This invention is directed generally to locking spacer assemblies usable in turbine engines, and more particularly to locking spacer assemblies usable in turbine engines for locking a row of blades, such as turbine blades or compressor blades, in place on a turbine stage assembly or a compressor stage assembly, respectively.
Typically, gas turbine engines include a compressor for compressing air, a combustor for mixing the compressed air with fuel and igniting the mixture, and a turbine section including a turbine blade assembly for producing power. The compressor and turbine sections of a turbine engine typically include rotors to which a plurality of blades are attached. The plurality of blades are typically arranged in rows spaced axially along the rotor. Each blade is releasably attached to the periphery of a disc.
Instead, spacers formed from multiple components that can be locked into positioned without being rotated into a final position have been used. In some conventional systems, a multi-piece spacer has been used. However, centrifugal forces encountered during operation of the turbine engine can cause these multi-piece spacers to come apart and cause extensive damage to the turbine engine. Conventional designs often suffer from the devices coming apart if either side of the devices develop clearance relative to adjacent turbine components. Another problem often encountered in conventional designs is that the components forming the conventional design often have problems fitting together. Thus, a need exists for a more efficient and reliable device for filling a void between adjacent turbine components and for securing a final spacer for locking turbine blades to a disc.
This invention relates to a is directed to a locking spacer assembly usable to fill a void in a turbine component slot having lateral recesses. In at least one embodiment, the locking spacer assembly may be configured to be a final component installed in a disc groove to prevent a plurality of blades, such as but not limited to, compressor blades and turbine blades, from detaching from a disc in a blade assembly. The locking spacer assembly may be configured such that the disc groove be continuous throughout its length, circumferential, and need not include a portion having a different configuration for attachment of the locking spacer assembly. The locking spacer assembly may be installed and actuated without interaction with adjacent turbine blades, thereby preventing failure if clearance develops on either side of the assembly proximate to the adjacent blades. The locking spacer assembly may remain assembled and in place during all operating stages of a turbine engine.
The locking spacer assembly for filling a void in a turbine component having lateral recesses may include a radially outward support having an outer surface, a forward sloped inner face, an aft sloped inner face and an inwardly extending spacer protrusion. The radially outward support may include one or more locking orifices extending therethrough. The locking orifice in the radially outward support may be countersunk such that the locking device may fit within the radially outward support and may not extend radially outward beyond the outer surface of the radially outward support. The radially outward support may be configured to engage radially outward facing surfaces on a disc. The radially outward support may include an aft contact surface that protrudes radially inward from the aft sloped inner face such that the aft contact surface contacts a disc. The radially outward support may include a forward contact surface that protrudes radially inward from the forward sloped inner face such that the forward contact surface contacts the disc.
The locking spacer assembly may include a radially inward support having an outer surface with a forward disc receiving recess and an aft receiving recess for receiving a portion of a disc arm. The radially inward support may include at least one locking orifice extending therethrough. The radially inward support may be sized such that a gap exists between a radially inner surface of the radially inward support and a radially outward facing surface of the disc forming a disc groove in which the radially inward and outward supports are positioned. In addition, a gap may exist between the inwardly extending spacer protrusion and a surface of the disc positioned forward of the radially outward support. A gap may also exist between the inwardly extending spacer protrusion and a surface of the disc positioned aft of the radially outward support.
The locking spacer assembly may also include a locking device extending through the locking orifice in the radially outward support and extending at least partially into the locking orifice in the radially inward support. In one embodiment, the locking device may be a bolt having at least one recess in an outer side surface of a bolt head on the bolt. The locking device may include at least one washer having a generally linear surface with at least one protruding side wall extending radially in a first direction. The at least one protruding side wall may include an inward protruding stop that rests with the recess in the outer side surface of the bolt head. The washer may include a stop arm extending radially from the generally linear surface in a direction generally away from the protruding side wall. The stop arm may rest within a slot in the radially outward support, which prevents the washer and the bolt from being accidentally loosened. The at least one recess may be formed from a plurality of recesses in the bolt head. The inward protruding stop may be formed from at least two opposing stops extending into the recesses in the protruding side wall. A self locking helical coil insert may be positioned in the locking orifice extending through the radially inward support.
In another embodiment, the locking device may be a bolt having at least one torque slot in an outer side surface of a bolt head on the bolt. The side surface forming the locking orifice in the radially outward support may include at least one locking pin receiving cavity. The bolt may include a plurality of torque slots in the outer side surface of the bolt head on the bolt, and the side surface forming the locking orifice in the radially outward support may include a plurality of locking pin receiving cavities.
In yet another embodiment, the locking device may be a bolt having at least one torque slot in an outer side surface of a bolt head on the bolt. A side surface forming the locking orifice in the radially outward support may include at least one torque lug slot offset from side surface. The locking device may be a bolt having a plurality of torque slots in an outer side surface of a bolt head on the bolt. The side surface forming the locking orifice in the radially outward support may include a plurality of torque lug slots offset from side surface.
The forward disc receiving recess may be positioned on a corner forming an intersection between the outer surface and a forward side surface. In addition, the aft disc receiving recess may be positioned on a corner forming an intersection between the outer surface and an aft side surface.
