Ring-shaped booster rocket

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11852103-B2
Application number	US-202117181158-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2021
Priority date	Feb 22, 2021
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

A rocket booster has an annular shape, with a casing defining an annular space therewithin, and a solid rocket fuel in the annular spacing. The casing may itself at least in part define an annular gap that functions as a nozzle for the rocket booster, with protruding tabs on the casing aiding in maintaining a uniform height of the annular gap. The rocket booster may be mechanically coupled to an object protruding from the back of a fuselage of a flight vehicle, such as a missile. For example, the rocket booster may be placed around an aft turbojet nozzle of the flight vehicle. This allows the rocket booster to be used in situations where primary propulsion must be running both before and after (and perhaps during) the firing of the rocket booster.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A booster rocket comprising:
an annular casing defining an annular space therewithin, and having a central opening; and
a solid rocket fuel in the annular space;
wherein the annular casing defines an annular gap that acts as a nozzle for the booster rocket; and
wherein the booster rocket is a capable of being placed around and installed around a separate object; and
wherein the annular casing includes an inner part and an outer part, with the outer part including a cylindrical forward section, and an inwardly-sloped aft section that directs flow inwardly as the flow approaches the annular gap that is at an aft end of the outer part, wherein the inwardly-sloped aft section continually slopes inward to the aft end of the outer part, wherein the annular gap is narrowest at the aft end of the outer part, wherein the annular casing includes protruding tabs at an aft end of the annular casing configured to contact but not fixedly attach to the separate object to maintain the annular gap.

2. The booster rocket of claim 1 , wherein the annular casing is made of metal.

3. The booster rocket of claim 1 , wherein the annular casing is a single unitary part.

4. The booster rocket of claim 1 , wherein the inner part and the outer part are threadedly coupled together.

5. The booster rocket of claim 1 , wherein the inner part of the annular casing includes a cylindrical forward section, and an inwardly sloped aft section.

6. The booster rocket of claim 1 , further comprising an igniter in the annular casing.

7. The booster rocket of claim 1 , in combination with the separate object to which the booster rocket is mechanically coupled.

8. The combination of claim 7 , wherein the separate object is an aft part of a flight vehicle.

9. The combination of claim 8 , wherein the separate object is part of a propulsion device at an aft end of the flight vehicle.

10. The combination of claim 8 , wherein the separate object is centered on a longitudinal centerline of the flight vehicle.

11. The combination of claim 8 , wherein the booster rocket is centered around a longitudinal centerline of the flight vehicle.

12. The combination of claim 8 , wherein the separate object protrudes from an aft end of a fuselage of the flight vehicle.

13. The combination of claim 8 , wherein the flight vehicle is a missile.

14. The combination of claim 7 , wherein the separate object is a part of a turbojet engine.

15. The booster rocket of claim 1 ,
in combination with the separate object;
wherein the separate object is part of a propulsion device at an aft end of a flight vehicle;
wherein the inner part of the casing is in contact with an outer surface of the propulsion device but is not fixedly attached to the outer surface of the propulsion device.

16. A missile comprising:
a fuselage;
a main propulsion system that includes a nozzle protruding aftward from the fuselage; and
a booster rocket around the nozzle, the booster rocket including:
an annular casing defining an annular space therewithin, and having a central opening through which the nozzle protrudes; and
a solid rocket fuel in the annular space;

wherein the annular casing defines an annular gap that acts as a nozzle for the booster rocket;
wherein an inner surface of the annular casing is in contact with an outer surface of the nozzle, but is not fixedly attached to the outer surface of the nozzle; and
wherein the annular casing includes an inner part and an outer part, with the outer part including a cylindrical forward section, and an inwardly-sloped aft section that directs flow inwardly as the flow approaches the annular gap that is at an aft end of the outer part, wherein the inwardly-sloped aft section continually slopes inward to the aft end of the outer part, wherein the annular gap is narrowest at the aft end of the outer part,
wherein the annular casing includes protruding tabs at an aft end of the annular casing that are in contact with but not fixedly attached to the outer surface of the nozzle to maintain the annular gap.

Assignees

• Raytheon Co

Inventors

• Starkey Ryan
• Altamirano Dario N

Classifications

• F02K9/763 Primary

  with solid propellant · CPC title

• F02K9/88

  using auxiliary rocket nozzles · CPC title

• F02K9/97

  Rocket nozzles (thrust or thrust vector control F02K9/80) · CPC title

• B64G1/402

  Propellant tanks; Feeding propellants · CPC title

• F02K9/08

  using solid propellants (F02K9/72 takes precedence; using semi-solid or pulverulent propellants F02K9/70) · CPC title