Thruster nozzle assembly with a flow regulator and a rotary joint in the throat region

Abstract

A nozzle assembly according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes a nozzle and the like, the nozzle including a throat section. The nozzle further includes a ball portion of a ball-and-socket joint. The assembly further includes a carrier including a socket portion of the ball-and-socket joint. The nozzle is mounted to the carrier, and the ball portion is at least partially received within the socket portion. A flow regulator is disposed adjacent to the throat section and is configured to regulate the flow of fluid through the throat section. The flow regulator is attached to the nozzle upstream of the throat section. An actuator is attached to the nozzle and is configured to selectively rotate the nozzle about a first axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the carrier via the ball-and-socket joint. A rocket and a method are also disclosed.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Propellers (such as those for rocket engines, other aerospace vehicles, ground vehicles, marine vehicles, or other systems) are considered to include a converging-diverging nozzle that discharges a high-speed propulsive jet of fluid. The propeller may also include a regulating valve to deliver pressurized fluid at a desired pressure. Summary of the Invention

[0002] A nozzle assembly according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes a nozzle, etc., the nozzle including a throat section. The nozzle further includes a ball portion of a ball-and-socket joint. The assembly further includes a vehicle including a socket portion of the ball-and-socket joint. The nozzle is mounted to the vehicle, and the ball portion is at least partially received within the socket portion. A flow regulator is disposed adjacent to the throat section and is configured to regulate the flow of fluid through the throat section. The flow regulator is attached upstream of the throat section to the nozzle. An actuator is attached to the nozzle and is configured to selectively rotate the nozzle about a first axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle via the ball-and-socket joint.

[0003] In a further non-limiting embodiment of the foregoing nozzle assembly, the actuator is further configured to selectively rotate the nozzle about a second axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and the first axis.

[0004] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing nozzle assemblies, the assembly includes a plurality of nozzles and corresponding plurality of flow regulators, and each of the plurality of nozzles is integral with the ball portion of the ball-and-socket joint.

[0005] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing nozzle assemblies, each of the plurality of flow regulators is configured to operate independently of or in coordination with each other.

[0006] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing nozzle assemblies, the ball portion is a hemispherical bearing and the socket portion is a hemispherical socket surrounding at least a portion of the ball portion.

[0007] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing nozzle assemblies, the flow regulator includes a pivot that is movable relative to a seat in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the nozzle to regulate the flow of fluid through the throat region.

[0008] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing nozzle assemblies, the pivot includes a shank, a head having a diameter larger than the shank, and a tapered surface extending from the head that is configured to contact the seat, and the linear position of the tapered surface relative to the seat changes the size of a flow region through which fluid can flow through the throat section.

[0009] In a further non - limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing nozzle assemblies, the tapered surface gradually decreases in diameter from the head to the free end of the pivot.

[0010] In a further non - limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing nozzle assemblies, the pivot is one of a plurality of pivots arranged adjacent to the throat section, and each of the plurality of pivots is movable independently.

[0011] In a further non - limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing nozzle assemblies, the plurality of pivots consists of four pivots spaced apart from each other about the longitudinal axis of the nozzle.

[0012] In a further non - limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing nozzle assemblies, the assembly includes a plurality of linear actuators each configured to selectively move a corresponding one of the plurality of pivots.

[0013] In a further non - limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing nozzle assemblies, the nozzle includes a diverging section extending from the throat section.

[0014] In a further non - limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing nozzle assemblies, the vehicle is a rocket engine.

[0015] A rocket according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes: a body; a propellant stored within the body; a combustion chamber disposed within the body; and a nozzle assembly attached to the body and configured to discharge the products of the combustion chamber; and so on. The nozzle assembly includes: a nozzle including a throat section; a flow regulator disposed adjacent to the throat section and configured to regulate the flow of the products of the combustion chamber through the throat section; and a rotary ball joint configured to selectively rotate the flow regulator and the nozzle.

[0016] In a further non - limiting embodiment of the foregoing rocket, the flow regulator includes a pivot that is linearly movable relative to a seat.

[0017] In a further non - limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing rockets, the pivot is one of a plurality of pivots arranged adjacent to the throat section, and each of the plurality of pivots is independently movable by a corresponding linear actuator.

[0018] In a further non - limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing rockets, the plurality of pivots consists of four pivots spaced apart from each other about the longitudinal axis of the nozzle.

