Apparatus to reduce turbine engine nozzle base sheet stresses

An assembly for a gas turbine engine exhaust nozzle includes a backbone and a base sheet (106) configured to couple to the backbone. The base sheet includes at least one relief cut (200) and a pair of circumferentially-spaced sides (114 and 116) coupled together by an upstream side (110) and a downstream side (112). The at least one relief cut extends from at least one of the circumferentially-spaced sides towards the other respective circumferentially-spaced side.