Resin transfer molded rocket motor nozzle with adaptive geometry
US11028803B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 10, 2018 |
| Grant date | Jun 8, 2021 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 15, 2040 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF05D2300/506
- WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A rocket motor has a nozzle that is reconfigurable by erosion or ablation of the material around the throat of the nozzle. The nozzle throat has layers of materials with different erosion characteristics, with the erosion occurring so as to achieve the desired nozzle characteristics (configurations) during different parts of the fuel burn. The nozzle throat includes relatively-high-erosion material layers and relatively-low-erosion material layers, with some layers of the throat resisting erosion, while other of the layers erode or ablate relatively quickly. The relatively-low-erosion material layers may act as thermal barriers to fix the throat at relatively stable geometry for long periods of time, such as during most of the burn of different fuel segments, with the relatively-high-erosion material layers allowing rapid transition of the throat from one geometry to the next. The layers may be made by resin transfer molding (RTM).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.