[0019] A method according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes: performing thrust vectoring on the body by adjusting the position of the nozzle relative to the body via a rotary joint and adjusting the position of a flow regulator disposed adjacent to the throat section of the nozzle; and so on.

[0020] In a further non - limiting embodiment of the foregoing method, the flow regulator includes a pivot, and wherein adjusting the position of the flow regulator includes linearly moving the pivot in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the nozzle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 Schematically shows an exemplary rocket including an exemplary nozzle assembly.

[0022] Figure 2 Shows an exemplary flow regulator.

[0023] Figure 3 Shows an exemplary rotary ball joint.

[0024] Figure 4 Shows a second exemplary nozzle assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Figure 1 Schematically shows a vehicle 20, which can be a rocket, a missile, a spacecraft, an aircraft, or other vehicle. The vehicle 20 obtains thrust from a thruster 22, which in this example is a rocket engine. Although the vehicle and the rocket engine are shown Figure 1 and discussed herein, the present disclosure is not limited to rockets or rocket engines, and is specifically applicable to nozzle assemblies for other vehicles (including space vehicles, air vehicles, land vehicles, and marine vehicles). The present disclosure is also applicable to nozzle assemblies for thrusters in reaction control systems.

[0026] The vehicle 20 generally extends along a longitudinal vehicle axis R, and in this example, includes a housing 24 that extends along the longitudinal vehicle axis R. The housing 24 is the outer body of the vehicle 20. The housing 24 can be a single - piece or multi - piece structure.

[0027] At least one propellant 26 is stored within the housing 24. The propellant 26 can be a single propellant stored in a single tank or two separate propellants (i.e., fuel and oxidizer) stored in separate tanks. The propellant 26 is fluidly coupled to a combustion chamber 28 disposed within the housing 24. The combustion chamber 28 is fluidly coupled to the nozzle assembly 30. Although propellants and combustion chambers are mentioned herein, the present disclosure extends to thrusters that do not have a combustion chamber, including cold gas thrusters and nuclear thermal rockets.

[0028] The nozzle assembly 30 is configured to discharge a high - speed propulsive jet of fluid to provide thrust to the vehicle 20. Specifically, in this example, the nozzle assembly 30 is configured to discharge the products of the combustion chamber 28.

[0029] The nozzle assembly 30 includes a nozzle 32 that includes a narrow throat section 34 and a divergent section 36 that extends from the throat section 34 along a longitudinal nozzle axis N. As the divergent section 36 extends away from the throat section 34 along the longitudinal nozzle axis N, the divergent section 36 gradually increases in diameter.

[0030] The nozzle assembly 30 includes a flow regulator 38, which is shown in detail in Figure 2 . The flow regulator 38 is arranged adjacent to the throat section 34 and is configured to regulate the flow of fluid (i.e., the products of the combustion chamber 28) through the throat section 34. In this example, the flow regulator 38 includes a pivot 40 that has a handle 42 and a head 44 that provides a tapered surface 46 that tapers in diameter toward the free end of the head 44. The tapered surface 46 faces a seat 48 and is configured to contact the seat 48 in a closed position. The relative spacing between the tapered surface 46 and the seat 48 defines the size of the flow area through which fluid can flow through the throat section 34. In one example, the relative position of the tapered surface 46 and the seat 48 can be adjusted infinitely. In this sense, the flow regulator 38 can move between a closed position and a number of open positions.

[0031] The tapered surface 46 can be selectively moved relative to the seat 48 by a linear actuator 50 in a direction parallel to the longitudinal nozzle axis N. In this example, the tapered surface 46 can be linearly moved along the longitudinal nozzle axis N. In this example, the linear actuator 50 is a ball screw actuator, but the present disclosure extends to other types of actuators. The linear actuator 50 is mechanically connected to the handle 42, which in turn is mechanically connected to the head 44.

[0032] In this example, the linear actuator 50 responds to commands from a controller 52. The controller 52 is schematically shown in Figure 1 . The controller 52 includes electronics, software, or both to perform the functions described herein. Although the controller 52 is shown as a single device, the controller 52 can include multiple controllers in the form of multiple hardware devices or multiple software controllers within one or more hardware devices. The controller 52 can issue commands to various components of the vehicle 20 based on the output of one or more sensors, based on signals wirelessly transmitted to the vehicle 20, based on a pre-programmed flight plan, and / or based on other inputs.

