Cooling of fastener means for a removable flameholder

Abstract

A flameholder apparatus for use in a gas turbine engine exhaust nozzle comprises at least one V-shaped gutter for holding a flame, with fasteners to mount the gutter to a nozzle support structure, the fasteners being accessible from the downstream flow direction and protruding into the gutter. To prevent the fasteners from overheating, the protruding portion is recessed in a heat shield affixed to the gutter and a portion of the combustible nozzle gas stream is passed into the heat shield and over the fastener at a velocity at least as great as the flame propagating velocity. In one embodiment, the gutter is segmented to facilitate removal through a smaller nozzle opening. Alignment pins between adjacent gutter segments provide proper gutter segment orientation, while adjacent segments are attached together through cooperating flanges on the upstream surfaces of the segments to minimize flow blockage pressure losses.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.