The present invention relates to gas turbine engines, and more particularly, to gas turbine engine rotors and the assembly and disassembly of gas turbine engine rotors.
Gas turbine engine rotors remain an area of interest. Some existing systems have various shortcomings, drawbacks, and disadvantages relative to certain applications. Accordingly, there remains a need for further contributions in this area of technology.
One embodiment of the present invention is a unique gas turbine engine. Another embodiment is a unique gas turbine engine main engine rotor. Still another embodiment is a unique method for assembling a gas turbine engine main engine rotor. Other embodiments include apparatuses, systems, devices, hardware, methods, and combinations for gas turbine engines and gas turbine engine rotor assemblies. Further embodiments, forms, features, aspects, benefits, and advantages of the present application shall become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.
The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
For purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nonetheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is intended by the illustration and description of certain embodiments of the invention. In addition, any alterations and/or modifications of the illustrated and/or described embodiment(s) are contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention. Further, any other applications of the principles of the invention, as illustrated and/or described herein, as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, are contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention.
Referring now to the drawings, and in particular,
In one form, gas turbine engine 10 includes a compressor 12 having a compressor rotor 14; a diffuser 16; a combustion system 18; a turbine 20 having a turbine rotor 22; and a shaft 24 coupling compressor rotor 14 with turbine rotor 22. Combustion system 18 is in fluid communication with compressor 12 and turbine 20. Turbine rotor 22 is drivingly coupled to compressor rotor 14 via shaft 24. Compressor rotor 14, turbine rotor 22 and shaft 24 form a main engine rotor 26, which rotates about an engine centerline 28. Although only a single spool is depicted, it will be understood that embodiments of the present invention include both single-spool and multi-spool engines. The number of blades and vanes, and the number of stages thereof of compressor 12 and turbine 20 may vary with the application, e.g., the efficiency and power output requirements of a particular installation of gas turbine engine 10. In various embodiments, gas turbine engine 10 may include one or more fans, additional compressors and/or additional turbines.
During the operation of gas turbine engine 10, air is received at the inlet of compressor 12 and compressed. After having been compressed, the air is supplied to diffuser 16, which reduces the velocity of the pressurized air discharged from compressor 12. The pressurized air exiting diffuser 16 is mixed with fuel and combusted in combustion system 18. The hot gases exiting combustion system 18 are directed into turbine 20. Turbine 20 extracts energy from the hot gases to, among other things, generate mechanical shaft power to drive compressor 12 via shaft 24. In one form, the hot gases exiting turbine 20 are directed into a nozzle (not shown), which provides thrust output for gas turbine engine 10. In other embodiments, additional compressor and/or turbine stages in one or more additional rotors upstream and/or downstream of compressor 12 and/or turbine 20 may be employed, e.g., in single or multi-spool gas turbine engines.
Referring now to
System 30 includes a compression washer 36 and a retaining ring 38 positioned in such a way that a preload is maintained between the turbine rotor 22 and shaft 24 during engine 10 operation. The preload is maintained by compression washer 36, which is placed into a state of compression during the assembly of turbine rotor 22 and shaft 24. Use of the term, “compression” in the present context indicates that compression washer 36 is compressed in the sense that a spring is compressed, and is not necessarily reflective of the stress field within compression washer 36. In one form, compression washer 36 is a conical compression washer, otherwise known as, for example, a Bellville spring, a Bellville washer or a disk spring. It will be understood that the shape of compression washer 36 is not limited to being conical; rather, any suitable shape may be employed in various embodiments. In one form, retaining ring 38 is a split retaining ring. In other embodiments, other retaining ring types may be employed, for example, spiral retaining rings.
Referring now to
Each component of rotor 26 that is clamped together with system 30 also includes another face for reacting the compression washer 36 loads with retaining ring 38. In one form, the other face is part of an opening in each component that receives therein retaining ring 38. In the depicted example, shaft 24 includes a shouldered channel 44, and stub shaft 32 includes a shouldered channel 46. Channels 44 and 46 are configured to receive retaining ring 38. In one form, channels 44 and 46 extend circumferentially around a respective inside or outside diameter of each component. In one example, the channels are circumferentially continuous. In other embodiments, discontinuous or interrupted channels may be employed. In one form, channel 44 is a groove, e.g., a circumferential slot, and channel 46 is also a groove. Groove 44 includes a face 48, and groove 46 includes a face 50 that faces opposite face 48. Faces 48 and 50 react the compression washer 36 loads through retaining ring 38, which loads retaining ring 38 in shear. Faces 40 and 42, and grooves 44 and 46, or more particularly, faces 48 and 50 of respective grooves 44 and 46, are positioned so that compression washer 36 is in a state of compression between face 40 and face 42 when retaining ring 38 is positioned in both groove 44 and groove 46, or more particularly, when retaining ring 38 is positioned between faces 48 and 50. In other embodiments, other types of channels in addition to or in place of grooves may be employed, so long as those channels include opposing faces such as faces 48 and 50 to react the compression washer 36 loads through retaining ring 38.
