The present disclosure relates generally to gas turbine engines, and more specifically to retention systems used in gas turbine engines.
Gas turbine engines typically include a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. The compressor compresses air drawn into the engine and delivers high pressure air to the combustor. In the combustor, fuel is mixed with the high pressure air and the air/fuel mixture is ignited. Products of the combustion reaction in the combustor are directed into the turbine where work is extracted to drive various components of the gas turbine engine.
Gas turbine engine efficiency is maximized by increasing a maximum operating temperature of the gas turbine engine components. The maximum operating temperature of metallic or superalloy gas turbine engine components are limited compared to the maximum operating temperature of gas turbine engine components formed from other materials. For instance, gas turbine engine components formed from Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) materials are operable at higher temperatures than gas turbine engine components formed from metallic or superalloy materials. Incorporating CMC materials into gas turbine engines may be challenging because traditional fasteners and retention systems are sometimes difficult to incorporate into assemblies of metallic and CMC components.
The present disclosure may comprise one or more of the following features and combinations thereof.
A turbine shroud may comprise a carrier, a blade track segment, and a retention system. The carrier may be made of metal and formed to include an aperture. The blade track segment may be made of ceramic matrix composite material and arranged adjacent to the metallic carrier. The blade track segment may include a runner adapted to extend around a portion of an axis, and a stud formed in one-piece with the runner that extends radially outward from the runner through the aperture formed in the carrier. The retention system may be adapted to couple the blade track segment to the carrier. The retention system may include a pair of threaded stud receivers that capture a portion of the stud arranged outside of the aperture to block movement of the stud out of the aperture, and a nut that engages the threaded stud receivers to block release of the stud from the stud receivers.
In some embodiments, the stud may include a neck that extends through the aperture and a first barb arranged outside the aperture opposite the runner. Each of the threaded stud receivers may be formed to include a cutout having a shape complementary to about half of the first barb, and the pair of stud receivers may be arranged with the cutouts in confronting relation so that the cutouts receive the first barb and the pair of stud receivers block movement of the stud out of the aperture. In some embodiments, the first barb may extend radially outward from the neck to form a retention surface that faces radially inward toward the axis. The retention surface may extend from the neck at a generally constant distance from the runner. Additionally, in some embodiments, the first barb may extend axially outward from the neck to form a retention surface that faces radially inward toward the axis. The retention surface may extend from the neck at a generally constant distance from the runner.
In some embodiments, the carrier may be formed to include a second aperture, the blade track segment may include a second stud formed in one-piece with the runner that extends radially outward from the runner parallel to the stud through the second aperture formed in the carrier, and the second stud may be circumferentially spaced apart from the stud about the axis. The stud and the second stud may be sized relative to their respective apertures to allow the stud and the second stud to move within their respective apertures so that the blade track segment is movable relative to the carrier.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a combustor may include a shell, a liner tile, and a retention system. The shell may be made of metal and formed to include an aperture. The liner tile may be made of ceramic matrix composite material and arranged adjacent to the shell. The liner tile may be adapted to extend around a portion of an axis, and the liner tile may include a tab and a stud formed in one-piece with the tab that extends radially outward from the tab through the aperture formed in the shell. The retention system may be adapted to couple the liner tile to the shell. The retention system may include a pair of threaded stud receivers that capture a portion of the stud arranged outside of the aperture to block movement of the stud out of the aperture, and a nut that engages the threaded stud receivers to block release of the stud from the stud receivers.
In some embodiments, the stud may include a neck that extends through the aperture and a first barb arranged outside of the aperture opposite the tab. Each of the threaded stud receivers may be formed to include a cutout having a shape complementary to about half of the first barb, and the pair of stud receivers may be arranged with the cutouts in confronting relation so that the cutouts receive the first barb and the pair of stud receivers block movement of the stud out of the aperture. In some embodiments, the first barb may extend both radially and axially outward from the neck to form a retention surface that faces radially inward toward the axis. The retention surface may extend from the neck at a generally constant distance from the tab. Additionally, in some embodiments, the retention surface may extend over the tab generally parallel to the axis. In some embodiments still, the retention surface may be generally tangent to a circle extending around the axis.
In some embodiments, the shell may be formed to include a second aperture, the liner tile may include a second stud formed in one-piece with the tab that extends radially outward from the tab parallel to the stud through the second aperture formed in the shell, and the second stud may be circumferentially spaced apart from the stud about the axis. The second stud may include a neck that extends through the second aperture and a barb arranged outside the second aperture opposite the tab, and the barb may extend radially outward from the neck to form a retention surface that faces radially inward toward the axis.
