Means for cooling exhaust nozzle sidewalls

Claim 2

An exhaust nozzle sidewall heat shield and cooling means comprising: spaced heat shield means positioned over the nozzle sidewall portion exposed to high temperature gases; means included in said heat shield means for directing cooling air from areas in register with the sidewall portion to opposed surfaces of said heat shield means exposed to high temperature gases; and means secured to said nozzle and slidably receiving said heat shield means, said heat shield means exposed to high temperature exhaust gases secured to said nozzle at the forward end and allowed to expand longitudinally and transversely therefrom so as to avoid warping and distortion due to changing temperatures of the exhaust gases.

Claim 3

The cooling means of claim 1 wherein said heat shield means include a plurality of panels slidably disposed across the sidewall portion, a like plurality of baffles secured to said panels and disposed intermediate said panels and the nozzle sidewall slidable with said panels, means securing together respective panels and baffles, said means secured to said nozzle including means anchored to said sidewall and adapted to slidably receive and retain edge portions of said panels and said securing means.

Claim 4

The cooling means of claim 2 wherein said means for directing cooling air are openings in said baffles and said panels allowing cooling air to pass from the area adjacent said sidewall portion through said baffles and thence through said panels; means dividing the space between said baffles and said panels into a plurality of plenums, said dividing means secured to said panels and abutting said baffles, said dividing means positioned intermediate said openings so that cooling air from the area adjacent said sidewall portion is diverted into said plurality of plenums and cooling air in individual plenums is drawn into the boundary layer of high temperature gases moving across the exposed surface of said panels, whereby cooling air both impinges upon the interior surface of said panels and flows along the exterior surface thereof.

Claim 5

The cooling means of claim 3 wherein said panels are parallel disposed longitudinally extending strips anchored at their forward end to said nozzle, said strips positioned by sliding along opposed surfaces of adjacent dividing means, said openings immediately downstream of said dividing means regular in shape and the remaining openings elongate in shape in the direction of flow of exhaust gases.

Claim 6

The cooling means of claim 4 wherein said dividing means are tracks riveted to said nozzle and have opposed flanges extending upstream and downstream respectively with respect to exhaust gases, said strips conform to the surfaces of said flanges adjacent the exhaust gases and are selectively spaced apart to allow for thermal expansion without contact, said means securing together said strips and said plates conform to the surface of said flanges remote from the exhaust gases and are selectively spaced from said tracks to allow for thermal expansion without contact, and said plates are secured to the surface of said securing means remote from said flanges and extend only to the ends of said plates adjacent said tracks.

Claim 7

An expandable shield for protecting surfaces exposed to large temperature differentials such as in the exhaust nozzles of gas turbine engines comprising: heat shield means deployed on the nozzle sidewall and having an external area for collection and distribution of cooler air and an internal area for receiving and selectively releasing said cooler air along a surface directly exposed to exhaust gases, said heat shield means including an inner shield having a plurality of openings for diverting cooler air substantially perpendicular thereto and an outer shield having a plurality of openings for releasing the cooler air into the boundary layer on the surface of said shield means exposed to exhaust gases so that said inner shield is cooled by impingement cooling on one surface and film cooling on the opposite surface; and means secured to the nozzle sidewall for supporting said inner and outer shields in an arrangement which provides spacing so as to avoid warping and distortion of shield components.

Claim 8

An expandable shield for protecting surfaces exposed to large temperature differentials such as in the exhaust nozzles of gas turbine engines comprising: heat shield means deployed on the nozzle sidewall and having an external area for collection and distribution of cooler air and an internal area for receiving and selectively releasing said cooler air along a surface directly exposed to exhaust gases, said heat shield means including an inner shield having a plurality of openings for diverting cooler air substantially perpendicular thereto and an outer shield having a plurality of openings for releasing the cooler air into the boundary layer on the surface of said shield means exposed to exhaust gases so that said inner shield is cooled by impingement cooling on one surface and film cooling on the opposite surface; and means secured to the nozzle sidewall for supporting said inner and outer shields in an arrangement which provides spacing so as to avoid warping and distortion of shield components.

Claim 9

The expandable shield as defined in claim 6 wherein said means secured to said nozzle wall are a plurality of tracks disposed parallel to one another and adapted to slidably support and position said inner and outer shields; the edges of said inner and outer shields selectively spaced from said tracks under normal exhaust temperatures to permit transverse expansion at anticipated higher temperatures; and said inner shield secured to said nozzle at the forward end only to permit longitudinal expansion at anticipated higher temperatures.

Claim 10

The expandable shield as defined in claim 7 wherein said internal area is divided into a plurality of chambers by said tracks, said outer shields are baffles and the openings therein are circular holes, said inner shields are panels and the openings therein are rectangular holes lesser in number than said circular holes and offset therefrom to assure impingement of cooler air on said panels; and spacer means secured to said panels and contacting said baffles intermediate said holes for forming a plurality of plenums between said baffles and said panels.

Claim 11

The expandable shield as defined in claim 8 wherein said spacer means extend transversely across said panels between said tracks; and means securing together respective panels and baffles, said tracks including opposed flanges extending parallel to the nozzle sidewall and said means securing together respective panels and baffles forming grooves in which said flanges are slidably received.