Seal for gimbaling and/or fixed rocket engine nozzles, and associated systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12372048-B2
Application number	US-202217837992-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2022
Priority date	Mar 9, 2020
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

Seals for gimbaling and/or fixed rocket engine nozzles, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A representative rocket propulsion system includes a rocket engine having an exhaust nozzle, a seal plate carried by the exhaust nozzle, and a seal engaged with the seal plate. The seal includes at least one support, multiple pivotable first flaps, carried by the at least one support and positioned to contact the seal plate, and multiple pivotable second flaps, with an individual second flap positioned to shield a corresponding individual first flap. At least one forcing element is operatively coupled to at least one of the individual first flap or the individual second flap, to apply a pivoting force to the at least one of the individual first flap or the individual second flap.

First claim

We claim:

1. A rocket propulsion system, comprising:
a rocket engine having an exhaust nozzle;
a seal plate extending outwardly from the exhaust nozzle; and
a seal engaged with the seal plate, the seal including:
at least one support positioned outwardly from the exhaust nozzle;
multiple pivotable first flaps, with an individual one of the first flaps carried by the at least one support, pivotable about a first hinge rotatable about at least a first pin, and positioned to contact the seal plate;
multiple pivotable second flaps, with an individual one of the second flaps pivotable about a second hinge rotatable about at least a second pin and positioned to shield the individual one of the first flaps; and
at least one forcing element operatively coupled to the individual one of the first flaps or the individual one of the second flaps, or both, to apply a pivoting force to the individual one of the first flaps or the individual one of the second flaps.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one forcing element is operatively coupled to the individual one of the second flaps to bias the individual one of the second flaps into contact with the individual one of the first flaps.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the individual one of the first flaps has a higher rigidity than the individual one of the second flaps.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the individual one of the first flaps or the individual one of the second flaps, or both, includes a carbon-carbon material.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the individual one of the second flaps has a higher heat resistance than the individual one of the first flaps.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the individual one of the first flaps or the individual one of the second flaps, or both, includes a ceramic or ceramic matrix composite material.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one forcing element includes a spring coupled to the individual one of the first flaps or the individual one of the second flaps via an actuator rod.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the spring is a first spring, and wherein the system further comprises:
a second spring coupled to the actuator rod, with the first spring positioned to bias the actuator rod in a first axial direction, and the second spring positioned to bias the actuator rod in a second direction opposite the first direction; and
a canister housing the first spring, the second spring, and the actuator rod.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the seal plate engaged by the seal is spherical.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the seal plate engaged by the seal is flat.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the nozzle has a thrust axis and is gimbalable relative to the thrust axis.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the nozzle has a thrust axis and is rotationally fixed relative to the thrust axis.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the nozzle is axially movable along the thrust axis.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the nozzle is:
positioned to direct thrust along a thrust axis;
axially moveable along the thrust axis;
gimbalable about a first axis transverse to the thrust axis; and
gimbalable about a second axis transverse to the thrust axis and the first axis.

15. A rocket propulsion system, comprising:
a rocket engine having a gimbalable exhaust nozzle;
a spherical seal plate carried by the exhaust nozzle; and
a seal engaged with the seal plate, the seal including:
at least one support;
multiple flap pairs arranged circumferentially around the nozzle, each one of the flap pairs including:
a first pivotable flap pivotable about a first hinge rotatable about at least a first pin and positioned to contact the seal plate;
a second pivotable flap pivotable about a second hinge rotatable about at least a second pin and positioned to shield the first pivotable flap, wherein the first pivotable flap of one of the multiple flap pairs overlaps the second pivotable flap of a neighboring one of the multiple flap pairs;
an actuator rod coupled to the second pivotable flap;
a first spring coupled to the actuator rod to bias the second pivotable flap in a first rotary direction;
a second spring coupled to the actuator rod to bias the second pivotable flap in a second rotary direction opposite the first rotary direction; and
at least one support carrying the first and second pivotable flaps.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the first spring, the second spring, and the actuator rod are housed, at least in part, in a cylinder, and wherein the cylinder is pivotably carried by the at least one support.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein multiple spring pairs are positioned circumferentially around the nozzle.

18. A seal for a rocket engine, comprising:
at least one support positioned outwardly from an exhaust nozzle;
multiple, pivotable first flaps, each having a sealing surface, with an individual one of the first flaps carried by the at least one support and pivotable about a first hinge rotatable about at least a first pin;
multiple, pivotable second flaps, with an individual one of the second flaps (i) pivotable about a second hinge rotatable about at least a second pin and (ii) positioned to shield the individual one of the first flaps; and
at least one forcing element operatively coupled to the individual one of the first flaps or the individual one of the second flaps, or both, to apply a pivoting force to the individual one of the first flaps or the individual one of the second flaps.

19. The seal of claim 18 wherein the at least one forcing element includes a spring coupled to the individual one of the first flaps or the individual one of the second flaps via an actuator rod.

20. The seal of claim 19 wherein the spring is a first spring, and wherein the forcing element further comprises:
a second spring coupled to the actuator rod, with the first spring positioned to bias the actuator rod in a first axial direction, and the second spring positioned to restrict motion of the actuator rod in a second direction opposite the first direction; and
a canister housing the first spring, the second spring, and the actuator rod.

Assignees

• Blue Origin Mfg Llc

Inventors

• Cantor Nathaniel
• Patterson Colin
• Norman Adam
• Hupf Christopher P

Classifications

• F02K9/343

  Joints, connections, seals therefor · CPC title

• F02K9/97

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

• F05D2260/50

  Kinematic linkage, i.e. transmission of position · CPC title

• F05D2250/324

  divergent · CPC title

• F05D2250/31

  according to the direction of their main axis or their axis of rotation · CPC title