 which locate and move in trackways 18 in the side walls. The movable walls 20, 22 each comprise a plurality of pivotally interconnected members which extend transverse to the fixed walls to define a convergent part and throat of the nozzle. A flap 28 is pivotally connected at its upstream end to a downstream end of one of the movable walls 20(b) and is operable, in at least one mode of operation, to cooperate with the fixed walls to define a divergent expansion ramp downstream of the throat of nozzle. In a first mode of operation, the movable walls 20, 22 can be moved along the trackway 18 to cause the members to define a con-di nozzle facing rearwards to produce forward thrust. In a second mode of operation, the members define a convergent nozzle facing in a direction which is angled relative to a direction facing rearwards thereby to vector the direction of thrust.

Propulsion nozzle for gas turbine engine

One major problem associated with the design of high-speed vertical take-off or landing aircraft is the requirement to have the front vectorable nozzles of the aircraft deployed in the airstream which passes over the fuselage of the aircraft when they are in use. The nozzles tend to act as air brakes and thus seriously effect the forward speed and flight characteristics of the aircraft. This invention attempts to solve this problem by providing a vectorable nozzle which is rotatable about one axis between a first position in which it is stowed inside a cavity within the aircraft fuselage when not required, and a second position in which it is deployed into the airstream when required.

Vectorable nozzles for aircraft

An ejector nozzle comprising an axially translatable member on which is mounted an axisymmetric array of first flaps 36 and hinged seal plates 39 which serve to define a variable area convergent nozzle. The first flaps have cam followers 38 that co-operate with cams 35 to determine the attitude of the first flaps 36. A plurality of second flaps 40 and second seal plates 43 are mounted on the first flaps. The upstream end of the second flaps 40 are spaced from the downstream ends of the first flaps 36 to form an air inlet. An axisymmetric array of third flaps 50 surround the first and second flaps 36,40. The third flaps 50 are pivotally connected at their downstream ends to the downstream ends of the second flaps 40, and are connected at their upstream ends to fixed structure 32,45,47 by pivotal links 49. A fixed ring 46 carrying rollers 51 surrounds the second flaps 40 at a region intermediate their upstream and downstream ends. The rollers 51 provide a fulcrum about which the second flaps 40 rock. Axial movement of the member 28 causes the first second and third flaps 36,40,50 to take up different positions and open up an air inlet that allows ambient air to mix with the hot gases flowing through the nozzle.

Turbomachine ejector nozzle

An exhaust nozzle for a gas turbine engine comprising a duct 17(c) extending along an axis and having at a dowstream end thereof a mechanism for varying the geometry and area of the nozzle. The mechanism 28 comprises an axially translatable member 28 which has a face 29 extending in a direction transverse to the axis of the duct 17(c) against which pressurized gases flowing through the duct acts to balance out the loads on the flaps. A plurality of flaps 38,43 are spaced circumferentially around the axis of the duct. The flaps 38 are pivotally attached to the axially translatable member 28 and are provided with a cam follower 40 that co-operates with a cam 37. The cams 37 are fixed relative to the duct 17(c) and thereby defines the attitude of each flap 38 relative to the member 28. Seal plates 41 and 45 cover the gaps between adjacent flaps 38 and 43 to the seal plates 45. A plurality of struts interconnect the member 28 and the second flaps of the pivotal attachment of the flaps 43 to the flap 38. A set of flaps 47 are provided to provide fairing between the downstream ends of the member 28 and the flaps 43. In operation axial movement of the member 28 moves the flaps 38 and 43 to different positions.

Variable geometry nozzles for turbomachines

A vectorable nozzle 17 comprising a fixed first duct 21 a rotatable second duct 22 scarfed at its rear end and a rotatable third duct 23 scarfed at its front end. The second and third ducts 22,23 are mounted in bearings 24,26 respectively and the bearing 26 is constrained to swing bodily about trunnions 29, the axis of which lies transverse to the ducts 22,23, and a screw jack 32 is provided to rotate the bearing 26 about the trunnions 29. The second and third ducts 22,23 are provided with means to rotate them in opposite directions in synchronism with the rotation of the bearing 26 in the trunnion 29. The nozzle is provided with external fairings 46,47 to provide aerodynamic streamlining when the nozzle 17 is directed rearwards. The fairings are constrained against axial and radial displacement by rollers 48 and grooves 50 at one of their ends. The fairings 46,47 are connected to their respective ducts 22,23 by members 51 so that the fairings rotate with the ducts 22,23.

