Exhaust flow turning means for turbofan type engines

Claim 1

IN AN AXIAL-FLOW TURBOFAN TYPE AIRCRAFT ENGINE HAVING AT LEAST ONE COMPRESSOR AND ONE AERODYNAMIC BOATTAIL NOZZLE EXHAUST SYSTEM FOR THE DISCHARGE OF A RELATIVELY HIGH VOLUME, LOW PRESSURE PROPULSIVE GAS STREAM FROM SAID COMPRESSOR, AN AIRCRAFT/ENGINE AUXILIARY COMPRISING MEANS FOR SUBSTANTIALLY REVERSING THE DIRECTION OF SAID STREAM INCLUDING; A FIRST PLURALITY OF GENERALLY RECTANGULAR-SHAPED LIGHWEIGHT CASCADE ASSEMBLIES, EACH ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED AXIALLYEXTENDING BEAMS, A SERIES OF AXIALLY-SHAPED IMPULSE TYPE TURNING VANES RIGIDLY JOINED TO SAID BEAMS AND PROVIDING A FIRST PLURALITY OF FLOW PATHS FOR SAID GAS STREAM, AND HINGE MEANS AT THE REARWARD ENDS OF SAID BEAMS; A SECOND PLURALITY OF GENERALLY TRIANGULAR-SHAPED LIGHTWEIGHT CASCADE ASSEMBLIES, EACH CASCADE OF SAID SECOND PLURALITY INCLUDING A FORKED BEAM THE SINGLE END THEREOF BEING DOWNSTREAM WITH THE DIVERGENT ARMS THEREOF FACING UPSTREAM, A SERIES OF AXIALLY-SPACED IMPULSE TYPE TURNING VANES RIGIDLY JOINED TO SAID FORKED BEAM AND PROVIDING A SECOND PLURALITY OF FLOW PATHS FOR SAID GAS STREAM, AND A SINGLE HINGE MEANS AT SAID DOWNSTREAM BEAM END, SAID VANES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CASCADE ASSEMBLIES EACH BEING AN ARCUATE SECTION GENERALLY CONCENTRIC WITH SAID ENGINE AXIS; A RECEPTACLE IN SAID ENGINE OPEN TO RECEIVE SAID CASCADE ASSEMBLIES WHEN IN AN INOPERATIVE OR FORWARD THRUST POSITION; ENCLOSURE MEANS FOR SAID FIRST AND SECOND CASCADE ASSEMBLIES IN SAID FORWARD THRUST POSITION INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE CYLINDRICAL SECTION MEMBER, SAID MEMBER BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID ASSEMBLIES AND GENERALLY AWAY FROM THE EXIT PLANE OF SAID GAS STREAM TO UNCOVER SAID ASSEMBLIES FOR REVERSE THRUST OPERATION, SAID ENCLOSURE MEANS SEALING SAID RECEPTACLE OPENING IN THE FORWARD THRUST POSITION TO PRESENT A SMOOTH RECOMPRESSION SURFACE FOR SAID GAS STREAM; ACTUATION MEANS FOR MOVING SAID ENCLOSURE MEANS AND SAID CASCADE ASSEMBLIES BETWEEN SAID REVERSE THRUST AND SAID FORWARD THRUST POSITIONS; REARWARDLY LOCATED MOUNTING MEANS WITHIN SAID RECEPTACLE FOR PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING SAID CASCADE ASSEMBLIES BY SAID HINGE MEANS, THE TRIANGULAR-SHAPED CASCADE ASSEMBLIES IN SAID REVERSE THRUST POSITION BEING POSITIONED INTERMEDIATE OF AND IN ABUTMENT WITH ADJACENT ONES OF SAID RECTANGULAR-SHAPED CASCADE ASSEMBLIES TO PROVIDE A GENERALLY CONTINUOUS FRUSTO-CONICAL MEMBER HAVING ITS GREATER DIAMETER FORWARDLY LOCATED SUBSTANTIALLY DOWNSTREAM OF THE EXIT PLANE OF THE GAS STREAM FROM SAID COMPRESSOR, THE IMPULSE TYPE VANES OF SAID FRUSTO-CONICAL MEMBR TURNING SAID GAS STREAM THROUGH AN ANGLE GREATER THAN 90* WITH RESPECT TO THE ENGINE AXIS; AND MEANS TO LOCK SAID FIRST AND SECOND CASCADE ASSEMBLIES AND SAID ENCLOSURE MEANS IN EITHER THE FORWARD OR THE REVERSE THRUST POSITION.