Thrust Reverse |
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| Thrust reverse is used on most modern aircraft to give additional braking during landing. It is particularly useful on wet or icy runways where heavy use of the wheel brakes could result in skiding.
Put simply, the thrust which is normally directed rearwards to propel the aircraft is directed forwards to slow it down. There are several types of thrust reverse systems, each suited to different types of engines. On turboprop engines, the main thrust is derived from the propeller so when reverse thrust is selected, the propeller blade angle is altered to direct the air forwards rather than rearwards. |
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| Clamshell buckets | |||||||||||||
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| Buckets stowed :- Jet efflux exits rearwards | Buckets deployed :- Jet efflux exits forwards | ||||||||||||
| Reproduced with kind permission of Rolls-Royce plc | |||||||||||||
| On turbojet or small bypass turbofans, thrust reverse buckets are used. These are mounted on the engine exhaust and during normal flight they are stowed flat against the exhaust allowing the jet efflux to exit rearwards. When the buckets are deployed, they divert the jet efflux in a forward direction. | |||||||||||||
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| An aircraft landing with its thrust reverse buckets deployed | |||||||||||||
| Reproduced with kind permission of Rolls-Royce plc | |||||||||||||
| More about thrust reverse | |||||||||||||