Nozzle with thrust vectoring in the yaw direction
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsMalcolm K. MacLean, Mark E. Daniels
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vectorable gas turbine engine exhaust nozzle including deployable angled flow deflectors for providing thrust vectoring in the yaw direction. In one embodiment the deflectors are pivotally deployed in the diverging section of a two dimensional nozzle with the use of either electromechanical or pneumatic rotary actuators. The deflectors are preferably employed in a two dimensional convergent divergent exhaust nozzle which includes a means for varying the size of the throat and a means for providing pitch thrust vectoring.
Claims7
A thrust vectoring apparatus for directing exhaust flow of the nozzle comprising:
- top and bottom divergent flaps, a set of corresponding right hand and left hand deflector flaps hinged to each of said divergent flaps so that each deflector flap of said set is rotatable about a corresponding line essentially on the flow surface of said divergent flap and wherein the corresponding lines on each of said flaps are angled with respect to each other, and
- means for deploying said deflector flaps into and at an angle to the direction of the exhaust flow.
A thrust vectoring two dimensional convergent divergent nozzle comprising:
- top and bottom convergent flaps,
- top and bottom divergent flaps pivotably connected to their respective convergent flaps,
- left hand and right hand sidewalls disposed outside of and generally perpendicular to and in flow sealing and slideable engagement with said flaps,
- at least four deflector flaps wherein each of said deflector flaps is mounted on either a left or a right hand half of one of said divergent flaps and such that each of said divergent flaps includes a right hand and a left hand deflector flap, wherein each of said deflector flaps is hinged to the nozzle so that it is rotatable about a corresponding line essentially on the flow surface of its respective divergent flap half,
- wherein the right and left hand corresponding lines on each of said divergent flaps are angled with respect to each other, and
- a means for deploying said deflector flap into the flow such that the flap's flow deflecting surface faces the center of the exhaust flow at an acute angle to the direction of the exhaust flow.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.