Aerodynamic valves and apparatus incorporating same

Claim 1

AN AERODYNAMIC VALVE FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF GASES INTO A CHAMBER, COMPRISING A VALVE HOUSING FORMED WITH AN AXIALLY EXTENDING PASSAGE HAVING AN INLET SIDE CONNECTABLE WITH A SOURCE OF SAID GASES AND AN OUTLET SIDE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER, SAID INLET AND OUTLET SIDES BEING DIMENSIONED SO AS TO IMPEDE THE FLOW OF GAS REARWARDLY FROM SAID OUTLET SIDE THROUGH SAID INLET SIDE TO A GREATER EXTENT THAN THE FLOW OF GAS FORWARDLY FROM SAID INLET SIDE THROUGH SAID OUTLET SIDE; AND MEANS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE NOZZLE OPENING INTO SAID PASSAGE AND HAVING AN AXIS GENERALLY TRANSVERSE TO THE AXIS THEREOF FOR DIRECING A GAS STREAM WITH A RELATIVELY HIGH KINETIC ENERGY INTO SAID PASSAGE GENERALLY TRANSVERSELY TO THE FLOW OF GAS THERETHROUGH FOR DEVELOPING A GAS BARRIER IN SAID PASSAGE, THEREBY FURTHER LIMITING THE REARWARD FLOW OF GAS, SAID CHAMBER CONSTITUTING A COMBUSTION CHAMBER ADAPTED TO GENERATE PERIODIC THRUST WAVES BY THE PULSED IGNITION OF A COMBUSTIBLE GAS IN THE PRESENT OF AN OXIDATION MEDIUM, SAID INLET SIDE OF SAID VALVE BEING PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY TANGENTIAL DUCTS FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF SAID OXIDATION MEDIUM INTO SAID CHAMBER VIA SAID PASSAGE, SAID NOZZLE HAVING AN AXIS ORIENTED TANGENTIALLY WITH RESPECT TO A CIRCLE CENTERED ON THE AXIS OF SAID PASSAGE AND COMMON TO SAID DUCTS, SAID NOZZLE BEING INCLINED TOWARD SAID AXIS OF SAID PASSAGE IN THE FORWARD DIRECTION OF FLOW OF GAS THERETHROUGH FOR INTRODUCING SAID COMBUSTIBLE GAS THERETO.