[0033] In the present disclosure, the nozzle 32 and the flow regulator 38 are mounted to the housing 24 via a rotary ball joint 54, as shown in Figure 3The swivel ball joint 54 is best seen in this view. The swivel ball joint 54 is configured to selectively rotate the nozzle 32 and the flow regulator 38 relative to the longitudinal vehicle axis R.

[0034] The swivel ball joint 54 includes a hemispherical bearing (i.e., ball) 56 that is received within a hemispherical socket (i.e., cup) 58 that surrounds at least a portion of the bearing 56. In a particular example, the actuator(s) 60 is configured to move the bearing 56 in two planes, including tilting the bearing 56 relative to the longitudinal vehicle axis R and rotating the bearing 56 about the longitudinal vehicle axis R. In this regard, the actuator(s) 60 is configured to move the bearing 56 about a first axis and a second axis, and in turn move the nozzle 32 about the first axis and the second axis, each of the first axis and the second axis being orthogonal to the longitudinal vehicle axis R, and each of the first axis and the second axis being orthogonal to each other. In the example, the first axis extends substantially Figure 1 into and out of the page, and the second axis extends Figure 1 in the up and down direction. In one example, the bearing 56 can be infinitely adjustable relative to the socket 58 in these two planes. The socket 58 is sized and shaped to prevent translation of the bearing 56 relative to the socket 58 in any direction, including along the longitudinal vehicle axis R. Thus, in some examples, the swivel ball joint 54 is referred to as a trapped ball joint.

[0035] In this example, the bearing 56 is hollow and includes a central passage 62. In one example, the nozzle 32 can be integrally formed with the bearing 56. Further, in this example, the flow regulator 38 is rigidly mounted within the central passage 62. Thus, when the bearing 56 rotates within the socket 58, the longitudinal nozzle axis N will also rotate relative to the longitudinal vehicle axis R to provide thrust vectoring as needed throughout a particular mission. During this mission, the nozzle assembly 30 (specifically, the flow regulator 38 and the ball joint 54) can be controlled to provide pitch control and yaw control of the vehicle 20.

[0036] The present disclosure provides sufficient pitch control and yaw control without requiring large nozzles. Specifically, the length of the nozzle 32 is substantially reduced relative to existing nozzles. In a particular example, the length of the nozzle 32 is within 15 - 20% of the total length of the vehicle 20. In a further example, the length of the nozzle 32 is less than 10% of the total length of the vehicle 20. This in turn reduces the weight of the vehicle 20 and allows for a design in which the propellant storage tank(s) can be increased in size to prepare for potentially longer missions.

[0037] In Figure 4Another exemplary nozzle assembly 130 is shown. To the extent not otherwise described or shown, nozzle assembly 130 corresponds to Figures 1-3 the embodiment of, where like parts bear reference numerals preceded by "1" unless otherwise indicated hereinafter.

[0038] Nozzle assembly 130 includes a plurality of flow regulators 138A - 138D arranged relative to respective throat sections 134A - 134D. The products of the combustion chamber can be divided into four equal parts, with each part flowing to a respective flow regulator 138A - 138D. Nozzle 132 includes four diverging sections 136A - 136D that increase in diameter and extend away from the respective throat sections 134A - 134D.

[0039] Flow regulators 138A - 138D are each arranged to be substantially similar to flow regulator 38 and are particularly configured to move between a closed position and a number of open positions. Flow regulators 138A - 138D can be independently moved by respective linear actuators similar to linear actuator 50 in response to commands from a controller. Alternatively, flow regulators 138A - 138D are controlled in coordination with each other such that flow regulators 138A - 138D make substantially the same movement substantially simultaneously. To this end, flow regulators 138A - 138D can be capable of being moved by a common linear actuator. Flow regulators 138A - 138D are arranged along respective axes that are parallel to the longitudinal nozzle axis N and circumferentially spaced from each other about the longitudinal nozzle axis N. During flight, flow regulators 138A - 138D can be controlled in a manner that controls the roll of the rocket, thus eliminating the need for a separate roll control system. Thus, nozzle assembly 130 can be capable of controlling pitch, yaw, and roll. Further, by dividing nozzle 132 into four sections, in some examples, nozzle 132 can even be shorter than nozzle 32, resulting in, for example, an increased space for propellant.

