Variable Spike Pintle Nozzle Thrust Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aerospike nozzles are vulnerable to heat and experience reduced thrust efficiency due to wide changes in expansion ratios caused by pintle movement, leading to flow separation and vibration, especially when the pintle is closed.
Innovation Solution
A thrust control apparatus with a plug area variable spike pintle nozzle using an aerospike-shaped pintle, where the plug area is mechanically controlled without an additional driving unit, utilizing a gear system with different threads on outer and inner surfaces of the gear to achieve precise thrust control and optimize thrust efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a typical nozzle with a sharp-tipped spike is used, then thrust efficiency may be improved, but the spike becomes vulnerable to heat damage
Solution Approach 1:
The spike tip is extracted or removed from the aerospike nozzle, transforming it from a sharp-tipped configuration to a plug spike configuration. This extraction eliminates the heat-vulnerable sharp tip while preserving the thrust-generating functionality of the spike body, resolving the contradiction between thrust efficiency and heat resistance.
2Force
If the pintle is closed to control thrust, then thrust magnitude is reduced, but the expansion ratio becomes excessively increased causing flow separation and vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The invention dynamically adjusts both the pintle position and the plug area of the spike together in a coordinated manner. When the pintle is closed to reduce thrust, the plug area is simultaneously adjusted to maintain an appropriate expansion ratio, preventing flow separation and vibration. This dynamic coordination resolves the contradiction between thrust control and flow stability.
3Device complexity
If a single driving unit controls the pintle, then device complexity is reduced, but precise thrust control requiring coordinated adjustment of multiple parameters becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The driving mechanism merges the control of the pintle and the plug spike into a single integrated system. The gear mechanism simultaneously adjusts both components in a coordinated fashion, achieving precise thrust control through unified actuation rather than separate control systems. This merging maintains low device complexity while achieving high thrust control precision.
4Force
If the expansion ratio changes widely due to pintle stroke, then thrust magnitude is adjustable, but thrust efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the nozzle by adjusting the plug area of the spike in coordination with the pintle position. This parameter adjustment compensates for the expansion ratio changes caused by pintle stroke, maintaining optimal thrust efficiency across a wide range of thrust magnitudes. The coordinated parameter changes resolve the contradiction between thrust adjustability and efficiency maintenance.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a thrust control apparatus having a plug area variable spike pintle nozzle, in which an aerospike-shaped pintle can be used in a pintle nozzle for precise thrust control. The thrust control apparatus includes a combustion chamber, a motor housing, and an outer pintle nozzle. The motor housing has a driving motor within the combustion chamber. The outer pintle nozzle is moved in a lateral direction by the driving motor.