Gas management transition device

Claim 1

Apparatus for controlling the flow of exhaust gases of missiles in a plurality of missile storage chambers during firing of a missile comprising: a plurality of missile storage chambers oriented generally adjacent one another, said chambers having a generally rectilinear cross-section over the major extent thereof; a plenum chamber extending generally along the bottom of said storage chambers and coupled to each storage chamber for disposing of exhaust gases generated in said storage chambers by the firing of a missile therein; and a plurality of transition sections, one for each storage chamber, extending between respective chambers and the plenum chamber, each transition section including; (a) a pair of doors pivotably mounted on a first pair of opposite sides of the transition section adjacent the juncture of the transition section with its associated chamber, said doors being pivotable between open and closed positions in response to gas pressure forces generated during the firing of a missile, said doors when in the closed position serving to close off the transverse bottom opening of the chamber; and (b) a plurality of tapered fillets formed in the corners of the rectilinear walls of the storage chamber smoothly changing the cross-sectional opening of the chamber from a rectilinear shape to a round opening.