Afterburning aerospike rocket nozzle

Abstract

An aerospike nozzle includes a nozzle body and a spike, the nozzle body and the spike defining a generally annular gas flow channel therebetween; the spike comprising an upper, generally conical section having a decreasing diameter in a downstream direction; a middle, generally cylindrical section having a generally constant diameter; and a lower, generally conical section having a decreasing diameter in a downstream direction; a shroud disposed radially outward of the spike and longitudinally downstream of the nozzle body, the shroud comprising a first generally cylindrical section and, downstream of the first section, a second generally concave section; a plurality of struts connected between the spike and the shroud; an ambient air inlet defined between the nozzle body and the shroud; a mixing and combustion chamber defined between the spike and the first section of the shroud; and an expansion chamber defined between the spike and the second section of the shroud.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.