Streamlined nozzle for turbomachines

An exhaust nozzle for a gas turbine engine comprising a duct 17(c) and a mechanism for varying the geometry and area of the nozzle. The mechanism includes a plurality of movable flaps 38 which in at least one position define a convergent part of the nozzle. Upstream of the flaps 38 there is provided one or more outwardly directed openings 59 in the wall of the duct 17(c) and a pair of mutually confronting doors 61 which rotate about an axis transverse to the length of the duct. The doors 61 are located relative to the duct 17(c), the openings 59 and the flaps 38, so that in a first position, the doors 61 obturate the one or more openings 59 and provide a substantially unrestricted flow path through the nozzle. The doors are movable to a thrust reverse position where they uncover the said openings 59 and cooperate with the flaps 38, when the flaps 38 are in a convergent position, so that the flaps 38, together with the doors 61 provide deflecting surfaces that redirect the flow of gases out through the said openings.

Turbo machine nozzle with thrust reverser

A vectorable nozzle 17 comprising a fixed first duct 21 a rotatable second duct 22 scarfed at its rear end and a rotatable third duct 23 scarfed at its front end. The second and third ducts 22,23 are mounted in bearings 24,26 respectively and the bearing 26 is constrained to swing bodily about trunnions 29, the axis of which lies transverse to the ducts 22,23, and a screw jack 32 is provided to rotate the bearing 26 about the trunnions 29. The second and third ducts 22,23 are provided with means to rotate them in opposite directions in syncronism with the rotation of the bearing 26 in the trunnion 29.

Vectorable nozzles for turbomachines

An exhaust nozzle for a gas turbine aero-engine comprising a duct 17(c), a plurality of movable flaps 38,43 for varying the geometry of the nozzle, one or more forwardly and outwardly directed openings 59 located upstream of the flaps 38,43 and a pair of mutually confronting doors 61 each of which is mounted for rotation about an axis extending transverse to the length of the duct 17(c). The doors 61 are located relative to the duct 17(c) and the openings 59 so that, in a first position, they obturate the openings 59 and mutually confronting surfaces 67 of the doors define therebetween part of the gas flow path through the nozzle, and the doors 61 are movable to a second position, upstream of the first position, where they uncover the openings 59, define, at their upstream ends 68, a reduced area throat for the gas flow path through the nozzle. In the second position the doors 61 also define a divergent part of the gas flow path immediately downstream of the said throat. The reduced pressure downstream of the throat induces ambient air through the openings 59 into the gas flow path through the nozzle. Means 28,35,36 are provided for moving the flaps 38,43 to accommodate the increased gas flow through the nozzle when the said openings 59 are uncovered. In this way the infrared emission of the gas plume exiting from the nozzle is suppressed by the cool air.

An exhaust nozzle for a gas turbine aero-engine comprising a duct 17(c), a plurality of movable flaps 38,43 for varying the geometry of the nozzle, one or more forwardly and outwardly directed openings 59 located upstream of the flaps 38,43 and a pair of mutually confronting doors 61 each of which is mounted for rotation about an axis extending transverse to the length of the duct 17(c). The doors 61 are located relative to the duct 17(c) and the openings 59 so that, in a first position, they obturate the openings 59 and mutually confronting surfaces 67 of the doors define therebetween part of the gas flow path through the nozzle, and the doors 61 are movable to a second position, upstream of the first position, where they uncover the openings 59, define, at their upstream ends 68, a reduced area throat for the gas flow path through the nozzle. In the second position the doors 61 also define a divergent part of the gas flow path immediately downstream of the said throat. The reduced pressure downstream of the throat induces ambient air through the openings 59 into the gas flow path through the nozzle. Means 28,35,36 are provided for moving the flaps 38,43 to accommodate the increased gas flow through the nozzle when the said openings 59 are uncovered. In this way the infra red emission of the gas plume exiting from the nozzle is suppressed by the cool air. The doors 61 are movable to a third position where they uncover the openings 59 and co-operate with the flaps 38 to form a thrust reverser.

Turbomachine ejector nozzle and thrust reverser

An ejector nozzle for a turbomachine comprising fixed inner and outer ducts 16,19 to the downstream ends of which is provided a mechanism for varying the geometry and area of the nozzle. A plurality of pivotal flaps 20,20a are mounted on the inner duct 16 for rotation about their pivots. An axially movable shroud 25 is provided downstream of the outer duct 19. A plurality of second flaps 23,23a are pivotally attached to the first flaps 20,20a and slide relative to the shroud 25. The second flaps 23 have openings therein and doors 30 to close the openings. Links 31 which are connected to the shroud 25 are used to open and close the doors. Rotation of the flaps 20,20a and axial movement of the shroud 25 alters the geometry of the nozzle and can be used to open air inlet openings on the downstream side of the flaps 20,20a and also open the doors 30 in the second flaps 23,23 a to provide a mixer to reduce infra-red radiation emitted by the hot gas plume from the engine.

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Marietta, GA, United States of America

Gary F Szuminski