Specialists of the Voronezh Joint Stock Company "Konstruktorskoye Byuro Khimavtomatiki" (AO "KBKhA") have patented a new design for a rocket engine nozzle with peripheral rudders. Information about the invention is contained in the official FIPS patent database.
The main feature of the technical solution is the arrangement and attachment scheme of the control elements. Peripheral rudders are pivotally mounted near the nozzle exit section and can move both into and out of the gas flow.
The design is calculated in such a way that in the initial position before engine start-up, the distance from any point of the rudders to the plane of the initial nozzle section does not exceed the total length of the nozzle itself.
Such a layout allows for thrust vector control with a limited nozzle and engine compartment length. When thrust vector control is not required, the peripheral rudders are moved to the operating position and create an additional axial force, which, according to the patent description, increases the specific thrust impulse. If thrust vector control is needed, the rudder units deflect the corresponding rudders inward or outward of the gas flow, creating a controlling side force.
The development is aimed at improving the efficiency of liquid rocket engines and enhancing the maneuverability characteristics of prospective aircraft.