According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for assembling a turbine shroud may include arranging a blade track segment of a blade track formed from ceramic matrix composite material relative to a metallic carrier segment so that a first stud formed in one-piece with a runner of the blade track segment extends through a first aperture formed in the metallic carrier segment and a second stud formed in one-piece with the runner of the blade track segment extends through a second aperture formed in the metallic carrier segment, and engaging (i) a first pair of threaded stud receivers with opposite sides of the first stud so that the first stud is received in cutouts formed in each stud receiver of the first pair of threaded stud receivers to block movement of the first stud out of the first aperture and (ii) a second pair of threaded stud receivers with opposite sides of the second stud so that the second stud is received in cutouts formed in each stud receiver of the second pair of threaded stud receivers to block movement of the second stud out of the second aperture.
In some embodiments, the method may include securing (i) a first nut around the first pair of threaded stud receivers to block release of the first stud from the first pair of threaded stud receivers, and (ii) a second nut around the second pair of threaded stud receivers to block release of the second stud from the second pair of threaded stud receivers.
These and other features of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description of the illustrative embodiments.
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to a number of illustrative embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same.
Referring now to
Referring now to
The turbine blade track 26 of the turbine shroud assembly 22 extends circumferentially to surround the plurality of turbine blades 24 to block combustion products delivered to the turbine 16 from passing over the turbine blades 24. Combustion products allowed to pass over the blades 24 do not cause the blades 24 to rotate, thereby contributing to lost performance within the engine 10. The turbine blade track 26 includes a plurality of blade track segments 32 as discussed below with regard to
The metallic carrier 28 of the turbine shroud assembly 22 is coupled to the metallic case 20 and the turbine blade track 26 as shown in
The retention system 30 incorporated into the turbine shroud assembly 22 is adapted to couple the plurality of blade track segments 32 to the inner carrier 36 of the carrier 28. The retention system 30 illustratively includes, for each blade track segment 32, two pairs of threaded stud receivers 38 (best seen in
Referring now to
Though each blade track segment 32 is shown to include two studs 44 in the illustrative embodiment, more or less than two studs 44 may be included in each blade track segment 32 in other embodiments. In some embodiments, for example, each blade track segment 32 may include one stud 44. In other embodiments, each blade track segment 32 may include three studs 44 arranged, for example, in a triangular configuration. In other embodiments still, each blade track segment 32 may include four studs 44.
Each segment of the inner carrier 36 of the metallic carrier 28 is formed to include apertures 48 (best seen in
Each pair of threaded stud receivers 38 of the retention system 30 captures a portion 45 of one of the studs 44 arranged outside of one of the apertures 48 as shown in
In other embodiments, each of the blade track segments 32 may be formed to include more or less than the two studs 44. Therefore, in those embodiments, the number of threaded stud receivers 38 and nuts 40 included in the retention system 30 may vary according to the number of studs 44 included in each of the blade track segments 32.
Referring now to
The studs 44 of the blade track segment 32 are illustratively circumferentially spaced apart from one another about the axis 46, and the studs 44 extend radially outward away from the axis 46 parallel to one another. The apertures 48 of the inner carrier segment 36 are circumferentially spaced apart from one another about the axis 46 to receive the studs 44.
The threaded stud receivers 38 are formed to include external threads 52 and cutouts 54 having shapes complementary to the studs 44, and the stud receivers 38 are arranged in confronting relation so that the cutouts 54 receive the studs 44 (i.e., each cutout 54 receives approximately one half of each stud 44). Each of the nuts 40 is sized to receive the pair of threaded stud receivers 38 so that internal threads 56 of the nuts 40 engage the external threads 52 of the pair of stud receivers 38.
The apertures 48 of the inner carrier segment 36 may be sized to permit the studs 44 to move within the apertures 48 to a limited extent when the studs 44 are received in the apertures 48 as suggested in
Each stud 44 of the blade track segment 32 illustratively includes a neck 58, a plurality of barbs 60, and a substantially planar roof 62 as shown in
The plurality of barbs 60 of each stud 44 are spaced apart from the runner 42, and the plurality of barbs 60 extend over the runner 42 substantially parallel to the axis 46 between a first end 64 and second end 66 opposite the first end 64 as shown in
In the illustrative embodiment, the neck 58, the plurality of barbs 60, and the roof 62 of each stud 44 of each blade track segment 32 extend substantially parallel to the axis 46 (i.e., in the axial direction) as shown in
The plurality of barbs 60 of each stud 44 illustratively includes a first pair of barbs 68 and a second pair of barbs 70 arranged beyond the first pair of barbs relative 68 to the neck 58. Each of the first and second pairs of barbs 68, 70 are arranged on opposite sides 72, 74 of the studs 44. Each of the first and second pairs of barbs 68, 70 extends radially outward from the neck 58 in substantially the same direction. Each of the first and second pairs of barbs 68, 70 extends axially outward from the neck 58 in opposite directions.