In one form, at assembly, retaining ring 38 is displaced inward into groove 44, and once assembled, retaining ring 38 is displaced radially outward and expanded into groove 46, which locks shaft 24 and turbine rotor 22 together axially. Faces 40 and 42, and compression washer 36 are positioned such that when retaining ring 38 is in the expanded state, occupying both grooves 44 and 46 between faces 48 and 50, conical compression washer 36 is in a compressed state. Loads from the compressed compression washer 36 tend to drive shaft 24 and turbine rotor 22 axially apart, which is prevented by retaining ring 38. In one form, the force exerted by compression washer 36 is selected to provide a preload on the mated components during all operating conditions of engine 10. The force is based primarily on the spring characteristics of compression washer 36, the axial dimensions of compression washer 36 and retaining ring 38, and the locations of faces 40, 42, 48 and 50. In other embodiments, the force exerted by compression washer 36 may be selected to maintain a preload only under some engine 10 operating conditions.
Referring now to
Additional features may also include one or more openings in one or both components of rotor 26 to facilitate the assembly and/or disassembly of rotor 26 components. In the embodiment of
The assembly and disassembly of rotor components such as turbine rotor 22 and shaft 24 may be accomplished in more than one manner. In one form, assembly may include positioning compression washer 36 between face 40 of shaft 24 and face 42 of stub shaft 32 of turbine rotor 22; positioning retaining ring 38 in groove 44; assembling stub shaft 32 of turbine rotor 22 onto shaft 24; applying a clamp load to force compression washer 36 into a state of compression between face 40 of shaft 24 and face 42 of stub shaft 32 of turbine rotor 22; and displacing retaining ring 38 so that retaining ring 38 is positioned in both grooves 44 and 46. The displacement of retaining ring 38 may include self-displacement from a compressed state, and/or forced displacement. Other assembly steps in addition to or in place of those described herein may likewise be employed.
Disassembly of turbine rotor 22 from shaft 24 may be performed by repositioning retaining ring 38 from being in both groove 44 and groove 46 to being in only one of groove 44 and groove 46, and by removing sliding turbine rotor 22 off of shaft 24. In the illustrated embodiment, retaining ring 38 is displaced from groove 46 into groove 44 in order to disassemble rotor 36. In other embodiments, retaining ring 38 may be displaced from groove 44 into groove 46 in order to disassembly rotor 36. In either case, a tool such as tool 56 may be inserted into an opening such as hole 54 and be used to apply force to retaining ring 38 in order to displace retaining ring 38 to disassemble rotor 36.
Referring now to
Disassembly is accomplished by first applying an axial clamp load to the mated components such that the preload is removed from retaining ring 38. Tool 56 is then employed via holes 54 to reposition retaining ring 38 out of groove 46 and further into groove 44. Displacing retaining ring 38 inward with the tooling pins allows stub shaft 32 to disengage from shaft 24. In other embodiments, other types of tools may be employed to disassemble rotor 26.
In the depiction of
For example, referring now to
Similar to the embodiments described in
In addition to the above, embodiments of the present invention include similar systems having compression washers, retaining rings, and two groups of two opposing faces that may be used to assemble static components, such as engine case structures, without the use of threaded joints or threaded fasteners.
Embodiments of the present invention include a gas turbine engine, comprising: a main engine rotor having a first rotor component and a second rotor component, wherein the first rotor component includes a first face and a first channel; and wherein the second rotor component includes a second face and a second channel; a compression washer disposed between the first face and the second face, wherein the compression washer is operative to mechanically load the first face against the second face; and a retaining ring, wherein the first face, the first channel, the second face and the second channel are positioned so that the compression washer is in a state of compression between the first face and the second face when the retaining ring is positioned in both the first channel and the second channel; and wherein the retaining ring reacts the mechanical loading produced by the compression of the compression washer.
