General Electric Company

Wilbert B Freid

Robert M Ausdenmoore

A nozzle cooling system having apparatus to overexpand the exhaust flow in a divergent section of an aircraft gas turbine engine nozzle, relative to the air in the engine nozzle's bay and a valve to allow ambient air from the bay to flow over divergent flaps and seals of the divergent section, and rapidly cool the divergent section of the nozzle for IR suppression. An area ratio control apparatus may be used to change a ratio of the nozzle exit area to the nozzle throat area to an overexpanded level that reduces static pressures along at least a longitudinally extending portion of the surfaces to below the ambient pressure of air outside the nozzle to draw the ambient air into the exhaust gas flowpath, and a valve apparatus to controllably flow the ambient air into the exhaust gas flowpath when the static pressures are below the ambient pressure. Further embodiments of the present invention provide alternative area ratio control apparatus, such as a variable exit area control apparatus to vary the exit area or a variable throat area control apparatus to vary the throat area, or both. Valve apparatus with a gap apparatus to controllably open gaps between the circumferentially adjacent divergent flaps and seals are provided such as spring loaded divergent seal retainers and flapper valves sealingly disposed over corresponding cooling apertures through the divergent seals.

Cooling system for a divergent section of a nozzle

An engine mount assembly includes an axially pivotable engine support and a thrust mount with a three or four bar linkage which includes a thrust bar, as the first bar, pivotably joined to a forward axial position on the engine structure at the forward end of the first bar. The line of action of the thrust bar intersects the engine centerline at a forward vertical mount plane, which is generally perpendicular to the engine centerline and through which a forward pivotal support mount of the engine support acts to support the engine, substantially at the axial position where engine centerline and forward vertical support plane intersect. An alternate embodiment of the present invention provides a means to counter bending moments produced by aerodynamic forces acting on the nacelle of the engine particularly those referred to as lip loads. The line of action intersects the engine centerline a predetermined distance S aft of the forward vertical mount plane to induce a predetermined first bending moment due to thrust loads to counter a predetermined second bending moment due to aerodynamic loads acting on a nacelle of the engine such that the first and second bending moments act in opposite directions.

Aircraft gas turbine engine thrust mount

A variable area nozzle system for a gas turbine engine is provided which includes actuating means for opening and closing of the nozzle. The actuating means are adapted to operatively engage a convergent flap for rotating the flap in a first direction of rotation to close the nozzle. The actuating means are further adapted to engage a compression link for rotating the link in a second direction of rotation to open the nozzle.

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Bridgton, ME, United States of America

Wilbert B Freid