Plume exhaust management for vls

Abstract

A system is provided for directing a flow of gas, including a launching mechanism, a plenum, a layer of meltable material, and an open-ended uptake component. The launching mechanism is adapted to expel rocket exhaust gas. The plenum includes an upper portion having at least one fire resistant breachable plug. The upper portion is adjacent to the launching mechanism. The layer of meltable material is disposed on the upper portion. The heat generated by the gas melts the layer of meltable material. The open-ended uptake component operatively connects to the plenum. The plug moves onto a lower portion of the plenum due to force generated by the gas onto the plug, and the gas flows through the plenum and the uptake component to vent said gas in a controlled manner.

Description

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST[0001]The invention described was made in the performance of official duties by one or more employees of the Department of the Navy, and thus, the invention herein may be manufactured, used or licensed by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Technical Field[0003]The embodiments herein generally relate to weapons systems, and, more particularly, to equipment used for protection against the exhaust gases of missile launching systems.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]A vertical launching system (VLS) consists of a number of cells for holding and firing missiles on surface ships and submarines used by many navies around the world. Typically, each cell can hold a number of different types of missiles, enabling the ship flexibility to load an appropriate set for a given mission and to enable replacement of earlier missiles with u...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text describes an improved gas management system for weapon systems. This system is easy to use, cost-effective, and can be adapted to existing weapon systems. It includes a launching mechanism, a plenum, a layer of meltable material, and an open-ended uptake component. The launching mechanism is designed to expel rocket exhaust gas. The technical effect of this patent is the creation of a gas management system that is efficient, adaptable, and can be used in existing weapon systems.

Problems solved by technology

However, a typical plenum and uptake approach results in substantial structural wear caused by normal missile launches, which decreases the ability to withstand a restrained firing, thus, limiting the number of missiles that can be launched prior to gas management system refurbishment.

However, the material is generally inadequate to prevent burn-through when exposed to plume jetting and long burn times because the ablative material, which tends to be expensive, typically do not have sufficient mechanical strength to resist the forces produced by the plume impingement.

However, this type of system requires a substantial number of components, the aft closure layup uses many different materials and a very process-intensive assembly, and the sill and grid are relatively difficult to manufacture and assemble.

Moreover, this system is not readily adaptable for use on a general plenum box assemblies because it requires more space above the top of the plenum and more intrusion into the inside of the plenum.

Images