Rolls-royce Corporation

Leslie R Harper

William J Lewis

Robert Charles Tonks

Philip A Mansfield

Richard G Gardiner

Malcolm J Davis

A nozzle arrangement for a VTOL or STOVL aircraft having an airframe mounted lift system comprises a hinged deflector door pivotally mounted on the underside of the airframe for exhaust efflux deflection. The door is movable about its axis to vector impinging exhaust gases rearwards during the transition between vertical and horizontal flight, and in addition comprises a pair of lateral sidewalls which are movable in the plane of the door to direct the exhaust efflux sideways for improved aircraft yaw control.

VTOL aircraft nozzle

A translating cowl thrust reverser for a ducted fan gas turbine engine has a fan cowl, the downstream portion of which is translatable axially to open an aperture in the cowl. The aperture has upstream and downstream side-walls and which are curved to deflect fan air flow through the aperture in a forward direction. An annular plate is positioned at the outlet from the aperture and projects into the turbulent flow region on the upstream side-wall to define with the side-wall a recess open to the flow which delays the separation of the flow from the side-wall. This increases the effective area of the outlet and the angle through which the flow is turned thus improving the thrust reverser efficiency to the point at which no cascades are needed in the aperture.

Growing community of inventors

Bristol, United Kingdom

Leslie R Harper