In another embodiment, a method of securing blades to a component of a turbine engine with a locking spacer assembly is disclosed. The method may include inserting a radially inward support into a disc groove, wherein the radially inward support has an outer surface with a forward disc receiving recess and an aft receiving recess for receiving a portion of a disc arm. The radially inward support may includes at least one locking orifice extending therethrough. The method may also include positioning a radially outward support having an outer surface, a forward sloped inner face, an aft sloped inner face and an inwardly extending spacer protrusion, wherein the radially outward support includes at least one locking orifice extending therethrough and wherein the radially outward support is configured to engage radially outward facing surfaces on a disc. The method may also include inserting a locking device into the locking orifice in the radially outward support and extending at least partially into the locking orifice in the radially inward support. In addition, the method may include locking the locking device in place so that the locking device may not accidentally loosen.
An advantage of this invention is that the locking spacer assembly provides direct clamping between the forward contact surface, the aft contact surface and the forward and aft disc receiving recesses on the radially inward support.
Another advantage of this invention is that the locking spacer assembly includes a locking device with a locking washer that can be bent into recesses in a bolt head without having to rotate the bolt head for alignment, thereby preventing the loss of pre-loaded tension.
Yet another advantage of this invention is that the locking device of the locking spacer assembly may be a single pin that locks the locking device in place to prevent accidently loosening.
These and other embodiments are described in more detail below.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the presently disclosed invention and, together with the description, disclose the principles of the invention.
As shown in
The locking spacer assembly 10 may be formed from a radially outward support 26 having an outer surface 28, a forward sloped inner face 30, an aft sloped inner face 32 and an inwardly extending spacer protrusion 34. The inwardly extending spacer protrusion 34 may separate the forward and aft sloped inner faces 30, 32 and may extend from the radially outward support 26 further than the forward and aft sloped inner faces 30, 32. The radially outward support 26 may include one or more locking orifices 36 extending therethrough. The radially outward support 26 may be configured to engage radially outward facing surfaces 38 on a disc 20. The radially outward support 26 may be coupled to a radially inward support 40 having an outer surface 42 with a forward disc receiving recess 44 and an aft disc receiving recess 46 for receiving a portion of a disc arm 48. The radially inward support 40 may include one or more locking orifices 36 extending therethrough. The locking orifice 36 in the radially outward support 26 may be countersunk such that the locking device 50 may fit within the radially outward support 26 and not extending radially outward beyond the outer surface 28 of the radially outward support 26. In at least one embodiment, as shown in
A locking device 50 may extend through the locking orifice 36 in the radially outward support 26 and extending at least partially into the locking orifice 36 in the radially inward support 40. In one embodiment, as shown in
In another embodiment, as shown in
For instance, as shown in
In still another embodiment, as shown in
As shown in
The radially inward support 40 may be sized such that a gap 94 exists between a radially inner surface 96 of the radially inward support 40 and a radially outward facing surface 98 of the disc 20 forming the disc groove 16 in which the radially inward and outward supports 40, 26 are positioned. The radially outward support 26 may include an aft contact surface 102 that protrudes radially inward from the aft sloped inner face 32 such that the aft contact surface 102 contacts the disc 20. The radially outward support 26 may also include a forward contact surface 104 that protrudes radially inward from the forward sloped inner face 30 such that the forward contact surface 104 contacts the disc 20. A gap 106 may exist between the inwardly extending spacer protrusion 34 and a surface 110 of the disc 20 positioned forward of the radially outward support 26. A gap 112 may exist between the inwardly extending spacer protrusion 34 and a surface 116 of the disc 20 positioned aft of the radially outward support 26.
The locking spacer assembly 10 may be installed in place after all blades within a particular stage have been installed. The radially inward support 40 may be inserted into the void 24 in the disc 20 by inserting into a radially inner portion 80 of the void 24 and rotating the radially inward support 40 about 90 degrees such that the forward sloped inner face 30 and the aft sloped inner face 32 are aligned to contact the disc arms 48. The radially outward support 26 may then be positioned in the void 24 radially outward from the radially inward support 40. A locking device 50 may be installed to couple the radially outward support 26 and the radially inward support 40 together. In at least one embodiment, a bolt 52 may be inserted into the locking orifice 36 of the radially outward support 26 and into the radially inward support 40. The bolt 52 may be rotated to draw the radially outward support 26 and the radially inward support 40 into contact with the disc arm 48. In particular, the forward and aft disc receiving recesses 44, 46 may receive portions of the disc arm 48. The aft and forward contact surfaces 102, 104 of the radially outward support 26 contact an outer surface of the disc 20.
The bolt 52 may be secured in position using one or more of the locking mechanisms disclosed herein or other appropriate devices. As shown in
The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and describing embodiments of this invention. Modifications and adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of this invention.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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7435055 | Hanson et al. | Oct 2008 | B2 |
20090220345 | Krutzfeldt et al. | Sep 2009 | A1 |
20100074731 | Weibe et al. | Mar 2010 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20120275918 A1 | Nov 2012 | US |