MEANS AND METHOD FOR REDUCING DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE LOADING IN AN AUGMENTED GAS TURBINE ENGINE

Means and method are disclosed for reducing buckling loads across an afterburner combustion liner in an augmented gas turbine engine. Means for accelerating bypass cooling airflow and then decelerating the accelerated bypass airflow for creating pressure losses to provide reduced-pressure bypass airflow to a plenum surrounding the afterburner liner are disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the bypass airflow is accelerated to a velocity greater than Mach 1 and is then decelerated to a velocity less than Mach 1 for incurring shock waves for generating pressure losses for reducing differential pressure acting across the liner.