Annular transition duct

Claim 1

A JET ENGINE HAVING AN AXIS AND AN INNER AND OUTER HOUSING CONCENTRIC ABOUT SAID AXIS, A COMBUSTION CHAMBER HAVING FLAME TUBES THEREIN LOCATED WITHIN SAID OUTER HOUSING, A TURBINE HAVING AN ANNULAR INLET LOCATED WITHIN SAID OUTER HOUSING AND SPACED AXIALLY FROM SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, AND FURTHER INCLUDING A UNITARY TRANSITION UNIT LOCATED WITHIN SAID OUTER HOUSING AND CONCENTRIC ABOUT SAID AXIS AND FORMING A GAS PASSAGE BETWEEN SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER FLAME TUBES AND SAID TURBINE ANNULAR INLET, SAID TRANSITION UNIT HAVING A FORWARD-END ADJACENT SAID ENGINE COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND AN AFTER-END ADJACENT SAID TURBINE ANNULAR INLET AND AN INNER SIDE AND AN OUTER SIDE FARTHER FROM SAID AXIS THAN SAID INNER SIDE AND COMPRISING FIRST SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLY EXTENDING WALL MEANS INCLUDING THEREIN A SERIES OF SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR APERTURES EQUALLY SPACED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ABOUT AND EQUAL DISTANCE FROM AND HAVING PARALLEL AXES WHICH ARE ALSO PARALLEL TO SAID AXIS, A CIRCULAR RING POSITIONED IN EACH OF SAID APERTURES AND PERMANENTLY CONNECTED THEREAT TO SAID FIRST WALL MEANS AND BEING SIZED TO SUPPORT SAID AFTER-ENDS OF THE FLAME TUBES, SECOND WALL MEANS INCLUDING A ONE PIECE INNER WALL MEMBER EXTENDING THE FULL DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID FLAME TUBES AND SAID TUBULAR ANNULAR INLET AND HAVING A FORWARD-END AND AN AFTER-END AND BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION AND CONCENTRIC ABOUT SAID AXIS AND BEING OF MINIMUM DIAMETER AND CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST WALL MEANS AT SAID FORWARD-END AND THEN DIVERGING AWAY FROM SAID AXIS AND BEING OF MAXIMUM DIAMETER AND ABUTTINGLY ENGAGING SAID TURBINE ANNULAR INLET AT SAID AFTER-END AND FURTHER INCLUDING A ONE PIECE OUTER WALL MEMBER COOPERATING WITH SAID INNER WALL MEMBER TO DEFINE AN ANNULAR GAS PASSAGE THEREBETWEEN AND EXTENDING THE FULL DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID FLAME TUBES AND SAID TURBINE ANNULAR INLET AND HAVING A FORWARD-END AND AN AFTER-END AND BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION AND CONCENTRIC ABOUT SAID AXIS AND BEING OF MAXIMUM DIAMETER AND CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST WALL MEANS AT SAID FORWARD-END AND THEN CONVERGING TOWARD SAID UNIT AXIS AND SAID INNER WALL MEMBER AND BEING OF MINIMUM DIAMETER AND ABUTTINGLY ENGAGING SAID TURBINE INLET AT SAID AFTER-END, SAID MINIMUM DIAMETER OF SAID OUTER WALL MEMBER BEING LARGER THAN SAID MAXIMUM DIAMETER OF SAID INNER WALL MEMBER SO THAT SAID WALL MEMBER AFTER-ENDS FORM AN ANNULAR PASSAGE CORRESPONDING IN SIZE TO THE TURBINE ANNULAR INLET, SAID TRANSITION UNIT FURTHER INCLUDING INNER CONNECTING MEANS CONNECTING SAID TRANSITION UNIT INNER SIDE TO SAID ENGINE INNER HOUSING MEANS AND ACCESSIBLE FROM SAID TRANSITION UNIT FORWARD-END, AND SAID TRANSITION UNIT STILL FURTHER INCLUDING OUTER CONNECTING MEANS ADAPTED TO CONNECT SAID TRANSITION UNIT OUTER SIDE TO SAID ENGINE OUTER HOUSING MEANS AND ACCESSIBLE FROM SAID TRANSITION UNIT OUTER SIDE.