Patent ID: 7546727

Claim:
A system for controlling a position of jet engine exhaust mixing tabs, said system comprising: a plurality of exhaust mixing tabs extending from a lip of at least one nozzle of an engine nacelle; a plurality of shape memory alloy (SMA) tendons attached at opposing ends to each exhaust mixing tab, wherein the SMA tendons are adapted to constrict when activated by heat, the constriction causing the exhaust mixing tabs to deploy into an exhaust flow emitted from the nacelle nozzle, the deployment causing the exhaust flow to intermix with adjacent air flow; and a plurality of tubular SMA tendon sleeves attached to and contouring with an inner surface of each exhaust mixing tab, each sleeve enclosing one of the SMA tendons in a ‘slip-fit’ fashion such that an air gap exists between each sleeve and the respective SMA tendons, each sleeve adapted to retain the respective SMA tendons when the SMA tendons are activated to deploy the respective exhaust mixing tabs.