Nozzles for gas turbine engines
AssigneeRolls-Royce (1971) Limited
InventorDouglas J. Nightingale
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A convergent divergent exhaust nozzle for a jet engine, in which a circumferential array of interdigitated master and slave petals are axially movable along an arcuate track. Each petal is divided by a hinge into upstream and downstream portions and the downstream portions are pivotable about the hinges to vary the divergent flare angle of the nozzle. The master petals are supported on the arcuate tracks by means of a pair of axially spaced apart rollers bearing on opposite surfaces of the tracks. Gas pressure on the petals is used to reduce the force necessary to operate the nozzle.
Claims11
A variable area nozzle for a gas turbine engine comprising a circumferential array of nozzle petals, including certain master petals, arranged about the discharge opening of a jet pipe, there being in respect of each said master petal an upstream roller and a downstream roller, the rollers being axially spaced apart and engaging respective radially outwardly facing and radially inwardly facing guide track surfaces fixed relative to the jet pipe and arranged for changing the inclinations of the petals relative to the jet pipe on operation of means for simultaneously moving the petals axially along the guide track surfaces the nozzle being further characterised by hinges disposed between upstream and downstream portions of the nozzle petals, the hinges being located downstream of the rollers and by means for pivoting the downstream nozzle petal portions about the hinges to vary their inclination to the upstream nozzle portions thereby to vary the divergent flare angle of the nozzle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.