Self-sealing apparatus that adjusts a throat area of a nozzle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10030605-B2
Application number	US-201514796556-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2015
Priority date	Feb 9, 2012
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

A flow control panel in an aircraft engine two-dimensional, convergent/divergent nozzle adjusts a throat area of the nozzle and is configured to be self-sealing, thereby requiring fewer parts and providing a more simplified construction of the throat area of the nozzle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus that adjusts a throat area of a nozzle, the apparatus comprising:
a nozzle having an interior surface, the interior surface extending around an interior of the nozzle, the nozzle having a forward end and an aft end, the nozzle having a flow direction through the interior of the nozzle from the forward end of the nozzle to the aft end of the nozzle, the nozzle having a throat cross-sectional area in the interior of the nozzle, the throat cross-sectional area being intermediate the forward end of the nozzle and the aft end of the nozzle;
an opening through the interior surface of the nozzle, the interior surface of the nozzle having a forward edge at a forward end of the opening and the interior surface of the nozzle having an aft edge at an aft end of the opening that is opposite the forward end of the opening, the interior surface having a first side edge at a first side of the opening and the interior surface having a second side edge at a second side of the opening, the first side of the opening being opposite the second side of the opening;
a flow control panel extending through the opening and into the interior of the nozzle, the flow control panel having a forward surface that opposes the forward edge of the interior surface with there being a forward gap between the forward surface and the forward edge;
an actuator device operatively connected to the flow control panel, the actuator device being operable to move the flow control panel between a first position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle and a second position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle where when the flow control panel is moved from the first position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle to the second position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle the flow control panel decreases the throat cross-sectional area and when the flow control panel is moved from the second position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle to the first position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle the flow control panel increases the throat cross-sectional area;
as the flow control panel is moved between the first position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle and the second position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle a dimension of the forward gap between the forward surface of the flow control panel and the forward edge of the interior surface of the nozzle remains constant;
the actuator device moves the flow control panel about a rotation axis as the actuator device moves the flow control panel between the first position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle and the second position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle; and,
the forward surface of the flow control panel has a cross-sectional configuration that defines an arc having a constant radius of curvature from the rotation axis.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
the dimension of the forward gap provides for simplified sealing against passage of hot gasses through the forward gap.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
no part of the nozzle extends across the forward gap.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
the flow control panel having an aft surface that opposes the aft edge of the interior surface of the nozzle with there being an aft gap between the aft surface and the aft edge; and,
as the flow control panel is moved between the first position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle and the second position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle a dimension of the aft gap between the aft surface of the flow control panel and the aft edge of the interior surface remains constant.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising:
the flow control panel is a single piece having a throat surface that is positioned between the forward surface and the aft surface, the flow control panel having a first side edge that extends along the forward surface, the throat surface and the aft surface of the flow control panel, the first side edge of the flow control panel opposes the first side edge of the interior surface of the nozzle with there being a first side gap between the first side edge of the flow control panel and the first side edge of the interior surface of the nozzle, the flow control panel having a second side edge that extends along the forward surface, the throat surface and the aft surface of the flow control panel, the second side edge of the flow control panel opposes the second side edge of the interior surface of the nozzle with their being a second side gap between the second side edge of the flow control panel and the second side edge of the interior surface of the nozzle; and,
as the flow control panel is moved between the first position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle and the second position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle a dimension of the first side gap between the first side edge of the flow control panel and the first side edge of the interior surface of the nozzle remains constant and a dimension of the second side gap between the second side edge of the flow control panel and the second side edge of the interior surface of the nozzle remains constant.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising:
the flow control panel having a forward edge along the forward surface and the flow control panel having an aft edge along the aft surface;
the forward edge of the flow control panel moves toward the forward edge of the interior surface of the nozzle, the forward surface of the flow control panel moves along the forward edge of the interior surface of the nozzle, the aft edge of the flow control panel moves away from the aft edge of the interior surface of the nozzle and the aft surface of the flow control panel moves along the aft edge of the interior surface of the nozzle in response to the flow control panel being moved from the first position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle to the second position of the flow control panel in the interior surface of the nozzle; and,
the forward edge of the flow control panel moves away from the forward edge of the interior surface of the nozzle, the forward surface of the flow control panel moves along the forward edge of the interior surface of the nozzle, the aft edge of the flow control panel moves toward the aft edge of the interior surface of the nozzle and the aft surface of the flow control panel moves along the aft edge of the interior surface of the nozzle in response to the flow control panel being moved from the second position of the flow control panel in the interior surface of the nozzle to the first position of the flow control panel in the interior of the nozzle.

7. An apparatus that adjusts a throat area of a nozzle, the apparatus comprising:
a nozzle having an interior surface, the interior surface extending around an interior of the nozzle, the nozzle having a forward end and an aft end, the nozzle having a flow direction through the interior of the nozzle from the forward end of the nozzle to the aft end of the nozzle, the nozzle having a throat cross-sectional area in the interior of the nozzle, the throat cross-sectional area being intermediate the forward end of the nozzle and the aft end of the nozzle;
an opening through the interior surface of the nozzle, the interior surface of the nozzle having a forward edge at a forward end of the opening and the interior surface of the nozzle having an aft edge at an aft end of the opening that is opposite the forward end of the opening, the interior surface having a first side edg

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Werner Eric L

Classifications

• F02K1/10 Primary

  by distorting the jet pipe or nozzle · CPC title

• F02K1/12 Primary

  by means of pivoted flaps · CPC title

• F02K1/15

  Control or regulation · CPC title