Arianegroup Sas

Societe Nationale D'etude Et De Construction De Moteurs D'aviation-Snecma

Thierry Pichon

Xavier Zorrilla

Ivan Herraiz

Laurent Longueville

A nozzle presents a longitudinal axis, includes both a combustion chamber made of metal material and presenting a downstream end, and a diverging portion made of composite material formed by a wall of conical shape extending between an upstream and a downstream end. The upstream end of the composite material diverging portion is connected to the downstream end of the combustion chamber. The nozzle further includes an annular mount made of metal material including a first portion secured to the combustion chamber and a second portion extending beyond the downstream end of the combustion chamber along the longitudinal axis. The upstream end of the composite material diverging portion is fastened to the second portion of the annular mount by a plurality of fastener members, each including a fastener bolt, each fastener bolt passing through the conically-shaped wall of the composite material diverging portion near the upstream end of the wall.

Rocket motor with composite divergent nozzle section

The piece made of composite material comprises a plate and a plurality of stiffeners integrally formed with the plate. A metal wall is fixed to the edges of the stiffeners and is provided with passages for circulating the fluid. The plate exposed to the heat flux radiates towards the metal wall through the gaps between the stiffeners, and it also performs the structural function. The invention can be used with structures that are exposed to very high heat flux: the walls of jet combustion chambers, the walls of space plane vehicles, the walls of nuclear fusion reactors.

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Avensan, France

Thierry Pichon