Thrust reverser door side fillers

Abstract

An improved target-type thrust reverser for use with an aircraft jet engine. Jet engines typically are housed in a nacelle and the engine terminates with an exhaust nozzle. The thrust reverser includes an upper door having a shape of a segment of a hollow frusto-conical member with an inner and outer surface, opposed longitudinal edges that taper towards each other, a forward semi-circular edge and a rearward semi-circular edge. The lower door is substantially identical. A pair of linkage arms pivotally support each of the upper and lower doors so that the doors are translatable between stowed and actuated positions. When in the stowed positions, the exterior surface of the doors form a part of the exterior surface of the engine nacelle. When in the actuated position, the doors are positioned rearwardly of the engine exhaust nozzle with their rearward edges in abutment. The inner surfaces of the doors form a generally concave exhaust gas intercepting target that diverts exhaust gases from the nozzle in directions having rearward thrust force tangents. A pair of side filler panels are extensions of each door at the junction of each of the longitudinal edges and the rearward edge, the side fillers serving to enlarge the concave exhaust gas intersecting target and thereby increase the reverse thrust force tangents.