[0040] It should be understood that terms such as "axial", "radial", and "circumferential" are used herein with reference to the normal operating attitude of vehicle 20 unless otherwise noted. Further, these terms have been used herein for purposes of explanation and should not be considered otherwise limiting. Terms such as "substantially", "essentially", and "about" are not intended to be unbounded terms and should be interpreted in a manner consistent with how those terms would be interpreted by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0041] Although the different examples have the specific components shown in the description, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to those specific combinations. It is possible to use some of the components or features from one of the examples in combination with the features or components from another of the examples. Additionally, the various figures attached to the present disclosure are not necessarily drawn to scale, and some features may be exaggerated or reduced to show certain details of a particular component or arrangement.

[0042] Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the embodiments described above are exemplary and non-limiting. That is, modifications to the present disclosure will fall within the scope of the claims. Accordingly, the appended claims should be studied to determine their true scope and content.

Claims

1. A nozzle assembly, comprising: a plurality of nozzles, each nozzle including a throat section, the nozzle including a ball portion of a ball-and-socket joint; a carrier, which includes a socket portion of the ball-and-socket joint, wherein the nozzle is mounted to the carrier, and wherein the ball portion is at least partially received in the socket portion; a corresponding plurality of flow regulators, each flow regulator being arranged adjacent to the throat section and being configured to regulate the flow of fluid through the throat section, wherein the flow regulator is attached upstream of the throat section to the nozzle; and an actuator, which is attached to the nozzle, wherein the actuator is configured to selectively rotate the nozzle about a first axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the carrier via the ball-and-socket joint; wherein each of the plurality of flow regulators is configured to operate independently of one another; wherein the flow regulator includes a pivot, the pivot being movable relative to a seat in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the nozzle to regulate the flow of fluid through the throat region; wherein the pivot is one of a plurality of pivots arranged adjacent to the throat section, and each of the plurality of pivots is independently movable.

2. The nozzle assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that The actuator is further configured to selectively rotate the nozzle about a second axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the carrier and the first axis.

3. The nozzle assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the plurality of nozzles is integral with the ball portion of the ball-and-socket joint.

4. The nozzle assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that The ball portion is a hemispherical bearing, and the socket portion is a hemispherical socket surrounding at least a portion of the ball portion.

5. The nozzle assembly according to claim 1, wherein: the pivot includes a shank, a head having a diameter greater than that of the shank, and a tapered surface extending from the head; the tapered surface is configured to contact the seat; a linear position of the tapered surface relative to the seat changes a size of a flow area through which fluid can flow through the throat section; 6. The nozzle assembly according to claim 5, wherein the tapered surface tapers in diameter from the head to the free end of the pivot.

7. The nozzle assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The plurality of pivots consists of four pivots spaced apart from one another about the longitudinal axis of the nozzle.

8. The nozzle assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that, The nozzle assembly further includes a plurality of linear actuators each configured to selectively move a corresponding one of the plurality of pivots.

9. The nozzle assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The nozzle includes a divergent section extending from the throat section.

10. The nozzle assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The carrier is a rocket engine.

11. A rocket, comprising: a body; propellant, which is stored within the body; a combustion chamber, which is arranged within the body; and a nozzle assembly, which is attached to the body and is configured to discharge the products of the combustion chamber, the nozzle assembly including: a plurality of nozzles, each nozzle including a throat section; a corresponding plurality of flow regulators, each flow regulator being arranged adjacent to the throat section and being configured to regulate the flow of the products of the combustion chamber through the throat section; and a rotary ball joint, which is configured to selectively rotate the flow regulators and the nozzles; wherein each of the plurality of flow regulators is configured to operate independently of one another; Wherein, the flow regulator includes a pivot that can move linearly relative to the seat, Wherein, the pivot is one of a plurality of pivots arranged adjacent to the throat section, and each of the plurality of pivots can be independently moved by a corresponding linear actuator.

12. The rocket according to claim 11, characterized in that, The plurality of pivots consists of four pivots spaced apart from each other around the longitudinal axis of the nozzle.

13. A method for operating a nozzle assembly according to any one of claims 1-10, comprising: Performing thrust vectoring on the rocket body by adjusting the position of the nozzle relative to the rocket body via a rotary joint and adjusting the position of a flow regulator arranged adjacent to the throat section of the nozzle.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The flow regulator includes a pivot, and wherein adjusting the position of the flow regulator includes linearly moving the pivot in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the nozzle.

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