Patent ID: 8196410

Claim:
A fuel nozzle sheath adapted to be mounted about a gas turbine engine fuel nozzle stem having a spray tip, the sheath comprising a tubular body having a perimeter and extending longitudinally from a first end to an opposite second end, the first end surrounds an inlet portion of the fuel nozzle stem while the second end surrounds the spray tip, and a lateral opening defined through the tubular body and extending longitudinally along at least a portion of said perimeter, said lateral opening being bounded by a top edge, a bottom edge and two side edges, the lateral opening having top rounded inside corners at the junctions of the side edges and the top edge, and bottom rounded inside corners at the junctions of said side edges and the bottom edge, the radius of at least one of said top rounded inside corners being larger than the radii of the bottom rounded inside corners when projected in a same plane.