Gas management deflector

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; a plenum chamber extending generally along the bottom of said storage chambers and coupled thereto for disposing of exhaust gases generated in said chambers by the firing of a missile therein; and a plurality of transition sections, one for each 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 pair of deflector panels pivotably mounted on the other pair of opposed sides of the transition section in a position below the doors, said deflector panels being effective in cooperation with said doors to direct the exhaust gases of a missile being fired to form a gas plug effectively preventing the recirculation of gases back into said chamber as the missile moves upward in said chamber during launch.