Flexible forward grain support

Claim 1

IN A ROCKET ENGINE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FREE STANDING SOLID GRAIN PROPELLANT NORMALLY SUBJECTED TO BOTH AXIAL AND RADIAL FORCES AND COMPONENTS THEREOF POSITIONED WITHIN A GENERALLY COLUMNAR CASING DEFINING A PROPELLANT CONTAINING CAVITY THEREIN AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY ENCLOSED FORWARD END AND TERMININATING AT THE OPPOSITE AFT END IN A THRUST NOZZLE, A PROPELLANT GRAIN SUPPORTING SYSTEM FOR AXIALLY SUPPORTING THE GRAIN ONLY AT THE FORWARD END THEREOF COMPRISING A SUPPORTING MEMBER CONTIGUOUS WITH AND SPATIALLY FIXED RELATIVE TO THE CASING FORWARD END AND HAVING REARWARDLY EXTENDING APPENDAGES TERMINATING IN RADIALLY DISPOSED APERTURED FLANGES LOCATED PROXIMATELY TO THE FORWARD END OF THE GRAIN TO BE SUPPORTED, RESILIENT CUSHIONING MEANS POSITIONED BETWEEN THE FLANGES AND GRAIN, A PLURALITY OF STUDS EACH HAVING ONE END AFFIXED TO THE FORWARD END OF THE GRAIN AND SLIDEABLY EXTENDING THROUGH THE APERTURED FLANGES AND EACH TERMINATING IN AN ENLARGED SHOULDER, DICHOTOMIC SHOCK ABSORBERS DISPOSED ON THE STUDS BETWEEN THE FLANGES AND SHOULDERS EACH COMPRISING A HIGHLY RESILIENT PERMITTING DEFLECTION UNDER LIGHT LOADING, AND ANOTHER SECTION PERMITTING ONLY SLIGHT FURTHER DEFLECTION UNDER HEAVIER LOADING SO AS TO PROVIDE SUITABLE PROTECTIVE SHOCK ABSORBING CHARACTERISTICS AND CONTROLLED GRAIN DEFLECTION WHEN THE SAME IS SUBMITTED TO BOTH LOW AND HIGH LEVELS OF AXIALLY DIRECTED SHOCK FORCES, THEREBY RELIEVING THE DYNAMIC STRESSES TENDING TO CRACK, DEFORM AND DISPLACE THE PROPELLANT GRAIN.