Using one of the first pair of barbs 68 as an example, the barb 68 extends radially outward and axially outward from the neck 58 as indicated above to form a retention surface 76 that faces radially inward toward the axis 46. Each of the other barbs 60 forms a similar retention surface 76. When the studs 44 are received in the threaded stud receivers 38, the retention surfaces 76 engage corresponding surfaces of the threaded stud receivers 38 so that the studs 44 are at least partially retained by the stud receivers 38.
The retention surface 76 extends over the runner 42 from the neck 58 and between the ends 64, 66 at a generally constant distance from the runner 42 as shown in
In other embodiments, the studs 44, and the corresponding cutouts 54 formed in the threaded stud receivers 38, may take the form of other suitable shapes. For instance, the studs 44 and the cutouts 54 may include generally sinusoidal or wave-like shapes or features. The shapes of the studs 44 and the cutouts 54 may be selected to minimize stress concentrations in portions of each of the segments 23 of the shroud assembly 22 during operation of the engine 10, such as the studs 44 and the runner 42 of each segment 23, for example.
Referring to
Referring now to
The combustor 116 includes the shell 182, the liner 180, fuel nozzles 184, and a heat shield 186 as shown in
The shell 182 of the combustor 116 illustratively includes an outer shell member 194 and an inner shell member 196 that is generally concentric with and nested inside the outer shell member 194. Each of the outer and inner shell members 194, 196 are coupled to the liner 180 as shown in
The liner 180 of the combustor 116 is illustratively assembled from a plurality of liner tiles 197-200 adapted to extend around a portion of the axis 190. The liner tiles 198-200 are secured to the shell 182 by a plurality of metallic fasteners 195 as shown in
The liner tile 197 illustratively includes the tab 191 and the pair of studs 144 formed in one-piece with the tab 191 that extend radially outward from the tab 191 away from the axis 190. The studs 144 are circumferentially spaced apart from one another about the axis 190, and the studs 144 extend radially outward from the tab 191 and away from the axis 190 parallel to one another. In addition, though each of the liner tiles 198-200 is not shown to include the studs 144, the studs 144 may be included in each of the liner tiles 198-200 and formed in one-piece with the tab 191 of each of the liner tiles 198-200. Furthermore, though only two studs 144 are illustratively formed in the tab 191, more or less than two studs 144 may be formed in the tab 191 of the liner tile 197 or the tabs 191 of the other liner tiles 198-200 in other embodiments.
The shell 182 is illustratively formed to include apertures 189 sized to receive the studs 144 of the liner tile 197 as shown in
The apertures 189 may be sized to permit the studs 144 to move within the apertures 189 to a limited extent when the studs 144 are received in the apertures 189. As such, the liner tile 197 and the retention system 130 coupled thereto may be movable relative to the shell 182 to the extent the studs 144 are movable within the apertures 189. In other embodiments, however, the apertures 189 may be sized to resist or substantially prevent the studs 144 from moving within the apertures 189 when the studs 144 are received in the apertures 189.
The retention system 130 illustratively includes a pair of threaded stud receivers 138 that capture a portion 145 of the studs 144 arranged outside the apertures 189 to block movement of the studs 144 out the apertures 189. In addition, the retention system 130 includes nuts 140 that engage the threaded stud receivers 138 to block release of the studs 144 from the stud receivers 138. When the liner tile 197 is arranged adjacent the shell 180 to assemble the combustor 116 such that the studs 144 extend through the apertures 189, the threaded stud receivers 138 receive the portion 145 of the studs 144 and the nuts 140 surround and engage the threaded stud receivers 138. The threaded stud receivers 138 and the nuts 140 engage the shell 180 such that the threaded stud receivers 138 and the nuts 140 extend beyond the studs 144 relative to the shell 180.
The retention system 130 and the studs 144 are substantially similar to the retention system 30 and the studs 44, respectively, shown in
The retention systems (e.g., retention systems 30, 130) may be adapted for use in applications other than the applications discussed heretofore. In some embodiments, the retention systems may be included in seal segments located circumferentially between adjacent segments 32 of the blade track 26. In other embodiments, the retention systems may be included in components of thrust-augmenting devices, such as tiles of augmentors adapted for use in gas turbine engines.
While the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the foregoing drawings and description, the same is to be considered as exemplary and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected.
This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/098,543, filed Dec. 31, 2014, the disclosure of which is now expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62098543 | Dec 2014 | US |