In a refinement, the main engine rotor includes a turbine rotor and a compressor rotor, and wherein the first rotor component is one of the turbine rotor and the compressor rotor.
In another refinement, the main engine rotor includes a shaft operative to transmit power from the turbine rotor to drive the compressor rotor, and wherein the second rotor component is the shaft.
In yet another refinement, the compressor rotor includes a plurality of compressor stages, and wherein the first rotor component is a first compressor stage and wherein the second rotor component is a second compressor stage.
In still another refinement, at least one of the first rotor component and the second rotor component includes an opening extending into the respective at least one of the first channel and the second channel.
In yet still another refinement, the opening is structured to admit a tool therein for displacement of the retaining ring.
In a further refinement, the engine includes a spring disposed in one of the first channel and the second channel, wherein the spring is positioned to place a spring load on the retaining ring.
In a yet further refinement, the spring is a circumferential wave washer.
Embodiments include a method for assembly and disassembly of a main engine rotor of a gas turbine engine, comprising: positioning a compression washer between at least one of a first face of a first rotor component of the main engine rotor and a second face of a second rotor component of the main engine rotor; positioning a retaining ring in one of a first groove of the first rotor component and a second groove of the second rotor component; assembling the first rotor component to the second rotor component; applying a clamp load to force the compression washer into a state of compression between the first face and the second face; and displacing the retaining ring so that the retaining ring is positioned in both the first groove and the second groove.
In a refinement, the method further includes releasing the clamp load, wherein the retaining ring reacts the compression of the compression washer and retains the first rotor component in assembly with the second rotor component.
In another refinement, the first rotor component is clamped to the second rotor component without the use of threads.
In yet another refinement, the method also includes disassembling the first rotor component from the second rotor component by repositioning the retaining ring from being in both the first groove and the second groove to being in the one of the first groove and the second groove, and removing the first rotor component from the second rotor component.
In still another refinement, the repositioning of the retaining ring includes inserting a tool into an opening in one of the first groove and the second groove, and applying force to the retaining ring using the tool to displace the retaining ring.
In yet still another refinement, the method includes positioning a spring in one of the first groove and the second groove, wherein the spring is positioned to place a spring load on the retaining ring.
In a further refinement, the main engine rotor includes a shaft operative to transmit power from a turbine rotor to drive a compressor rotor, and wherein one of the first rotor component and the second rotor component is the shaft.
In a yet further refinement, the main engine rotor includes a plurality of compressor stages, and wherein the first rotor component is one compressor stage and wherein the second rotor component is an other compressor stage.
In a still further refinement, the main engine rotor includes a compressor disk and a compressor spacer, and wherein the first rotor component is the disk and wherein the second rotor component is the spacer.
Embodiments of the present invention include a system, comprising: a first component having a first face and a second face; a second component having a third face and a fourth face, wherein the third face is opposite the first face, and wherein the fourth face is opposite the third face; a compression washer disposed between the first face and the third face, wherein the compression washer is operative to mechanically load the first face against the third face; and a retaining ring, wherein the first face, the second face, the third face and the fourth face are positioned so that the compression washer is in a state of compression between the first face and the third face when the retaining ring is positioned between the second face and the fourth face; and wherein the retaining ring reacts the mechanical loading produced by the compression of the compression washer.
Embodiments of the present invention include a gas turbine engine main engine rotor, comprising: a first rotor component; a second rotor component; and means for clamping the first rotor component to the second rotor component.
In a refinement, the means for clamping includes a compression washer and a split retaining ring that jointly clamp together the first rotor component and the second rotor component.
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment(s), but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as permitted under the law. Furthermore it should be understood that while the use of the word preferable, preferably, or preferred in the description above indicates that feature so described may be more desirable, it nonetheless may not be necessary and any embodiment lacking the same may be contemplated as within the scope of the invention, that scope being defined by the claims that follow. In reading the claims it is intended that when words such as “a,” “an,” “at least one” and “at least a portion” are used, there is no intention to limit the claim to only one item unless specifically stated to the contrary in the claim. Further, when the language “at least a portion” and/or “a portion” is used the item may include a portion and/or the entire item unless specifically stated to the contrary.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/201,656, filed Dec. 31, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20120076657 A1 | Mar 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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